UCCS Human Resources News

July 2025:

As the 2024-2025 University Staff performance evaluation cycle comes to an end, we would like to reiterate the following information:

Final Steps for the 2024-2025 Evaluation Cycle:

Please complete the previous evaluation form that includes sections for your employee self-review, supervisor review, and overall rating using the previously defined 5-point rating scale. Completed forms are to be submitted to hrhelp@uccs.edu by September 1, 2025.

Goal Planning for the 2025-2026 Evaluation Cycle:

Beginning July 9, 2025, Human Resources will be holding virtual workshops designed to inform University Staff on how to enter their goals for the upcoming evaluation cycle into Cornerstone. We encourage all University Staff employees and supervisors to watch the following workshop session:
Recorded Version of Cornerstone Training

Additional workshop sessions and individual support are available upon request.

Workshop meeting links (when available) and training resources (including 2025-2026 rating scale definitions, timelines & deadlines, and user guides) can be found on the University Staff Performance Management webpage. The University Staff Performance Management webpage will continue to provide up-to-date information regarding our transition to Cornerstone for the 2025-2026 performance evaluation cycle.

June 2025:

This only applies to University Staff and supervisors of University Staff. This update does not apply to the performance evaluation process for Faculty and Classified Staff.

As the 2024-2025 evaluation cycle comes to an end, we would like to share key updates regarding the upcoming changes to University Staff evaluations, including deadlines, the launch of our new evaluation system, Cornerstone, and guidance for goal planning.  

2024-2025 Evaluation Cycle Process & Deadlines  
June 30, 2025: The evaluation period ends 
September 1, 2025: Annual performance evaluation forms, including employee self-review and supervisor review, are due to Human Resources.  
Supervisors and employees should retain copies of the final evaluation for their record.   

Performance evaluations for the 2024-2025 cycle should be conducted using the available evaluation form and in accordance with the following 5-point scale:  
1) Fails to Meet Expectations: Consistently fails to meet expectations and improvement is needed in most aspects of position.  
2) Below Expectations: Frequently fails to meet expectations and improvement is needed in these areas.
3) Meeting Expectations: Consistently fulfills performance expectations and periodically may exceed them. Work is of high quality in all significant areas of responsibility.  
4) Exceeding Expectations: Always achieves performance expectations and frequently exceeds them. Demonstrates performance of a very high level of quality in all areas of responsibility.  
5) Outstanding: Far exceeds performance expectations on a consistent and uniform basis. Work is of exceptional quality in all essential areas of responsibility. In addition, makes an exceptional or unique contribution in achievement of the unity, department, and University objectives.  

As you complete your performance evaluations for the closing evaluation cycle, you will notice an area to complete goal planning for the 2025-2026 evaluation cycle. As previous communications have highlighted, we will be transitioning to a new performance evaluation system, Cornerstone. To ease this transition and begin the new evaluation cycle on a clean slate, goal planning for the 2025-2026 evaluation cycle will not occur on the current form—that’s where your Cornerstone journey begins!  

*Please leave goal planning section blank on the 2024-2025 performance evaluation forms you submit.  

2025-2026 Cornerstone Implementation  
Timeline update for our Cornerstone implementation: 
- By June 7: HR will complete configuration of the Cornerstone system. 
- Week of June 9-13: HCM employee data will be loaded into the system for HR internal testing. 
- Beginning June 16: User Acceptance Testing (UAT) will begin. 
Training resources and “how-to” guides will be available during UAT for review and feedback. 
- Week of June 23: Training sessions for employees and supervisors will begin. 
--- We’ll offer a combination of in-person working sessions and recorded Teams sessions for on-demand access. 
- Performance Evaluations will be launched in employee portals July 1, 2025, specifically for goal planning for the upcoming 2025-2026 evaluation cycle

To aid in the creation of next year’s goals, the new Cornerstone system will feature a SMART goal wizard to help you create meaningful and measurable targets for the upcoming evaluation cycle. Cornerstone will also highlight five CU job competencies (Integrity/Responsibility/Ethics, Inclusive Excellence, Innovation, Collaboration, and Communication) to serve as the foundation for employee development. These small changes to the overall performance evaluation form aim to emphasize the importance of intentional conversations between employees and supervisors throughout the evaluation cycle. 

