Fall 2014 Volume I, Issue 1

Montgomery College

PeoplePedia

An occasional publication from the Office of Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management

Announcing FY15 Year-of-the-Employee

Aligned for People: HRDE + OED = HRSTM As recently announced, the Office of Equity and Diversity has been coupled with the Office of Human Resources,

Development and Engagement to form the Office of Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management (HRSTM). Over

the past year, there have been a number of discussions at the College regarding how we utilize internal talent, the

increasing number of employees who will be eligible to retire, and the importance of having a laser-like focus on

attracting, acquiring, growing, managing, mobilizing and retaining talent. We conducted a comprehensive review of our

employee-related practices and we created a people-focused model that describes our HR processes and incorporates and

illuminates our renewed focus on our employees. In the coming months, we will develop and reinforce talent continuity

processes by placing the proper priority on our people as we seek to deliver a Common Employee Experience that can

lead to our distinction as a Destination Employer. We will keep you informed about our progress!

As we embrace transformation, here at the College and in the higher education industry, we want to make sure that we

maintain focus on and celebrate you – our employees! We will intentionally take the time to recognize the contributions

that you make to ensure that Montgomery College achieves its mission, goals and strategic objectives. A number of

activities and events will be planned throughout this fiscal year and we hope to get together with you often! We are

partnering with members of the Montgomery College Young Professionals Association, and other willing and dedicated

Montgomery College colleagues to plan for this important initiative. More information is forthcoming. Stay tuned!

HRSTM Vision: We build and model a diverse

community where people love to work

HRSTM Mission:

To cultivate people

225 Number of new hires during FY14...

WELCOME!

Inside this issue:

MC People & Processes 2

Staff Enrichment Day 2014 3

Employee Spotlight 3

Employees and Retirees

Recognition Program

4

Faculty Load and

Compensation

4

HRSTM Wellness 5

Crucial Conversations 6

Compliance Updates 6

FSAP Update 7

Title IX Coordinator 7

Benefits Back Page 8

Page 2

MC People & Processes

Volume I, Issue 1

In addition to the 2.5% general wage

adjustment received on July 1,

effective the second full pay period in

September, and appearing in the

October 3rd paycheck, associate and

support staff are eligible to receive a

salary adjustment increment of 3.5%

in FY15 if the employee is not at the

maximum of the assigned salary

grade; and the overall performance

rating is at least “meets expectations.

Please see 35001CP, Compensation

Programs., for eligibility.

This section highlights important Human Resource activities that impact our people.

Salary Adjustments Assoc. & Support Staff

Bonus Eligibility

Associate and Support staff receiving

an overall performance rating of “far

exceeds expectations” may receive a

one-time, lump-sum bonus (no

increase to base salary). Those who

receive “exceeds expectations” may

receive one-half the amount of the

“far exceeds” allotment. Bonuses will

depend upon the total amount of staff

eligible, will be proportionally

calculated, and will be included in the

October 3rd paycheck.

The FY15 faculty salary range is

$56,840 to a maximum of $106,575.

Faculty who have been in the

bargaining unit for at least one

semester as of the beginning of the

fiscal academic year are eligible for an

increment of 3.5% as long as salary

does not exceed the maximum. This

increment is in addition to the 2.5%

general wage adjustment.

Administrator Pay

Administrators are eligible to receive

a pay-for-performance salary

adjustment based upon their annual

evaluation in addition to the 2.5%

general wage adjustment. Provided

that the salary does not exceed the

maximum of the salary range, those

who “meet expectations” will receive

3.5% additional; those who “exceed

expectations” will receive 4.5%

additional; and those who “far exceed

expectations” will receive 5.5%

additional.

Full-time Faculty

Part-time Faculty ESH Rates & Labor Relations: SEIU Update

The college and the SEIU reached

agreement for a successor

agreement which was effective on

July 1, 2014. The three-year

agreement includes general wage

increases of 5%-7% each year and

the creation of a regular part-time

faculty position.

