In case you missed it: UAT Fall 2021 term roundup

As we start a new year and new academic term, we wanted to summarize all that's happened with the U of A for Tomorrow (UAT) initiative over the past four months to keep you up to date and informed of anything you may have missed.

The fall continued to be a busy time as work progressed on implementing the UAT operating model including launching new structures, transitioning services, hiring new positions, and much more. Some of the key milestones included:

• Release of the new Vice-President Research and Innovation structure
• Release of the vision for the future of student services at the university

This restructuring, along with many other activities to implement the operating model, will help put the university on solid financial footing from which we can seize opportunities for growth and reinvestment in our core mission of teaching, research, and community engagement. Here are the key UAT activities and milestones from the Fall term:

September

• September 2: Fall update on applying to position opportunities in the new model
• September 13: Immigration and relocation support moves to the Shared Services unit
• September 17: SET hosts Ask SET Anything: Student Services Edition
• September 23: President Flanagan provides a UAT presidential update

October

• October 1: Several finance services move into the Shared Services unit
• October 4: SET hosts Ask SET Anything: Procurement Edition
• October 4: College Dean Greta Cummings hosts town hall for the College of Health Sciences
• October 6: College Dean Joe Doucet hosts town hall for the College of Social Sciences and Humanities
• October 7: College Dean Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell hosts town hall for the College of Natural and Applied Sciences
• October 7-28: Vice-President Todd Gilchrist provides an overview of what is to come:
  • Looking ahead at the administrative functional streams
  • Looking ahead at the central support services
  • Looking ahead at the non-labour streams
  • Looking ahead at supporting and sustaining activities
• October 18: New Purchasing Card and Travel & Expense reconciliation processes launch
• October 29: UAT website restructured to align with the new operating model

November

• November 4: Release of the Academic Leaders Task Group Report
• November 4: UAT encourages the use of self-service technologies available at the university
• November 4: Several HR services are now available through the Staff Service Centre
• November 5: SET hosts Ask SET Anything: All Staff Edition
• November 10: Release of the fall results from the UAT pulse survey
• November 10: Release of updates to the external engagement service catalogue
• November 18: Change Management toolkit update

December

• December 1: Several finance services move to the Shared Services unit
• December 2: Release of the new Research and Innovation portfolio structure
• December 2: Release of the vision for the future of student services at the university
• December 2: Staff Service Centre introduces a phone line for support
• December 9: Procurement and Contract Management takes a new direction
• December 9: Procurement scheduled to launch a new event management software in January 2022
• December 9: HR workstream and Human Resources, Health, Safety and Environment complete several process improvements
• December 13: SET and Shared Services pilots a new and simplified employee appointment process
• December 16: SET process redesign team introduces a new methodology

Hiring announcements

Several new positions in the operating model were also hired over the last four months, across several of the administrative workstreams. We're pleased to note that we have made a concerted effort to advance existing staff within the institutions, and of the more than 400 staff we've hired into new roles, just over 80 per cent have been internal hires.

• September 9: Director, Service Innovation, Strategic Initiatives Lead, Director of Communications and Marketing Partnerships, Director of Editorial Strategy, Director of Internal Communications, Director of Media Strategy
• September 16: Director of Recruitment Marketing, Director of Marketing - Development and Demand Generation, Director of Brand
• October 7: Manager, Events
• October 14: Senior Partners, Communications & Marketing, Finance Partners, Manager, Prospect Management and Research, Development
• October 28: Director, University Development, Director, Faculty Development, College of Natural and Applied Sciences and College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Director, Faculty Development, College of Health Sciences
• November 25: Partners, Communications and Marketing, Creative Director, Program Lead, Affinity and Constituent Engagement, Program Lead, Faculty Engagement, Program Lead, Regional Chapters, Program Lead, Alumni Recognition, Manager, Internal Communications (Students), Manager, Internal Communications (Employees), Director, Resource Planning
• December 6: Media Relations Strategists
• December 10: Donor Relations Officer, Manager, Content Strategy (Shane Riczu), Manager, Digital Strategy (Kyle Kramer), Manager, Web Development (Dean Vigoren)

Useful resources

As the university continues transitioning to the new operating model, it's understandable that you're thinking about where you will fit within the new structures. Across the organization, new structures are rolling out and bringing new opportunities for professional growth. Here are some useful resources and articles to help assist you with career decisions.

• Deciding to apply for roles in the U of A's new structure
• Resume skills workshop | Interview skills workshop
• New onboarding resources
• Wellbeing through change

Be sure to regularly review future opportunities posted on the Position Opportunities Page (POP); please remember that POP only provides the upcoming opportunities created as a result of restructuring. The Careers website is the place to watch for all opportunities you can apply for.

Going forward

Stay up to date with the latest UAT developments by reading The Quad each Thursday. You can also access UAT updates at any time by visiting the UAT homepage and checking out the "Updates" tab located in the navigation menu.

And stay tuned for a new staff profile series coming soon where we will be featuring a member of the U of A community who has taken on a new role within the UAT operating model to share their perspective on strategic transformation.