We will create a consumer friendly, positive, supportive, and diverse environment in which students, faculty and staff can excel.

Rationale and Readiness

• Faculty salaries at public universities have declined from parity with those at private research universities in the late 1970s to about 80% of their level now.

• In 2009, Americans listed job security as the most important influence on workplace satisfaction for the second year in a row and only the second time since 2002—more important than pay or benefits.

As the state of Alabama’s largest single employer, UAB’s workforce makes significant contributions to the Birmingham area’s economic health and quality of life. In order to sustain UAB as the region’s economic engine and one of the nation’s leading research/teaching universities and academic medical centers, we must offer the best possible work environment. Substantial state funding cuts since 2008 have challenged us to recruit and retain faculty and staff. But after having gone without salary increases in 2009 and 2010, UAB committed to a merit increase program for 2011 for faculty and staff. And in 2010, we initiated a climate survey to elicit feedback from faculty and staff about how to enhance their job satisfaction.

• Minorities will be the majority in the United States in 2042.
  
• Of all faculty members at U.S. universities, only 5.5% are African-American and 3.6% are Hispanic.
  
• Women also remain underrepresented among fulltime college faculty, at 41%, and earn, on average, 80% of male faculty pay.
  
• Women make up only 33% of science and engineering faculty nationwide.

We have taken significant steps to recruit, retain and engage women and minority employees. Since 2002 we have increased minority faculty by 26% (214 to 270), minority administrators by 35% (45 to 61), and female faculty by 30% (581 to 787). We established the position of vice president for the Office of Equity and Diversity and the Commission on the Status of Women, both of which have opened avenues for feedback and new initiatives such as mandatory diversity training.

UAB’s NSF-funded ADVANCE Program to increase the representation and advancement of women in sciences and engineering—one of only 19 such programs in the nation—has in seven years produced 21 female hires (two tenured, 19 tenure-track) and 18 promotions. And our Blazer Leadership Academy, begun in 2007, offers leadership development for faculty and senior-level staff.

Through new family friendly policies, we are making it easier for faculty, staff and graduate students to balance work and study with family obligations.

• In five years, the percentage of public research university classrooms with wi-fi access has increased 35%, currently at 77%. 
  
• One in four American employees admits to missing work due to job-related stress, and nearly half of all American employees report feeling “stressed out” compared to 39% of workers in other countries.

 UAB has significantly enhanced its physical campus since 2002. Wellness programs have been complemented by the addition of a 150,000-square-foot recreation center and the adjacent four-block campus green. More students than ever (over 2,100) live on campus, enjoying new state-of-the-art residence halls, academic buildings with the latest technology, and Dining on the Commons offering international cuisine.

Campuswide, efficiency efforts have continued with the goal of not only saving costs, but better serving students, faculty and staff, and patients. Some changes were sweeping reorganizations, from the realignment of four schools into one College of Arts and Sciences, to the absorption of UAB Highlands into UAB ownership, to the reorganization of the Provost’s office. Others were day-in, day-out efforts—for example, the 2.2 million pounds of recyclable materials that are collected and recycled annually by UAB’s recycling program, and the new energy management measures that saved UAB $1 million over the past year.

Strengthening our Impact

• Deliver the highest quality service to internal and external constituencies.
• Ensure competitive wages.
• Aggressively recruit, develop and retain talent with a focus on minorities.
• Create a 21^st century campus that physically connects to our larger community and boasts leading edge technology throughout.
• Foster an environment that supports the engagement, development, health and success of students, faculty and staff.
• Maximize efficiency in operations and resources.
• Create and expand initiatives to conserve energy.

See the Living/Learning/Working Environment Scorecard.