president’s announcement stated clearly, not the liaison to the staff.  My job is to carry the concerns of the elected representatives of the administrative staff back to the president and the senior administration and to facilitate in whatever way I can the staff’s thinking through of key issues.

Q: Why were you selected for this role?

That’s a fair question and is best addressed to the president. I know that the president took this concern seriously and expressed to the staff that he wanted to select someone who was a senior officer in his cabinet who could, in an objective way, represent the concerns and interests of the administrative staff. He knew I had been with the College for a long

time, and that I have worked with a number of administrative staff in a variety of capacities: as a faculty member, as a department chair with management responsibility, as a vice president working with a wide range of administrative staff, and even as an interim president. In 13 years at Trinity, I have had the opportunity to become familiar with a broad range of issues facing the College and to work—with real admiration—along with a number of our administrative staff. 

Q: How is this arrangement different from the way things have been in the past?

Formerly, the director of Human Resources had a role, in accordance with the Personnel Advisory Committee bylaws, to “represent the Senior Vice President for Finance and President of the College” to the staff committee. In this role, the director of Human Resources spoke for the senior administration to the staff. Now, I represent the administrative staff to the president, and the senior vice president will represent himself to the staff, as appropriate. This is a fundamental change, and one that I hope will greatly improve communication and the sense of community among us. I am committed to taking this responsibility seriously and representing the interests of the staff to the administration fairly and honestly.

Q: What did you learn as a result of the staff organization effort last year?

There is much for all of us to learn from this experience. The most important thing for me is a better understanding of the fact that we have issues to address among some of our most valued employees and a responsibility to address those issues constructively and responsibly. I was very impressed that almost every single one of our administrative staff expressed his or her opinion in a vote last year. And the very close vote told us that there were very different opinions about the best way to address the issues before us. We also learned clearly that we need a better forum for administrative staff representation and a better communication mechanism throughout the community. That is where my new role becomes an important element, but not the whole solution. 

Q: What do you see as the critical issues facing the administrative staff?

That is a question for the administrative staff to decide and to express through their representatives. I hope I can facilitate that process. In the forum for administrative staff conducted by the president last spring, the staff did express views on this question in breakout groups. The most critical issue clearly involved compensation and benefits policies, including the establishment of a timely and fair pace of progress through the pay grade and the avoidance of salary compression within rank. Others spoke to concerns about grievance procedures, the role of PAC, and a fairer form (and forum) for staff representation. These are all-important issues, and they all have to do with making sure there is a respectful working environment where good work is rewarded and appreciated. 

Q: What is the current status of PAC?

Q: Any final thoughts? 

My final thought is that we have really only just begun. We may not be able to make up for every lost opportunity in the past, but we are determined to do the very best we can going forward to make a new start in the relationship between administrative staff and the College as a whole and to establish policies that are fair and equitable. This is just the beginning. 

Trinity Exchange also offers a comprehensive posting system that is tailored to individual office and program needs. A series of training sessions for currently authorized QP posters was held in early October to help familiarize users with the new posting format. 

“Our hope is that the new Trinity Exchange will go a long way towards improving the internal communications flow,” says Mary O’Connor, executive director of communications. “Over time, as even more features are introduced, we expect that it will function as a central communications hub for news, updates, and information required for life at Trinity.”

Trinity Exchange is a joint effort between the computing center and the communications office.