Equivalent Semester Hours

(ESH) Rates for the 2014-2015

Academic Year:

Lecturer $967.00

Adjunct I $1,025.00

Adjunct II $1,075.00

A pilot project for the regular part-

time faculty position is set to begin

in January 2015 with wider

implementation in the following

academic year. The new agreement

also provides a mechanism to

reacquire good faith consideration

after it has been lost.

Page 3

MC People & Processes

Volume I, Issue 1

Staff Enrichment Day 2014! Our 2014 S.E.D. was an incredible day full of development, networking and camaraderie centered around the four

elements: Fire, Water, Earth and, Air. Staff found themselves faced with fun choices like learning about Acupuncture or

social media sites like Pinterest, Men’s Health, or MC’s first Bi-lingual class which focused on work styles. Staff enjoyed

a BBQ picnic lunch and lunchtime dance activities with Lili Rojas and Ramon De La Cruz!

The HRSTM STAFF SPOTLIGHT: LaQuise Brown

LaQuise Brown - Facilities—Germantown

LaQuise (Kea) Brown has worked at MC for over two years as a Building Service

Worker in the HT/PG buildings of the GT campus. Kea always has a smile on her

face and will often be seen dancing throughout her workday. She recently re-

ceived an Outstanding Service Award for her work in the campus physical educa-

tion building and has been featured in an article in the April campus newsletter

for her ‘extracurricular’ community service work with a youth group in Frederick.

LaQuise Brown also graduated from the 21st Montgomery College Leadership

Development Institute on May 1st.

enriched.” Dr. Ridguard recognized the

greatness MC does for both employees

and students during her remarks.

Overall, the ceremony went off without

a hitch and was well received by many

who look forward to our FY’15 ERRP.

35-year employee Donna Schena

commented “Thank you for a special

recognition ceremony. MC pride among

those who have served MC for many

years was visible and palpable.”

Page 4

Volume I, Issue 1

The Office of Human Resources and

Strategi c Talent Management

(HRSTM) worked collaboratively with

the Office of Information Technology

and the Office of Audit and Business

Process Management to implement the

Faculty Load and Compensation

(FLAC) Banner module this spring

2014 semester. Ms. Kathleen Harding,

HR Associate with HRSTM-Systems

and Records, acted as a subject matter

expert and provided technical expertise

and support over the last 18 months to

successfully implement FLAC.

FLAC is an automated workflow

implemented to improve the manual

entry of full-time and part-time faculty

pay. The resulting student and faculty

data is merged to create job records in

the HR module. In the past,

department Administrative Aides

completed a paper personnel action

form (PAF) to process payments for a

faculty member. FLAC now allows

them to process all faculty payments

electronically. The use of this module

Faculty Load and Compensation

L.O.S.A. (Length of Service Awards)

will now be known as the E.R.R.P.

(Employees and Retirees Recognition

Program).

“Opportunity, achievement, and

success”. These three words are what

MC means to Dr. Clevette Ridguard, a

10-year employee who recently earned

her Doctor of Education from Morgan

State University on May 17th in Higher

Education, Community College

Leadership.

Dr. Ridguard addressed the Employees

and Retirees at our annual recognition

ceremony. During her remarks, she

shared her experiences from the decade

she’s been employed at MC. While Dr.

Ridguard has had many opportunities

to achieve and succeed, she points out

that students at MC also have those

same opportunities.

Students can receive an excellent

education while also discovering

interests and passions. As Dr.

Ridguard stated, “If students take

advantage of the wide and varied

activities, academic support systems,

cultural exchanges and events, and

civic and social organizations, here at

MC, their world will be broadened and

Employee & Retiree Recognition Program (formerly LOSA)

“The reception and the ceremony were

most gracious and appropriately

recognized the extraordinary service of

our employees. I observed and

experienced a touching and emotional

connection.” - Donna Schena

adds value to the data, allowing

managemen t to ma ke be t te r

organizational decisions and to

determine the cost to educate,

eliminates several redundant processes,

minimizes overpayments, allows MC to

move closer to becoming paperless, and

p r o v i d e s o v e r a l l e f f i c i e n c y .

