Recognize

One of the first things that Vince Loffredo, Ed.D., vice chancellor of students services, did when he joined KU Medical Center a year ago was develop a strategic plan with his leadership team. This plan, which aligned with the university’s plan, helped all of his staff understand their roles and where they fit in with the university’s overall strategy.

Now, everything the division does is tied back to the strategic plan as a way to ensure that their efforts are supporting the strategy. Next, Vince invited everyone on his staff to come up with a motto that would help them stay on course and drive the behavior and attitude necessary to achieve the divisional strategy. Thus, the ACT right motto – Accountability, Communication, and Transparency – was born. This motto provides a guiding principle for staff and is an approach that staff can take, both inside and outside the division.

"ACT is a way to help us continually work on process improvement and establish a proactive approach to our endeavors across the university community," explained Vince Loffredo, Ed.D. "Incorporating the three components of accountability, communication and transparency into every interaction and every endeavor is a big part of our success. If we communicate effectively and are transparent in our communications, then we can hold ourselves and those we work with accountable for the work that we do."

Just as the divisional strategy was successful in giving staff a clear vision, creating the ACT right motto as a team was successful in engaging all the staff.

"All of us were invited to participate from the beginning, so it was easy to get on board and implement the philosophies of ACT," said Fonda Briles, director of business and fiscal affairs.

"I feel I have become more engaged in my department and with the university," said Reggie Moore, office specialist. "I have taken on new roles within my department and am a part of the Student Services Staff Council which plans programs for our student division meetings that will help our students. I am also in a workshop at KUMC to improve within my job and in my life outside of the university."

"I have been with Student Health Services for more than 10 years, and thanks to Dr. Loffredo's leadership, the past year has been remarkable," said Stephanie Jernigan, director of student health services. "Creating ACT and the process planning, crucial conversations and problem solving we've done as a division have helped us to coordinate our services and work in unison to offer the best services to students."

By providing a sense of clarity and encouraging a team approach, student services found a winning formula for employee engagement. If you would like to nominate your or another department for the next departmental highlight, email employeerecognition@kumc.edu.