UA Health Care Task Force Recommendations - IMMEDIATE STAFF FEEDBACK NEEDED!

This summer a special Health Care Task Force composed of staff representatives from across the UA system met to research and propose possible solutions to offset increasing health care costs. They were charged with thinking of out-of-the-box solutions for cost containment. Their proposals were recently summarized and shared with the Joint Health Care Committee (JHCC). The JHCC will be meeting in Anchorage next week to discuss these recommendations. You may review the document here:http://www.alaska.edu/files/governance/HCTF-final-report.pdf

The current staff members on the Joint Health Care Committee are Melodee Monson from UAA (anmam@uaa.alaska.edu) and Gwenna Richardson from UAS (gjrichardson@uas.alaska.edu). If you want to provide them with feedback before the JHCC meeting in Anchorage next week I strongly encourage you to do so.

Please keep in mind that these are suggestions alone and do not represent any final decisions regarding our health plan or benefits. This is your opportunity to use the governance system to make your opinion heard. I strongly encourage all of you to review this document and weigh in on the discussion. 

For more information on the JHCC or SHCC there was an excellent article in the August Statewide Voice (http://www.alaska.edu/voice/2012/august-issue-69/system-news/health-care-1/) that I encourage you to read.

Thank you! Here's to your health!

Staff Council

Staff Council - June 2012 Highlights

• Staff Council elected a new President and Vice President for the upcoming year. Congratulations to Juella Sparks, President and Claudia Koch, Vice President. 
• Staff Alliance put forth a request to the President to use 5.5% place holder in the FY14 Budget request for staff compensation. Staff Alliance will have their annual retreat in August at which time there will be an election of officers for the upcoming year. 
• Health Care Task Force has now been established with 11 members. The task force will be encouraged to create a website to keep staff informed of the process. 
• Chancellor Rogers: 1. New Engineering Building will connect College of Engineering and Mines to the Bunnell Building. 2. First time the legislature has allocated monies for research. 3. Fundinbg for the heat and power plant will be requested in the FY14 budget. 4. A public/private partnership has been established to expand the Wood Center dining and to replace the Lola Tilly Commons. 5. Possible 2% tuition increase. 
• Jennifer Reynolds, Faculty Senate President - There is an effort to institute an electronic faculty reporting system. The system can be used to report: a. University performance b. Unit performance c. Outreach activities, detailed review and d. Who taught a specific course. Two software programs were reviewed by faculty and the program that will be viewed more in depth is Faculty 180 from Data 180.  This program is only being reviewed by UAF at this time and a selected few faculty members will participate in a pilot program using the software. If the program works as hoped it will go into effect for UAF and possibly all MAU's. Implementation is a concern; however, UAF faculty has a good relationship with the Provost Office and Dana Thomas and believes this program will be beneficial to the administration and faculty.