University of Illinois
Charter for Human Capital Strategy Project Team
The University of Illinois is one of the premier employers in Illinois offering a wide variety of
employment opportunities in Urbana/Champaign, Chicago, Springfield, and across the state in
our extension offices. The University of Illinois is the state’s largest educator and a world leader
in research with world renowned faculty and outstanding staff and students. The majority of the
university’s budget is allocated to employee salaries and benefits. “The size, cost and criticality
of the human capital of the university requires the management of our human resources to be a
high priority. Employees fuel the academic, research and service enterprise.”1 Over the past
five years, the oversight of the university’s human capital (its employees) has been fractured
and without strategic direction. “This fragmentation results in highly variable practices.”2
Academic professionals have played an increasingly important role in the operations of the
university. This trend is a reflection of the increasing level of sophistication, skills and
knowledge needed to keep the university at the forefront of research, teaching and economic
development. In a “Report on the Status of Academic Professionals,” at UIUC, academic
professionals are described as “a workforce that breaks through traditional barriers and that is
flexible, self-directed, multi-disciplinary, and able to adapt to the changing needs of the
University.” Information from this report and recently released survey findings from the
Academic Professional Advisory Committee (APAC) at UIC confirm the interest in professional
development, career paths, and equity in job responsibilities, titles and compensation.
In the June 8, 2010, Administrative Review and Restructuring Human Resources Management
(ARR-HR) Subcommittee Final Report, a recommendation called for a “supportive human
capital strategy be developed. Such a strategy should be grounded in job analysis so that the
content of the position, the title of the position and the required qualifications and competencies
are all well understood. Such job analysis is also fundamentally essential to creating rational
approaches to salary administration and professional development.”3
In describing the university’s current state, the ARR-HR final report stated the following:
“…we lack a comprehensive human capital strategy to guide that
investment and ensure optimal performance of our human
resources and of our human resources organizations.”
“The development and implementation of a human capital strategy
will provide for more efficient achievement of university strategy,
would be essential to greater alignment and greater effectiveness
between University strategy and HR service delivery, and will
address the void that currently exists.”
A second recommendation called for a human capital strategy for academic professionals that
will “create an environment where academic professionals want to work, where continued
1
Administrative Review and Restructuring, Human Resources Management Subcommittee Final Report,
June 8, 2010, p. 3.
2 Ibid, p. 4.
3“ Administrative Review and Restructuring Human Resources Management Subcommittee Final Report,”
June 8, 2010, p. 5.
Charter for Human Capital Strategy Project Team
professional development allows the university to be competitive and equitable.”4 It further
stated that “Areas which need to be reviewed carefully include the total compensation for
academic professionals, professional development and career advancement.”5
PURPOSE
By investing in the university’s human capital the university creates public value. This is
accomplished through the work of the civil service and academic professionals in the pursuit of
the University’s mission. By implementing a human capital strategy the university desires to:
1. Attract the best talent.
2. Engage the workforce.
3. Increase productivity and efficiency.
4. Maintain and develop workforce skills and knowledge.
5. Provide career opportunities.
6. Remove performance impediments.
7. Improve morale.
8. Improve service delivery.
OPERATING PRINCIPLES
The Human Capital Strategy Project Team is responsible for working with the advisory team
and steering team as they develop the strategy. The project team will operate in a transparent
environment communicating often and in as many venues as reasonable. Members will
participate as “university citizens” by making recommendations that are in the best interests of
the university and its employees.
Members will speak open and candidly, listen to and be open to other points of view and
willingly share information and ideas. Members will actively engage in discussions and will
debate issues, attempting to influence others to his/her point of view. Once a decision is made,
members will support it and champion the decisions with others.
GOVERNANCE
The driving force in the framework of the human capital strategy will come from the advisory
teams. The project team will develop the strategy based on the advisory team input, best
practices, and expert advice. The steering team will oversee the project and ensure that
resources needed to complete the task are available. It will also report about the ARR-HR
projects to the President’s Cabinet and other executives, upon request. It is possible that focus
groups will be needed to validate assumptions and test project outputs. The governance model
below depicts the relationships with advisory teams, steering and project team and focus
groups.
4
Ibid, p. 6.
“Administrative Review and Restructuring Human Resources Management Subcommittee Final Report,”
June 8, 2010, p. 12.
5
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Charter for Human Capital Strategy Project Team
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Steering Team Chair
The steering team chair is the university executive that takes on the role of spearheading
support for the project and alignment with the university executives for their support. The
responsibilities include:
1. Identification of project director.
2. Identification of and released time for project team members to work on the project.
3. Remove project barriers.
4. Provide appropriate support for the team to complete its objective(s).
5. Collaborate with project director on meeting agendas.
6. Facilitating meetings.
7. All responsibilities listed as a team member below.
Steering Team Members
The steering team represents the head of the three campus HR offices and HR for the
administration. A representative for EEO/labor relations and one or more members of the pilot
organization will also be a member of this team. Like the steering team chair, they also
spearhead support for the project and alignment with the university executives for their support.
The responsibilities include:
1. Assist with the identification of people and financial resources.
2. Break down barriers.
3. Review draft outputs from project team.
4. Make suggestions and recommendations.
5. Review and approve final outputs from the project team.
6. Champion the project team publically, as a group and individually.
7. Assist with the prioritization of implementation plans.
8. Assist with the communication of the project progress, deliverables and final products.
9. Liaison with the ARR Steering Committee (Ex Officio member).
Stakeholders
Virtually everyone is a stakeholder in a human capital strategy. There is one advisory team
representing academic professionals and civil service employees. Additional input will be
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Charter for Human Capital Strategy Project Team
sought from academic units, e.g. deans, directors and department heads that will be identified
through the campus members of the ARR-HR steering team.
Advisory Team6
Examples of organizations that should be included for academic professional input are
representatives from UPPAC, APAC, and CAP. Examples of organizations that should be
included for the civil service and open range input are representatives from the Secretariat and
UIEAC. Responsibilities include:
1. Respond to requests for input.
2. Provide perspective from their point of view.
3. Where it applies, provide subject matter expertise.
4. Freely provide input, suggestions, ideas that may not be requested.
5. Identification of research that may help in the development of the strategy.
6. Review draft of project deliverables.
7. Support for focus groups.
8. Assist with communication about the project, its progress, and completion.
Project Director
The project will be led by the project director. The role of the project director includes:
1. Development of a project plan with task assignments, milestones and timeline.
2. Get alignment to the plan from the project team.
3. Facilitate meetings.
4. Liaise with the project sponsor and advisory groups.
5. Celebrate milestone successes.
Project Team Members
Project team members will be given released time to actively participate as a project team
member. Their responsibilities on the team will include:
1. Actively participate in project meetings.
2. Volunteer to lead components of the project.
3. Complete task assignments on time and with excellence.
4. Volunteer insights, perspectives, suggestions, and ideas to improve project milestones
and deliverables.
5. Dedication to the success of the overall project.
Administrative Support
Project team members will need administrative support to assist them to move the project
forward. The expectation is that we will be using existing resources. Their responsibilities on
the team will include:
1. Clerical support.
2. Logistical support for meetings.
6
The roles and responsibilities for ad hoc advisory teams and focus groups will be defined as needed.
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