Council of Academic Professionals

My job, titled Research Program Manager, was audited on Wednesday, June 8, by Cindy Neitzel of SUCSS. Joe Bohn from Academic HR took notes. Im a retiree on a 50% appointment (since 2002) and that situation seemed confusing to the auditor. The questions posed during the audit enabled me to explain how my pre-retirement position prepared me for the my current position, and also to define for her my own personal, wide-reaching career mission, which is to develop resources to support science and those who do the science. The fact that my mission is personally very strongly held and in fact, helped determine my choice of post-retirement job, also seemed to confuse the auditor. While resource development for research is an element in my job description, she did not seem able to grasp that I am driven by what you could call a higher agenda, as opposed to direct orders or instructions from a supervisor. The facts that I am self-motivated, that I dont typically get orders or supervision from the faculty I work with, and that my role is more often to advise them on issues, opportunities, and strategies, seemed to be inconsistent with the auditors expectations. I would have considered it a mature professional attitude, consistent with expectations of an Academic Professional. Read More >>

One of the 2009 audit findings that caught my eye was the finding by the SUCCS auditors that Courtney Hainline, assistant director of MBA student affairs, should be reclassified as a graduate placement officer or a program adviser or an administrative aide (a classification requiring a high school diploma and 5 years secretarial experience that typically entails supervision of other less skilled secretarial personnel). This isn't the only recommendation where the auditors seemed to have difficulty differentiating a secretarial position from a nonclerical one. What's particularly egregious about this is that Courtney isnt even responsible for the functions in the graduate placement and administrative aide classifications--others in her unit are. Read More >>

From an AP with a coordinator title: ...My position was audited in 2009, I was very nervous about it. I'd been in an AP position since 1993 and had never had this happen before. It was a bit like taking a Civil Service job exam verbally, instead of on paper. They ask you questions about your job, tasks, responsibilities (horizontal and vertical), and you have to respond with examples of what you actually do, both day-to-day and special circumstances. Read More >>

Assuming SB1150 will not advance through the Illinois house, the likely alternative method for removing exemption authority from campus would be to go through the SUCSS Merit board and the so-called JCAR process. Three U of I Board of Trustees members serve on the SUCSS Merit Board. Follow the links below to learn more about the JCAR process. Read More >>

Online article and radio coverage from WILL-AM of the May 18 Merit board meeting where CAP advocated that exemption authority remain local with the U of I campus. Read More >>

WICD news story covering CAP at the May 18 Merit board meeting, advocating that exemption authority remain local at the U of I campus. Read More >>

The Scientific Surveys at the U of I recently shared their concerns about SB 1150 with local legislators (props to the Surveys and Kingsley Allan for sharing with us): Read More >>

Here's a good website (that includes an RSS feed) to monitor bills introduced into the Illinois House and Senate. Read More >>

In 2009, 150 AP positions were audited. This year, 200 AP positions are being audited. The breakdown for the 2011 audit: 50 positions with Specialist in the title 40 with Coordinator 5 with Asst to X 50 with Director as a part of the title, may be 'Assistant Director', 'Associate Director' or 'Director' Read More >>

Here is the final SUCSS 2009 audit report for UIUC. This is of interest because if taking back exemption authority is the "solution", then this report documents problems that SB1150 presumably is designed to address. Props to Melissa Madsen for finding this. Read More >>

Link to other SUCSS audit reports, including the UIC report. Again, of interest because the question is: how serious, how widespread are job classification problems at state universities? Centralizing the classification process will bog down the job approval process. Are the benefits worth the cost? Props to Melissa Madsen again. Read More >>

IN THE face of the planned conversions of Academic Professionals to Civil Service employees at UIC, a crowd of approximately 175 once again was on hand for an APAC Town Hall meeting on Dec. 14 for a session entitled Civil Service Audit Update for APs. Read More >>

Information about the audit process at UIC from the UIC HR website. Read More >>

Powerpoint presentation summarizing the process of analyzing and reclassifying improperly classified AP positions at UIC. Read More >>

News Gazette article on previous attempt in January to pass reclassification bill in senate. Read More >>

Here's a list of all CS job classifications at UIUC, whether they are exempt or non-exempt (eligible for overtime), # hours in a work week, and whether the job classification is part of a union. Notice that not all CS job classifications are unionized. Simply classifying a position as CS does not make it union. Read More >>

The Association of Academic Professionals (AAP) is the local chapter of the IEA (Illinois Education Association), the union that represents visiting academic professionals here at the Urbana campus. If you are a member of the AAP/IEA, why not contact them and let them know how you feel about SB1150? Read More >>

Here's how the democrat state caucus describes SB1150: "Limits the authority to exempt a State Universities Civi Service Merit Board governed position from collective bargaining to the Merit Board." Read More >>

Bill sponsors are recipients of large campaign donations from organized labor. See link for list of campaign donors for each bill sponsor. Senator John J. Cullerton Senator John M. Sullivan Senator Martin A. Sandoval Senator John G. Mulroe Read More >>

Want to know how your state senator voted on SB1150, the bill that strips authority from the university to decide which jobs should be classified as AP? Frerichs voted: Y See links for complete vote history and link to bill text. Read More >>

Check the Council of Academic Professionals website for the current info, letter writing campaign, petition on reclassification and exemption issues: http://www.cap.illinois.edu Read More >>

Illinois Education Association (union which represents visiting academic professionals) comments on SB1150, which removes exemption authority from the University: Read More >>