Board of Visitors minutes :: June 14, 1996 :: University of Virginia Library

WHEREAS the General Assembly of Virginia, during its 1996 session, enacted legislation ("enabling legislation") providing the University of Virginia with increased autonomy regarding the adoption of personnel policies and a unified personnel administration system for employees of the University of Virginia Medical Center, and with considerable autonomy and flexibility regarding the adoption of alternative retirement, health care plans and insurance plans for Medical Center employees; and
WHEREAS the primary reason the University sought enactment of the enabling legislation was to give the University, on behalf of the Medical Center, the autonomy and flexibility to enable management of the Medical Center to make and implement promptly decisions necessary to conduct the affairs of the Medical Center in an efficient manner so that the Medical Center can compete effectively with other providers of health care who are not subject to the requirements of law applicable to agencies of the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS the Medical Center employs approximately 4,200 faculty and staff, composed of approximately 140 members of the general faculty, 2,500 health care providers and 1,500 classified employees; and
WHEREAS the Rector and Visitors of the University ("Board of Visitors") recognize the hard work and dedication of these employees and wish to ensure that their rights and interests are protected through a personnel system that is fair and equitable; and
WHEREAS the current personnel system governing members of the general faculty at the Medical Center is the University of Virginia Faculty Handbook (1994) and the Provost's Office Handbook; as those documents are amended from time to time, and the current personnel system governing health care providers is the University of Virginia Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual; and
WHEREAS the current personnel system governing other Medical Center employees is the University of Virginia Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual, and for those employees who are classified as State employees, the Virginia Personnel Act also is applicable; and
WHEREAS the enabling legislation provides that, effective July 1, 1996, all employees of the Medical Center will be exempt from the Virginia Personnel Act; and
WHEREAS the general faculty of the Medical Center and those Medical Center employees who have been designated as "health care providers" have been exempt from the Virginia Personnel Act for a number of years; and
WHEREAS there are alternative personnel systems in place at the Medical Center for health care providers and general faculty, but there is no alternative personnel system available for other employees of the Medical Center, including those who, until July 1, 1996, will have been covered by the Virginia Personnel Act, and there is a need, therefore, to have an alternative personnel system in place for these other Medical Center employees by July 1, 1996; and

5174

WHEREAS the Board of Visitors recognizes that in the future the Medical Center may need to adopt changes to the personnel systems for its employees so that it may remain competitive with its private sector counterparts; and
WHEREAS the Board of Visitors finds that the proposed "Policy Statement Governing the Exercise of Medical Center Personnel Autonomy" ("Medical Center Personnel Policy Statement"), attached hereto, is consistent with the requirements of the enabling legislation and is appropriately designed (1) to protect the rights and interests of Medical Center employees; (2) to provide the autonomy and flexibility for needed for the Medical Center to compete effectively with its private sector counterparts; and (3) to ensure accountability by both the President and other appropriate officials in the central administration of the University and in the Medical Center for the development and implementation of an appropriate personnel system for Medical Center employees;
RESOLVED that, based upon the expressed and implied powers of the Board of Visitors to protect and preserve the University's interests and resources, the Medical Center Personnel Policy Statement, attached hereto, be adopted and approved, effective July 1, 1996; and
RESOLVED FURTHER that, although the proposed Medical Center Personnel Policy Statement does not propose or authorize any changes in current Medical Center compensation plans, alternative retirement plans, health care plans or insurance plans, the President is directed that any proposals for such changes in the future must be presented to the Board of Visitors for its review and approval; and
RESOLVED FURTHER that the President be delegated the authority (1) to implement the adopted and approved Medical Center Personnel Policy Statement in the manner he deems most appropriate; (2) to delegate further to other appropriate officials, including appropriate Medical Center officials, the administrative responsibility to implement and ensure compliance with the Medical Center Personnel Policy Statement; and (3) to establish whatever internal reporting requirements he deems appropriate to ensure compliance with the enabling legislation and the Medical Center Personnel Policy Statement and to protect the interests of the University and of Medical Center employees.