Implementation this spring was a

success as evidenced by fewer pay

errors.

MC People & Processes

Page 5

2014 Workplace Excellence, Diversity Champion,

Eco-Leadership and, Health & Wellness Awards

MC Wellness 360 has been very

active in the past months with

various programs and events at all

three campuses. Our program’s goal

is to include educational series

seminars as well as fitness programs

and promotions. We have included

educational seminars such as Breast

Cancer Awareness, Diabetes,

N u t r i t i o n a n d S t r e s s

Management. The Staff and faculty

have participated in our wellness

challenges like MC Winter Olympics,

Thrive Across America and Passport

to Fitness that involve both physical

activity and healthier daily habits.

Our newest program is Fresh Start, a

four week smoking cessation program

offered by MC Wellness 360 and Risk

Management. We had 11 people

participate in our first session. As a

result, some people completely

stopped smoking and others are on

their way to the same result. We will

be offering this program again in

October.

We continue to offer a variety of

programs to help enhance the health

of our staff and faculty.

For more information on Health

and Wellness programs contact:

Lili.rojas@montgomerycollege.edu

HRSTM: “Well” On Our Way to Fitness

Dr. DeRionne Pollard – “I enjoy my 5am workouts with Jillian Michaels.”

Dr. Janet Wormack – “I start my day with a 30-minute morning walk.”

Dr. Sanjay Rai – “I walk across campus regularly.”

Dr. Steve Cain – “I frequently pack a healthy lunch for work.”

Mr. Dave Sears – “I purchased a Nike+ Fuel Band to make sure that I am

getting a significant amount of steps in per day to keep fit and healthy.”

Leadership’s Wide World of Wellness

This year, Montgomery College is being

recognized by the Alliance for

Workplace Excellence (A.W.E.) for our

Exemplary Workplace, commitment to

Diversity, Eco-Leadership, and Health

& Wellness.

We are also very proud to announce

that in December we received a

National Best and Brightest Award in

Our Award-Winning Workplace

Wellness. This award program,

co-presented by NABR and Wellco, is

the premier program that honors

companies and organizations that

recognize and celebrate quality and

excel lence in worksi te heal th

promotion.

Volume I, Issue 1

Page 6

The Maryland State Retirement Agency

(MRSA) Audit was a smashing success!

The Maryland State Retirement Agency

completed their normal 3-year audit of

retirement enrollment for Montgomery

College in January. Completion of the

audit is a group effort which requires

the Benefits, Records and Payroll teams

to provide data and responses to

respective questions in a timely

manner. Montgomery College

successfully completed the audit

without receiving audit findings or

recommendations. Compliments to the

Benefits, Records and Payroll teams for

their hard work and commitment

during the entire process.

Volume I, Issue 1

The Center for Professional &

Organizational Development (CPOD) is

excited to bring a new award-winning

training program to Montgomery

College. Based on the New York Times

The Center for Professional &

Organizational Development (CPOD) is

excited to bring a new award-winning

training program to Montgomery

College. Based on the New York Times

b e s t - s e l l i n g b o o k , C r u c i a l

Conversations: Tools for Talking When

Stakes are High is a course that

teaches skills for creating alignment

and agreement by fostering open

dialogue around high-stakes, emotional,

or risky topics — at all levels of the

institution. Throughout this two-day

program, participants will learn how to:

Speak persuasively, not abrasively

Foster teamwork and better decision

-making

Build acceptance rather than

resistance

Resolve individual and group

disagreements

T h i s s u m m e r , t h e C r u c i a l

Conversations training will be provided

to all newly hired or promoted

managers and department chairs, as

well as graduates of the College’s MC

Management program.

