Staff members, if you want to be in charge of your career options in this topsy-turvy employment world, UC Davis would like to help.
Your effort can start Tuesday, Sept. 17, with a staff education and development expo in Freeborn Hall called "Promoting Excellence Through Learning."
"We want to help people think through making their choices about career management by providing a framework," says Mary Anne Payne, manager of staff development and professional services.
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., educational providers and consultants will be at the expo to provide information and discuss options.
As the highlight of the expo, Sue Miller Hurst, educator and author, will be the keynote speaker. She will speak 10:30-11:30 a.m. in 198 Young Hall.
Considered one of the top thinkers for business strategy and management, Hurst advises organizations that seek to become "learning organizations."
A bank of career counselors will be available in Freeborn to review resumes, discuss transferable skills, provide referrals and give advice.
In addition, campus groups that sponsor their own staff-development programs will be present to describe activities and to consult with staff members.
Other campus participants will include Information Technology, the Graduate School of Management and University Extension.
Local training companies, especially those involved with technology training, are also attending.
The expo event on Sept. 17 will initiate a yearlong series of activities related to the twin developmental strands of career resilience and professional development planning, Payne said.
UC Davis places itself in the category of being a learning organization, Payne says.
"We can help staff maintain their employability," she says. "In this institution, we want to underscore the partnership between the university and staff working together to accomplish mutual goals."
Two more nationally renowned employment scholars will speak during the academic year. In early 1997, Jennifer James, an urban-cultural anthropologist and author of Thinking in the Future Tense: Leadership Skills for a New Age, will talk about the shift in thinking as organizations change.
Later in the spring, Bill Bridges, author of Job Shift: How to Prosper in a Workplace Without Jobs, will address the campus about the changing nature of work and how to be fully prepared to become "your own entrepreneur," Payne says.
This new emphasis on staff development throughout the campus is consistent with the philosophy set forth two years ago when UC, through the Human Resources Management Initiatives, said it would place a major emphasis on continuous professional development for staff.
"Substantial funds have been provided by the university this year for staff education--more money than the campus has ever had before," Payne said.
Campus staff education goals include improved skills in the area of technology and management. In addition, staff should be able to pursue professional development beyond the campus-sponsored programs such as Information Technology or Staff Development and Professional Services--for instance, by taking a certificate program through University Extension, concurrent science or computer classes--or even professional degree programs--at UC Davis or other institutions.
Deans and vice chancellors have been given funds to further educate their staff to meet organizational goals. The funds can go to individuals, selected groups of employees in specific job areas or for the whole unit.
To assist staff and various units in thinking about career development, this year Staff Development and Professional Services is creating a guide for staff members and their managers on how to make the shift toward a learning environment.
"We're emphasizing the fact that as the nature of work changes, the need for ongoing learning has increased dramatically," Payne said.
Technology changes are playing a major role in stimulating change. For instance, with the advent of the new financial information and payroll-personnel systems as well as the existing Banner student information system, new computer skills are needed for basic operations.
Half of the offerings through Staff Development and Professional Services are in technology training. A second staff-training computer lab has been secured in the basement of Hutchison Hall this year to add to an existing training lab in Mrak Hall.
The new lab will expand its hours beyond 8 a.m.-5 p.m. to accommodate staff members.
Notices will be sent in early September to campus staff with more information about the expo.