Additionally, the launch of the Cornerstone system marks the transition to a simplified rating scale. Beginning with the 2025-2026 evaluation cycle, the rating scale for performance evaluations will include the following 2 rating options: 
Performing: 
- Behavior: Consistently demonstrates respectful, collaborative, ethical, responsible, and inclusive behavior and/or departmental values.
- Results of Job responsibilities, Skills, and Goals: 
- Exhibits proficiency in core job knowledge and required competencies. 
- Work product is of quality and produced on time. 
- Skills have been identified and progress has been made in their development. 
- Goals have been met or made progress towards achieving. 
Needing Support:  
- Behavior: Inconsistently demonstrates respectful, ethical, responsible, and/or inclusive behavior and/or departmental values. 
- Results of Job responsibilities, Skills, and Goals: 
-Low proficiency in core job knowledge and required competencies. 
-Work product does not meet quality standards for team and/or may be late. 
-Progress on skill development is lacking or not occurring. 
-Goals have not been met or little to no progress has been made.   

This new approach is designed to further foster ongoing, year-round performance conversations, rather than isolating comprehensive feedback to a once-a-year evaluation event. 

We sincerely appreciate your patience as we prepare to transition to Cornerstone. We're excited for this next step in evolving our performance management approach and value your continued engagement as we move forward together.

March 2025:

In an effort to improve consistency, engagement, and meaningful feedback, UCCS is enhancing its University Staff performance evaluation process by transitioning to an online platform in partnership with Cornerstone. After a thorough campus-wide review, UCCS has decided to adopt a new two-rating evaluation model piloted by the CU System Office.

This streamlined system will provide clearer, more actionable feedback by fostering continuous performance discussions throughout the year. Additionally, the transition to the Cornerstone platform will improve accessibility and efficiency. Implementation begins July 1, 2025, with comprehensive training and change management efforts to support University Staff employees and supervisors. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting improvement!

Initial Communication:

Dear University Staff,  

Human Resources (HR) is excited to announce a transformation to our University Staff performance evaluation process to foster meaningful feedback, consistency, and employee engagement. The evaluation process for Faculty and Classified Staff will remain unchanged.

After extensive input from campus stakeholders, collaboration with a dedicated task force, and an analysis by an external vendor supporting this project, university leadership has decided to transition to a more effective evaluation model. This model was piloted by the CU System Office for two years, resulting in positive feedback.

Why Change?

Over the years, campus feedback has highlighted challenges with our current five-point rating system, including inconsistencies among units, subjective ratings, and a lack of clear, actionable feedback for employee growth. Despite efforts to improve calibration, these challenges have persisted. To address these concerns and enhance the overall evaluation experience, UCCS is adopting a more structured performance management process that fosters a culture where performance discussions are continuous, expectations are clear, and employees feel supported in their development.

What’s Changing?

Beginning July 1, 2025, for the 2025-26 evaluation year, UCCS will transition away from a numeric rating system and utilize Cornerstone, a new performance evaluation platform that enhances accessibility, streamlines performance tracking, and improves workflow efficiency.

The new rating system will include: 
•    Performing – Employees who meet or exceed performance standards. 
•    Needs Improvement – Employees requiring additional guidance to meet expectations. 
This approach fosters ongoing performance discussions throughout the year, rather than limiting feedback to an annual review.

Important: The current 2024-25 University Staff evaluation cycle will be completed in July and August using the existing evaluation forms and five-point rating scale. The Board of Regents is voting on the proposed merit structure in their April session.  

