Employee Engagement Survey

The summary data from last fall's Employee Engagement Survey was recently released by Modern Think. I was a little disappointed that the IPS scores weren't higher, but it tells me I have work to do to improve our work environment and culture. I'm committed to doing that, in partnership will all our staff and leadership team. Below are the summary results comparing IPS to the entire UT System.

March Events

As you saw from my earlier post, February was a busy month. March is no less hectic.

March 1 - IPS Quarterly Leadership Team meeting
March 6-7 - LEIC Advisory Board Meeting
March 7 - Employee Engagement Survey Data preliminary meeting with ModernThink
March 12 - IT Reorganization Briefing
March 13 - UT Day on the Hill in Nashville
March 19-21 - IPS Leadership Academy in Nashville

March is also full of annual performance review meetings and a week of budget hearings still to come. Finally, we launched the search for the new assistant vice president. It's an exciting time in IPS.

Recent Happenings

My Blog has been silent for a while. I simply haven't taken the time to commit to paper all that is happening. Here's a quick rundown for February:

Feb 2 - System Strategic Planning Steering Committee meeting
Feb 6 - President's staff meeting
Feb 8 - A briefing with Senator Coker's staff on who we are and what we do
Feb 10 - CTAS Advisory Committee meeting in Nashville
Feb 14 - Fundraising trip to Nashville
Feb 15 - A short segment on Channel 10's "Live at Five" on the COCTP and how it works
Feb 22 - System Strategic Planning Steering Committee meeting
Feb 23 - Fundraising trip to Maryville
Feb 24 - Monthly meeting with the President
Feb 27 - Compensation Advisory Board Meeting in Memphis
Feb 28-29 - UT Board of Trustees Meeting in Memphis

Of course, there are many other exciting things going on across the institute that we share on our web site and in our newsletters. There is never a slow time for our work!

Sharing another Blog post

Mike Smith is a friend and colleague from UNC Chapel Hill's School of Government. His recent blog post is worth sharing.

Mike Smith's Blog

What do you think? We have this book in our Leadership Library. If you are interested in reading it, contact Macel Ely or Tom Kohntopp for a loan.

Personal Privilege - The Circle of Life

Although my posts are generally directed toward the activities of the institute, a particularly challenging January begs a personal response.

At the passing of my dear, sweet mother-in-law, I received an outpouring of encouragement and support from across the institute. Although I have only been a part of her family for a few years, she made me feel welcome. She suffered a great deal during her last six months and I am grateful that she no long suffers. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

Just as my mother-in-law was in her final days, the great news came that my only child is expecting! Due in August, we are thrilled to share the good news. I have three step-grandchildren who I enjoy immensely. I look forward to the years ahead as "Gigi". Again, thanks for your words of congratulations and encouragement.

One of the reasons IPS is such a great place to work is because we don't just work together, but we care about each other. We share in pain and in celebration. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Good Budget News - At Last

When the Governor released his budget proposal this week, it was good news for IPS!

Although we received a very small cut in our state appropriation, it was offset by a 2.65% operating increase, funding for a 2.5% salary pool, and funding for expected benefit increases. In total, the three IPS line items received just over $475,000 in new funding!

President Joe DiPietro, CFO Butch Peccolo and VP Hank Dye were great advocates on behalf of all the "non-formula funded" units. I appreciate their efforts.

And, they are willing to advocate on our behalf because of the outstanding results of the work our staff accomplishes all across the state. Thanks for all you do!

IPS Leadership Academy - Memphis

The IPS Leadership Academy spent three days in Memphis in December. What a wonderful experience. In addition to great classroom time, we had a tour of the new pharmacy building and the dental lab. Josh Jones and Susan Robertson both took a turn at drilling on a tooth! We also had good food at the Rendevous and a few hours on Beale Street. The week included crazy weather with rain and snow. All in all, it was a good experience and I look forward to the upcoming session in March.