Staff Recognition Awards
Excerpts of Remarks by Larry R. Faulkner
May 6, 1999
Frank Erwin Center
This afternoon we recognize those of you who have been vital to the growth and improvement of The University over a significant number of years. This is a celebration of your sustained leadership in the various departments and programs with which you are associated. You represent this institution at its very best, and your impressive records of service merit our highest praise. You can be counted on. For the past ten years—or the past forty years!—this institution has excelled under your capable hands. Our reputation, our ideals, our energetic spirit have been forged through your hard work and uncommon loyalty. So on behalf of the entire UT community I thank today’s honorees for all you have done for The University of Texas.
Universities like ours are massive enterprises that require the collective effort of everyone from accounting to zoology, from those who beautify our grounds or keep our office temperature bearable in the blazing summer heat, to those who save our crashing computer systems or provide food service to the hungry hordes on campus. A university is often measured by the number of Nobel laureates in its labs, the average SAT scores of its entering freshmen, the prominence of its research libraries, and the national ranking of its sports teams. These are understandable indicators of success, and we welcome them. But everyone in this hall knows that a large institution like ours requires the support and good will of thousands of dedicated staff members if our complex operations are to run smoothly—or in some cases, to run at all. This gathering today represents literally thousands of years of collective experience, and we thank our honorees for the professionalism they have provided.
I want you to know that while you have been working diligently for the benefit of the University, the University has also been working for you. Since my first week on the job in April of last year, I have considered staff issues—particularly staff compensation—as one of the focal points of my administration. I was asked to devote a part of my remarks today to a brief review of our progress on some of the issues of greatest concern to UT staff members:
- One of my first decisions as president was to accept the recommendations of the Compensation Advisory Committee regarding minimum pay rates at UT--as well as rates for many other classified positions that were below minimum levels within the Austin labor market. We completed the implementation of those recommendations last September 1st.
- Last year, I committed to increasing compensation for classified staff members to the levels recommended by the Compensation Advisory Committee by the 1999-2000 fiscal year. That will be completed on September 1st of this year. I also committed to finding the resources necessary for across-the-board salary increases for staff. That effort is still in progress--but I expect we will be successful in achieving that goal.
- I have issued a directive to deans, directors, and department chairs to add staff members to appropriate committees in The University. Staff members possess a great deal of knowledge of many important operations at UT, and we welcome their input.
- I also announced that I would establish an ad hoc committee to advise on compensation policy and implementation; to recommend adjustments to UT's compensation plan based on relevant labor markets; and to make recommendations regarding benefits, recruitment, retention, and other issues. Dean Edwin Dorn of the LBJ School of Public Affairs is chair of that committee. I expect to receive its first report within a matter of days.
I look forward to bringing you even more encouraging news of these efforts in the months to come.
Every one of you being honored today is an essential part of that large and surprisingly graceful mosaic, the UT staff. Without your individual facets this University would shine less brightly. You set the standard of excellence on this campus, and once again we thank you. I am delighted to celebrate this occasion with you, and I look forward to many years of working together.
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