Vice president for HR hits the ground running

Armed with a new mission statement and the fresh perspective of a recently arrived VP, the Division of Human Resources is gearing up to debut several initiatives this year.

By Trudy Fernandez

Nine months after joining FIU as vice president of Human Resources, Jaffus Hardrick and his HR team are moving forward with initiatives designed to make the FIU experience more gratifying for employees and potential employees.

“I think FIU is a wonderful place to work, learn and grow, and I see numerous opportunities ahead of us,” said Hardrick, who holds an Ed.D. in educational administration from Baylor University where he held the positions of assistant vice president for Human Resource Services and assistant vice provost. Hardrick’s areas of expertise are human resource management, higher education administration, leadership and strategic planning.

“One of my goals is to communicate the FIU story and share with others why it is an outstanding place to work,” he continued. “Human Resources will be a high-performance division that will help transform the university and positively impact the greater Miami communities.”

The division has adopted a new mission statement: Our mission is to provide outstanding customer service and quality leadership to the university community as well as to recruit and retain a diverse workforce.

Some of the initiatives that will be introduced in the near future that speak directly to the new mission statement include:

• A redesign of the HR website to be more user-friendly. The new-and-improved site will offer easier access to information regarding HR services, employment opportunities and more.
• A change in the recruiting process to develop more productive partnerships between the recruiter, hiring manager and HR liaison. The “recruitment consultative model” encourages a fresh, creative approach to marketing career opportunities, attracting qualified talent and selecting candidates to contribute to the success of the institution.

A new addition to the HR team is Kathryn Fisk, assistant vice president of Human Resources. Fisk brings more than 20 years of executive leadership in human resources in both private and public sectors, including higher education and health care, to her new role.

In the months ahead, the division will use this forum to communicate news of importance to FIU employees. Next week’s article will cover important information about the 2009 Annual Benefits Open Enrollment and other initiatives in progress.

I encourage you to submit your feedback regarding topics of interest by sending an email to HR@fiu.edu or by calling Trudy Fernandez directly at extension 7-0101.