Our community has endured a great deal of change during this unprecedented time. What has remained constant, however, is the dedication and innovation of our employees who help us realize our educational, research, and healthcare missions. Thank you for your continued contributions and service during this difficult period for our University. At this time, we are pleased to announce that with the full support of the Office of the President, the University is embarking on the Career Path Modernization (CPM) Project, an initiative that was planned long before COVID-19 entered our lives and will have a profound effect on so many who currently works at our great institution or will one day join us. This project reflects our commitment to creating a supportive, equitable, and inclusive work environment where everyone can thrive and to making the University a model employer that attracts, engages, and motivates the best people.
The CPM Project is a multi-year endeavor to transform our 40-year-old job description, job title, career path, and compensation program. Job titles and descriptions will be updated to accurately reflect the work being performed by our employees. The project will also establish a new pay grade structure that aligns salary ranges to the regional job market and appropriately compensates our employees with fair and competitive salaries. Importantly, CPM will provide clear career paths for employee development, which is of great importance to our staff, and develop policies that reinforce the University’s Meliora Values and its commitment to equity and inclusion.
We anticipate that it will take approximately three years to complete this initiative. In that time, the CPM Project team will review and update more than 1,000 non-faculty and non-union positions across the College, Eastman School of Music, Medical Center, graduate and professional schools, and Memorial Art Gallery.
This is a large and complex project for our University and we have much to accomplish over the next three years. Holly Crawford, senior vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer and treasurer, is leading the CPM Project, working closely with a University-wide steering committee and human resources staff. Given the project’s size and scope, we have also engaged the HR consulting firm Mercer on a limited basis to assist us. Mercer has expertise in compensation programs and career development and has worked with other universities and academic medical centers on similar initiatives.
The implementation team has begun interviewing stakeholders in key departments and leadership roles to help us understand how to frame this project. This first phase is scheduled to last through June of 2021 and will assist us as we build the foundation for our compensation system and update and catalog job descriptions. Your department will be hearing from the team in the coming months as we embark on the next steps of reviewing job descriptions. We will also be building a website later this year, where we will post important milestones and information about the CPM Project. Again, thank you for your support as we create substantial change for the University of Rochester together.
Meliora,
Holly G. Crawford, Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Mark B. Taubman, CEO, University of Rochester Medical Center
Tony Kinslow, Associate Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer
Kathy Gallucci, Vice President for Human Resources, URMC, and Executive Director for Human Resources, University of Rochester