Maryland Retirement Audit

New York Time’s best-selling

book and award-winning training

course from VitalSmarts.

Crucial Conversations: New for 2014-2015

I-9 Compliance

ongoing review will ensure the

College is in compliance with the

IRCA via completion of Form I-9

which emerged from the Act.

Organizations that fail to properly

complete, retain, and/or make

available for inspection Form I-9 as

required by law can face civil

monetary penalties. Criminal

penalties apply if a person or

organization is convicted of engaging

in a pattern or practice of knowingly

hiring unauthorized aliens.

The Immigration Reform and

Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) was

enacted by Congress on November 6,

1986 which reformed immigration

law. IRCA prohibits employers from

hiring and employing workers for

employment in the United States

knowing that they are not

authorized to work.

The Office of Human Resources and

Strategic Talent Management is

closely reviewing employee work

authorization eligibility. This

IRCA compliance is a shared

responsibility. We must ensure new

employees or returning employees

after separation from Montgomery

College complete Section 1 of Form

I-9 on their first day of employment.

HRSTM must complete Section 2 of

Form I-9 within 3 days of

employment by examining evidence

of identity and employment

authorization. Your cooperation in

ensuring I -9 compliance is

appreciated.

Page 7

On July 1, 2014, ComPsych began to

provide a host of employee services

through the College’s Faculty, Staff

Assistance Program (FSAP). Each

benefit-eligible employee (including

family members) can receive six

counseling sessions per member (per

issue).

We all experience ups and downs in life.

It’s impossible to avoid the many

stresses, conflicts, and challenges that

occur each day. Often we resolve these

situations on our own or with the help

of family and friends. Sometimes,

however, it helps to talk to someone

with experience.

GuidanceResources®, your FSAP

program, has GuidanceConsultants®

on staff for support with everyday life

issues. Here are some important FAQs

from the FSAP:

Volume I, Issue 1

For what issues can I enlist FSAP

Services?

- Relationship Support–conflict

resolution, long distance relationships,

communicating with your partner

- Family and Parenting: adjusting to

parenthood, preparing for siblings,

postpartum depression

-Legal and/or custodial rights/family

issues, real estate, creating a will

- Financial–budgeting, taxes, retire-

ment, and college planning

- Work-Life, child and elder care

research, health and wellness

information, vacation, and event

planning

Is the FSAP confidential?

The FSAP is strictly confidential. No

one will know you’ve contacted the

program, and your name is not reported

to your employer.

How do I get started?

Call 844-236-2668 to reach a live

Consultant 24/7 or visit

www.guidanceresources.com to access

your FSAP GuidanceResources®

program anytime, anywhere from your

computer or smartphone. Please use

the web ID: MCC

Montgomery College provides this

employee benefit because we care about

you and your dependents. Again, your

participation in the FSAP is voluntary

and strictly confidential. For more

information and assistance, please

contact Rowena D’Souza at 240-567-

5370.

Montgomery College’s FSAP Services Improves

Montgomery College’s Title IX Coordinator

We are pleased to inform you that Christopher Moy has joined HRSTM. His duties, in part, will be to

serve as the College’s Title IX Coordinator.

Title IX, as a landmark civil rights law, profoundly affects all aspects of education by requiring equal

opportunity for females and males. By extension, it also affects equity in the labor market. When Title

IX is mentioned, most people think about women and athletics. However, Title IX is about so much

more; it also covers acts that can impact educational opportunities for all, including sexual harassment,

sexual violence, stalking, dating and intimate partner violence (dating and domestic violence). Title IX

prohibits discrimination based on the gender of students and employees of educational institutions

which receive federal financial assistance. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 states:

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to

discrimination under any educational programs or activity receiving federal financial assistance…”20 U.S.C. § 1681

Mr. Moy will (1) ensure proper notification and education, (2) consultation, investigation, and disposition, (3) compliance

monitoring and reporting.