What to Expect 
University Staff and supervisors can expect: 
•    Clearer, more actionable feedback to drive professional growth. 
•    Consistent evaluation standards across departments. 
•    A user-friendly online experience for performance tracking and goal-setting. 
•    Recognition of high performers through ongoing goal alignment and professional development opportunities. 
Beginning with the 2025-26 evaluations, merit increases will align with this new program and will be announced annually, depending on available funding.  

Next Steps 
•    The current 2024-25 evaluation cycle will proceed as usual with the five-point scale. 
•    The 2025-26 University Staff evaluations will take place in Cornerstone. 
•    This change only applies to University Staff and does not impact Faculty or Classified Staff evaluation processes. 
HR is currently working through an implementation process in partnership with the CU System Office. We recognize that change requires preparation, and we are committed to supporting employees and supervisors through this transition with training, resources, and ongoing communication over the next several months.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to hrhelp@uccs.edu. More details will be shared soon—stay tuned!

Thank you for your engagement in this important initiative.

Angela Bender
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources
Chief Human Resources Officer

September 2025 Updates:

Staff Compensation Strategy: 
The proposed university staff compensation strategy was presented to the Staff Council in early August, and feedback was collected through August 20th. We are currently reviewing this feedback to make any necessary edits to the strategy and its implementation. The final version will be submitted to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) for approval. Following approval, our next steps will be to finalize a communication plan, begin training for all employees to include specific training for managers and leaders, and develop a multi-year implementation plan with budget and leadership to guide the campus's transition to the new strategy. 
Staff Qualification Data Project: 
We are in the final stages of this project to formally integrate verified staff qualification data into our HRIS. This information has already been implemented in our pay actions, and this final action will ensure all data is gathered and stored accurately and consistently. Once this information is uploaded, a larger analysis of staff will be scheduled. Final determinations and recommendations will then be made to leadership to address any compliance-based issues such as the Equal Pay Act, strategic initiatives set by leadership, and concerns that seem consistent across the university.
Faculty Experience Data Project: 
A pay structure has been approved by academic leadership and is currently being developed. The compensation team is also developing accompanying strategy documents to provide baseline university guidelines and address key concerns from our faculty populations, academic leadership, and the compensation task force. We will continue to collaborate on this important project to ensure it meets the needs of our faculty and of the university. 
Task Force Meetings: 
The task force continues to play a vital role in shaping our faculty secondary appointment strategy. While meetings are paused for the summer, the project lead team is actively drafting strategy documents based on spring feedback. We will reconvene with the task force in fall 2025 to continue faculty compensation discussions.

Summer 2025 Updates:

Staff Compensation Strategy: 
On June 30, 2025, the project lead team met with the Chancellor and Vice Chancellors to review the proposed university staff compensation strategy. We received approval and feedback on Monday, July 7, 2025. The strategy will be presented to Staff Council for their input and feedback in the near future. 
Staff Qualification Data Project: 
We are in the final stages of verifying data from this project, specifically regarding highest education received and professional certifications or licenses. If you have received an email requesting documentation or further information for these crucial data points, please respond as soon as possible to ensure this information is verified.
Faculty Experience Data Project: 
We are currently at 57% completion for the Faculty Experience Data Project. Thank you to everyone who has submitted their data so far! If you have not yet submitted, please take a few minutes to complete the form here. Your input is essential to shaping our future strategies and ensuring we have accurate data moving forward.
Task Force Meetings: 
The task force continues to play a vital role in shaping our faculty secondary appointment strategy. While meetings are paused for the summer, the project lead team is actively drafting strategy documents based on spring feedback. We will reconvene with the task force in fall 2025 to continue faculty compensation discussions.

April 2025 Updates:  

Staff Compensation Strategy:  
Staff compensation strategy documents are currently being shared with the Vice Chancellors. After that review, they will be shared with Staff Council for review and feedback. 

Faculty Experience Data Project:  
We reached a 54% submission rate by the deadline for the Faculty Experience Data Project. We encourage all faculty members who have not yet submitted their data to do so here.  

