Human Resource Services
Communications Messages
March 31, 2008 - Message via InfoGator list serv
Message from Kyle Cavanaugh Re: Air Service Survey
TO: UF Faculty and Staff
FROM: Kyle Cavanaugh, Senior Vice President for Administration
RE: Air Service Survey
In an effort to improve local airline service,
I would appreciate your help, as your answers could influence future improvements that would have a significant impact on productivity, efficiency, and the quality of life for
March 14, 2008 - Message via InfoGator list serv
Message from President Machen Re: University of Florida Administration Restructured
Because of the difficult economic conditions experienced by the
Budget operations in the Office of the Provost as well as those in the Office of the Controller, now under the vice president for business affairs, will move to Matt Fajack, who began as chief financial officer in January. Fajack reports to Kyle Cavanaugh, the senior vice president for administration.
The provost will be the chief academic officer and retain academic leadership responsibilities. Similarly, financial management for the
“The new structure will place all financial information in one office so we can track costs, make better strategic decisions and identify efficiencies in this difficult budget period. The CFO can be especially helpful as we become more entrepreneurial and identify new revenue sources,” Machen said.
In addition, Senior Vice President and Provost Janie Fouke and Senior Vice President for Health Affairs Doug Barrett today announced their intentions to step down from their present positions effective June 30. After that, Fouke will serve a one-year appointment to review UF’s international programs and pursue alliances with universities in other parts of the world. Barrett will return to clinical practice and teaching on the pediatrics faculty in the
Search committees to fill the positions of senior vice president and chief academic officer and senior vice president for health affairs will be formed immediately, and interim appointments will be announced soon, Machen said.
Finally, in an effort to enhance coordination across several groups, the person selected to become the new director of the Alumni Association will report not only to the vice president of development and alumni affairs, but also will have a reporting relationship to the vice president for university relations.
Machen recognized Fouke and Barrett for their contributions to the university, saying they helped lead the university through a time of growth as well as the present difficult financial situation.
“We thank them for their dedication to UF and wish them well as they continue to serve our students,” Machen said.
February 15, 2008 - Message via InfoGator list serv
Message from President Machen Re: Northern Illinois tragedy
TO: All Faculty and Staff
We are all stunned by the shootings yesterday at Northern Illinois University west of Chicago. Sadly, it is only the latest in a horrific string of mass murders in academic settings. While we are shocked, we also find ourselves once again asking the question, "Are we prepared?"
Let me begin by updating you on some things that have occurred here at UF since the Virginia Tech incident last April.
In January, we conducted the first test of our emergency text messaging system for students, faculty and staff. The test, performed in conjunction with Mobile Campus, showed that our text message reached 86 percent of its intended audience of more than 40,000 people within 50 minutes. The test, believed to be the largest of its kind to date, helped us identify some glitches and fix them. We expect the next test, which we expect to conduct this summer, to reach recipients with roughly 20 minutes. The list of people signed up to receive text messages now tops 50,000, most of them students.
In the event of a major campus emergency, text messaging would be accompanied by postings on the UF home page that would be updated regularly with the latest announcements, and e-mails would be sent out at the same time to all students, faculty and staff advising them of the situation. In addition, we have rolled out what some refer to as a "reverse 911" system that allows us to send a recorded message to telephones across campus notifying faculty and staff of any emergency. We are in the process of gathering information needed to extend that ability to cell phones, one of the fastest ways to reach students, as many of you know. All of this would be accompanied by news media alerts.
In addition, the University of Florida Police Department in December became the first university law enforcement agency in the country to accomplish the "Triple Crown" -- accreditation by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA). This recognition speaks to the tremendous professionalism of UFPD and the quality of its officers.
As a reminder, UFPD trains regularly for a variety of possible emergency situations, including just such a scenario: a gunman on campus. UFPD conducts exercises in conjunction with the Gainesville Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff's Office and has a thorough and extensive response plan.
As details of the Northern Illinois tragedy are beginning to emerge, some have suggested that perhaps the days of free and open college campuses should be a thing of the past.
I couldn't disagree more.
The openness universities enjoy is the very embodiment of academic values. Even if we could feasibly place gates at campus entrances and send students through metal detectors, I would argue that building such a police state would serve only to create an atmosphere of fear and closed thinking.
Instead, we must continue to strike that delicate balance between safety and openness. I believe we all agree that this is the very bedrock of our society, one well worth preserving.
For now, please keep in your thoughts and prayers the victims of the NIU shooting and their friends and families.
February 5, 2008 - Message via InfoGator list serv
Personally Identifiable Information
FROM: Kyle Cavanaugh, Senior Vice President for Administration
TO: All Faculty and Staff
A new state law that became effective Jan. 1, 2008, requires agencies such as the University of Florida to, among other things, raise awareness among its students, faculty, and staff about the limited use for which Social Security numbers may be used by state agencies.
For years, the university has, in accordance with state law, acted to limit and protect the personal identification information that it collects.
The university uses a UFID number, not Social Security numbers, as the primary identifier for an individual at the university. The Social Security number is no longer authorized to be used in any university information system, business form or process, or records collection, except as permitted by state or federal law or if the Senior Vice President for Administration determines that the use is imperative.
Social Security numbers and certain other personally identifiable information, classified as restricted information, must be used and secured as directed by UF privacy and information security policies and procedures. To review the university’s Privacy Statement, see http://privacy.ufl.edu.
If you believe that your Social Security number is being requested or used by the university for an unauthorized purpose, or if you have questions about appropriate use of your employees' or students' Social Security number, please contact the University Privacy Office for assistance at 866-500-3344 or privacy@ufl.edu.
January 9, 2008 - Message via InfoGator list serv
UF to test emergency text messaging on Tuesday, January 15
The University of Florida plans to conduct the first test of its emergency text messaging system for students on January 15.
Recipients should not respond to the test message. Such tests will be conducted annually.
UF faculty and staff may sign up and provide emergency contact information though my.ufl.edu. Click on “My Account” and then “Update Emergency Contact.”
In an emergency, administrators will now be able to send text messages quickly to students, as well as faculty and staff who have provided emergency contact information. Because cell phone numbers provided will be used only in the event of an emergency, they will be kept private and are exempt from Florida’s public records laws.
UF is the first institution in the state and one of the first in the country to adopt the comprehensive text messaging policy. Although many colleges and universities around the country allow students to provide cell phone numbers voluntarily, a recent use of emergency text messaging at a large public university revealed that many students had failed to provide cell phone numbers and did not receive the message.
Text messaging is only one of several methods the university can use for emergency communication. Others include e-mail messages, news releases, and postings on the UF home page so students, faculty, and staff should look for announcements through those media as well.
Anyone who has registered his or her emergency contact information but does not receive the test message should fill out and submit the form at http://www.it.ufl.edu/sms-test/