In case you missed it: UAT summer roundup
2 September 2021
As we start a new fall academic term, we wanted to summarize all that's happened with the University of Alberta for Tomorrow (UAT) initiative over the past three months to keep you up to date and informed of anything you may have missed.
The summer months continued to be a busy time as work progressed on planning, implementing and launching new structures, service centres, positions, and much more. Some of the key milestones included the launch of:
- A new academic structure with the introduction of three colleges,
- A new Shared Services unit and Staff Service Centre, and
- A new Student Service Centre.
This restructuring, along with many other activities to implement the UAT operating model, will help put the university on solid, financial footing from which we can seize opportunities for growth and reinvestment in our core mission of teaching, research, and community engagement. Here are the key UAT activities and milestones from over the summer months:
June
- June 3: Release of the external engagement service catalogue
- June 10: Introduction of U of A's one operating model under the UAT initiative
- June 15: The President hosts a UAT Town Hall for the U of A community
- June 17: Review of administrative milestones and staff transitions
- June 17: Research administration stream completes discovery phase
July
- July 1: Launch of the three new colleges: Health Sciences, Natural and Applied Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities
- July 1: Looking back on year one of the UAT initiative
- July 8: Update on the Academic Leaders Task Group
- July 15: SET hosts Ask SET Anything: Shared Services Edition
- July 15: New Student Service Centre prepares for launch
- July 22: Release of the new External Relations organizational structure
- July 26: Launch of Shared Services and the Staff Service Centre
- July 29: Release of the spring results from the UAT pulse survey
August
- August 16: Launch of the new Student Service Centre
- August 19: First IT services transitioned across the university
- August 19: External engagement stream completes discovery phase
- August 25: SET hosts Ask SET Anything: External Engagement Edition
Hiring announcements
Several new positions in the operating model were also hired over the summer across all of the six administrative workstreams. We're pleased to note that of the 24 positions hired below, 23 were filled with key, existing talent within the organization.
- June 3: Senior HR Service Partners
- June 3: Student Recruitment Director & Assistant Registrar
- June 24: Senior Finance Partners
- July 22: Director of Finance Services
- July 29: AVP Strategic Communications
- August 12: Director of Issues Management
- August 12: Enrolment Management Service Partners
- August 12: Student Recruitment Services Partners
- August 19: Director, Research Partners Network
Useful resources
As the university continues transitioning to the new operating model, it's understandable that you're thinking about where you will fit within the new structures. Across the organization, new structures are rolling out and bringing new opportunities for professional growth. Here are some useful resources and articles that were released this summer to help assist you with career decisions.
- Deciding to apply for roles in the U of A's new structure
- Resume skills workshop | Interview skills workshop
- New onboarding resources: for employees | for supervisors | for peer coaches
- Wellbeing through change
Be sure to regularly review future opportunities posted on the Position Opportunities Page; please remember that POP only provides the upcoming opportunities created as a result of restructuring. The Careers website is the place to watch for all opportunities you can apply for.
Going forward
Stay up to date with the latest UAT developments by reading The Quad each Thursday. You can also access UAT updates at any time by visiting the UAT homepage and checking out the "recent posts." In the coming weeks, we'll be starting a new series of articles that looks ahead at each of the university's functional areas and highlights some of the key, future milestones. Stay tuned!