Chancellor Drake Speaks at UCI Staff Career Development Summit

Chancellor Michael Drake welcomed more than 150 campus leaders Feb. 26 to the Strategic Summit on People Development. The summit was hosted by Human Resources as a way to support staff and develop a plan to promote their career development at UC Irvine.

Chancellor Drake kicked off the summit by thanking attendees for coming and emphasizing the importance of developing more opportunities for staff. Participants listened to a presentation on the current status of campus staff and formed small groups to discuss goals for the future.

Chancellor Drake speaks at the Strategic Summit on People Development.

“Each group wrote a vision statement for career development,” said Susan Mann, human resources assistant vice chancellor and one of the organizers of the summit. “They outlined where we would like to be in 2015. There was a real interest in identifying career pathways for staff.”

A 20-person planning committee will use the ideas generated at the summit to develop a draft strategic plan later this spring. Focus groups then will be held, encouraging staff to discuss and comment on the draft. The resulting plan will be finalized over summer; and enhanced programs for staff will be offered next fall, potentially including a career expo, expanded career-development training, skill-building workshops for managers and other opportunities.

Chancellor Drake talks about the importance of staff career development with campus leaders at the Strategic Summit on People Development.

“I was impressed by the strong commitment from participants on how to grow and expand opportunities for staff,” said Mann. “The summit was indicative of strong agreement on why staff development is important. There was a high level of energy and engagement, and that speaks well of the full support going forward.”

The summit was co–sponsored with Human Resources by the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on the Status of Staff, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost, Staff Assembly and University Extension.

Photos by Paul R. Kennedy

Human Resources
Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on the Status of Staff
Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost
Staff Assembly
University Extension
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