Group examines summer work schedule
Thursday, September 18, 2014 2:00 AM
News
Pittsburg, KS
Pittsburg State’s strategic planning process has yielded a number of great ideas for the future of the university. One concept, however, seemed to be mentioned at nearly every open forum and small-group discussion; the possibility of offering an alternate summer work schedule for employees.
“It’s a concept that was mentioned in many of our campus forums,” said Brad Hodson, co-chair of the Strategic Planning Task Force. “We felt it deserved a closer look and brought it to the attention of our President’s Council.”
The council agreed and has formed a special work group to review the question and provide a final recommendation. The 14-person group, led by Dr. Howard Smith, is composed of faculty and staff from throughout campus.
The work group’s recommendation will have to be presented to President’s Council by October 31.
“Time is of the essence because the summer schedule is set in mid-November,” explained Smith. “We’ll reach out to the campus over the next month in order to gather information for our recommendation. It’s a very quick turnaround but, with help from the campus, I’m confident that we can meet the deadline.”
In addition to engaging campus, the work group will also review summer schedule models from other universities and identify possible opportunities and challenges that might result from a new work summer schedule.
“It’s an idea that appeals to many people,” said Smith. “But it’s also likely to be a bit more complicated to implement because of the natural way a university operates. I know this group is up to the task, and I’m looking forward to working with them.”
Members of the Summer Session TaskForce are:
Dr. Howard Smith, Chair; Dr. Pawan Kahol, Graduate & Continuing Studies; Dr. David Kuehn, Physics; Melinda Roelfs, Admissions; Debbie Greve, Registrar; Rita Girth, Campus Life; Tom Myers, Intercollegiate Athletics; Mimi Morrison, University Support Staff; Holly Kent, Unclassified Staff; Tom Amershek, Physical Plant; Julie Dainty, Faculty Senate President; Randy Roberts, Library Services; Diane Letner, Human Resources; Jeff Burns, Information Services.