UCCS Human Resources News

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

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