Jason Koski/University Photography

President David Skorton addresses staff Oct. 1 in Bailey Hall.

Jason Koski/University Photography

From right, center, Darren and Susie Jackson listen to President Skorton's address.

Cornell’s progress in faculty recruitment may be a major news item; getting a Cornell undergraduate education may be in high demand; and Cornell research may total half-a-billion dollars a year – but none of these would be possible without the “talented, innovative, hardworking staff” at Cornell, said President David Skorton at his annual address to about 400 staff members, Oct. 1, in Bailey Hall.

Skorton opened his remarks by focusing on the concept of “one Cornell”: “the idea that we think about our commonalities more than our differences.” He highlighted a number of benefits available to staff to show the “concrete ways that this regard … for staff is actually realized,” including child care grants, educational benefits, the Wellness Program and other health benefits, retirement resources and employee discounts.

Among those opportunities to act as “one community” to make the university a better place to work, he said, is the CARE Fund – Cornellians Aiding and Responding to Employees – which this year helped 14 staff members with more than $15,000 to respond to sudden, unforeseen financial hardships or emergencies.

“The needs in our community have consistently been greater than the available resources,” Skorton said. He announced that his office and the Division of Human Resources and Safety Services will seed the fund with $25,000 this year, and he encouraged staff to participate in the fund’s upcoming auction.

EA honors Workday team

Prior to Skorton’s address, Brigitt Schaffner, chair of the Employee Assembly, presented the Employee Assembly Appreciation Award to the Workday Team for “their lasting contributions and continuing service to Cornell University.” Lyman Flahive, senior director for human resource information systems, and Laurie Cecere, project manager for Workday, accepted the award on behalf of the team.

Skorton addressed the four areas of concern identified by the 2011 Employee Survey: career development and individual growth; workload; feedback to supervisors; and recognition of excellent work. The Employee Survey Response Team (ESRT) and employee-led subcommittees, as well as individual colleges and units, have made a lot of progress toward addressing these issues, he said, referring the audience to the Employee Survey Response Web page.

To grow in their careers, several staff members have taken on rotational assignments and 38 library staff have participated in a mentoring program, he said, while managers in the colleges and units have reviewed position descriptions and classifications to resolve concerns about imbalances between work to be done and staff available to do it. Deans and vice presidents have also been reminded about the importance of using the flex policy in ways that meet the needs of their staff and their departments, he said.

Several pilot programs have been implemented in which staff provide performance feedback for their supervisors; successful programs will be evaluated and their use broadened, he said.

A new series of universitywide staff recognition awards has been developed, along with new recognition events at college and unit levels, he said.

Skorton answered questions from staff on a range of topics, including the effects of the Affordable Care Act on Cornell employees (Cornell is already compliant with the act, so no major changes are anticipated), the use of release time to serve on university committees, the progress on the Cornell NYC Tech campus and the status of Cornell’s sustainability initiatives. Skorton also invited staff to email him at david.skorton@cornell.edu with further questions.

The event was coordinated and sponsored by the Employee Assembly, which also provided lunch to all attendees.