Dear Campus Community,

Throughout the COVID pandemic and following task forces on staff engagement and campus culture, we have collectively gained a deeper appreciation for the critical role of the Human Resources (HR) function on our campus. To help strengthen HR’s leadership and role, we engaged with the consulting firm, Deloitte, last fall to conduct a comprehensive HR assessment.

The HR assessment report is now complete and available online. Campus leadership and I have endorsed the report’s overall findings. In regard to recommendations, we will initiate the following actions before the end of this academic year:

1.    Recruit for the Associate Vice Chancellor/Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) position, and elevate the HR function to report to the Chancellor.

2.    Initiate a comprehensive campaign to provide additional specialized training for all staff in Central HR and across units.

3.    Strengthen coordination and accountability between Central HR and unit-based HR colleagues, with the development of direct reporting lines to Central HR in the future.

4.    Develop a Central HR Support Center to provide concierge service for all employees, and to strengthen and support unit-based onboarding processes.

As we work toward filling the CHRO position and plan for the next academic year, we will continue to review the HR assessment to guide future campus operations and to advance our campus culture.

I am deeply grateful to Vice Chancellor Gerry Bomotti and the Central HR team for their stalwart leadership during a period of rapidly-evolving HR policies and procedures on the campus. Throughout the pandemic, they have served as strong advocates for all UC Riverside employees and have implemented new flexible work guidelines, revised paid leave options, developed COVID compliance procedures, and enhanced virtual professional development programming. Their work has been crucial to our campus resilience during unprecedented working conditions.

Finally, thank you to the campus community for everyone’s continuing commitment to UCR’s mission and students.