Mr. Moy is located in Mannakee Building, Suite 150 and his phone number is 240-567-5412. He can be reached by email

at Christpher.moy@montgomerycollege.edu.

Page 8

Montgomery Co l l ege o f f e rs a

competitive benefits package with

something for everyone. MC employees,

their legal spouses or same-sex domestic

partners, and dependent children under

age 26 receive tuition waiver benefits

for credit classes taken at the College.

Benefit-eligible employees can begin

using tuition waivers upon date of hire

– no waiting period and no annual

limits apply. The College was also the

first Montgomery County agency to

start offering a Consumer-Driven

Health Care Plan with a Health Savings

Volume I, Issue 1

As communicated in our annual fiscal

update, EAP funds are limited by

employee type. For FY 15, the base

amount for full-time faculty, full-time

bargaining staff and full-time non-

bargaining staff is $2,320.00. For staff

enrolled in graduate or undergraduate

coursework beyond the Associate’s

level, they can exceed the base

$2,320.00 by an amount such that total

reimbursement would be the greater of

$2,320.00 or the amount equal to the

University of Maryland College Park

rate for in-state tuition and fees for

graduate or undergraduate coursework

for each credit, up to a maximum of

twelve (12) credits.

For full-time faculty who undertake

graduate coursework beyond the

Updating Your Benefits

Benefits Back Page

Educational Assistance Plan (EAP)

Account. These plans provide

employees with a portable Health

Savings Account. MC contributes

money towards the account upon

enrollment, and again every January

that the employee is still enrolled.

Employees can also contribute to the

account on a pre-tax basis, up to the IRS

limits, therefore saving additional

money to cover future medical expenses

(even retiree medical premiums). The

plan also comes with a MasterCard

debit card to pay for qualified medical

expenses from the account if the

Medicare Probably one of the most frequently

asked questions we get is “Do I need to

enroll in Medicare Part B when I turn

65?”. The answer is “No!” As long as

you are working here at Montgomery

College as an active employee (and not a

rehired retiree), regardless of your age

you should NOT enroll in Part B and

will not receive any financial benefit

from doing so. This is true if you are

covering your spouse as well under our

group plan. The College’s plan will be

your primary insurance as long as you

are working. Enrolling in Part B has a

cost of $109.00 per month. You will not

be assessed a penalty from social

security as they will want to confirm

you had continuous coverage while

employed (this is a form HRSTM

c o m p le t es f o r yo u a n d y o u r

spouse). When you retire the

Benefits team will ensure that you are

enrolled properly for Medicare Part B.

Additionally – those employees that are

enrolled in our CIGNA Choice Fund

plan (health savings account paired

with a high deductible medical plan)

cannot enroll in Medicare Parts A or

B. These coverages count as other

coverage and the CIGNA Choice Fund

plan excludes any other cover-

age. When in doubt, give us a call at

x75365.

Master’s Degree level, the maximum

EAP benefit can exceed the specified

dollar amount for that year such that

the total reimbursement would be

equal to the University of Maryland

College Park rate for in-state tuition

and fees for approved graduate

coursework up to a maximum of twelve

(12) graduate credits per academic

year. HRSTM is currently working on

updating the EAP form for outside MC

requests for funds in order to stream-

line the process. Please watch Inside

MC for the announcement of the new

form and some new processes related to

EAP.

Questions related to EAP benefits

should be directed to Lynette Evans at

x 75352.

employee elects to do so. MC employees

also may participate in several types of

flexible spending accounts: Regular

Health Care, Limited Flex (for

Consumer-Driven Health Care/H.S.A.

participants only), Dependent Day Care,

Mass Transit Commuter, and Parking/

Mass Transit Commuter. The Health

Care and Limited Flex accounts feature

a Visa debit card that is preloaded with

the employee’s annual election amount,

eliminating the need to prepay and file

a claim to be reimbursed.