Task Force Meetings:  
The task force has concluded its scheduled meetings for the remainder of the semester and the duration of the summer. Over the summer 2025 semester, the project lead team will draft faculty strategy documents based on task force feedback from this spring. We will then reconvene with the task force in the fall 2025 semester to review and refine the strategy. 

Faculty Compensation Strategy:  
The project lead team has received final guidance from the Deans for the faculty compensation structure and will be continuing discussions with the taskforce, leadership, and shared governance on the creation of that strategy. 

March 2025 Updates:  

• University Staff compensation strategy items are currently being routed through leadership channels for review. HR will continue to present to campus stakeholder groups throughout this process.  
• We are close to the finalization of the review of Staff qualification submissions to prepare for uploading data from the Staff Qualification Data Project into HR systems.  
• The Faculty Experience Data Project is underway with a deadline of March 31, 2025. Submissions total ~ 32% so far. Please submit the form, if you have not done so already, here: https://forms.office.com/r/QgqgGW419p
• The Compensation Team has presented options to the Dean's Council for faculty compensation structure and will receive final guidance from leadership in early April.
• The task force continues to meet biweekly and is currently working on potential secondary appointment compensation strategies for faculty, pending guidance on robust faculty compensation structures from leadership.
• The Compensation Team will meet with Faculty Assembly this month to provide further information and get perspectives on how to move forward with faculty compensation. 

February 2025 Updates:

Initiated in January 2024, the UCCS Compensation Strategy Project seeks to enhance our compensation system, ensuring it is fair, competitive, and transparent, supporting our mission to attract and nurture exceptional talent.

End of 2024 Highlights:  

• Circulated initial draft university staff pay strategy documents based on research and discussions with the Compensation Task Force, Staff Council, Deans, and executive leadership
• Completion of submission retrieval for the staff qualification data project. Over 99% of staff completed this mandatory requirement, and we are working with the few that are remaining. This data is in the process of being reviewed by central Human Resources and by the Human Resources Liaisons on campus. We estimate this review to be completed by March 2025.
• Discussed possible faculty pay structure options with the Compensation Task Force, Faculty Assembly, and Deans.
  Created processes and initial communication drafts on the Faculty Experience Project.
   

Q1 2025 Goals:

• Receive approvals on university staff compensation strategy and present to campus stakeholder groups.
• Refine and finalize the staff compensation strategy implementation plan after considering stakeholder feedback.
• Finalize the review of staff qualification submissions and upload data from the staff qualification data project into HCM.
• Receive final guidance on the overall faculty compensation structure from leadership and Faculty Assembly.
• Continue conversations with the Compensation Task Force and stakeholder groups on various faculty pay items.
• Launch the faculty experience project.
  We value your input as we refine our compensation practices to attract, retain, and reward top talent and foster a culture of inclusivity and excellence. Please share feedback and recommendations with our team.

Conflict of Interest Reminder

The UCCS Conflict of Interest Disclosure System has entered its second year, continuing to streamline the process for a more efficient and user-friendly experience. The annual disclosure period runs from January 15 to March 31, during which all University and Classified staff (excluding temporary or student employees), all faculty (excluding lecturers), and students, consultants, and subcontractors involved in research must submit a disclosure. Additionally, anyone with a real or perceived conflict of interest related to their role at UCCS is required to disclose it for proper management. For more information, visit the HR Conflict of Interest webpage.

In February, the CU Board of Regents approved the funding for a large project to move our timekeeping system onto PeopleSoft Time & Labor with the anticipated “go-live” in the fall of 2026.

The Time & Labor Project is a university-wide initiative aimed at replacing our patchwork of legacy systems, including the My Leave system and other manual timekeeping processes, with PeopleSoft Time & Labor. Our key goals are to consolidate timekeeping functions into a single, modern solution, improve accuracy and efficiency, and create a scalable system that supports future growth and innovation. We also aim to enhance the user interface to make it more intuitive and user-friendly.

We will keep you informed of key decisions, and updates as the project progresses...Read More