UH President Renu Khator said Thursday at a Staff Council forum she is preparing to make changes pending the results of her 100 Days Survey.
"After 100 days, when we come out, we will be running as fast as we can," Khator said.
She noted the main purpose of the survey, which will close mid-May, is to determine the best pathways for the University to achieve flagship status.
UH can achieve its potential only if staff, faculty and students work together to shape the future of the school, Khator said.
"We are going to need the whole community," she said.
One way to reach flagship status is by reaching out to alumni and donors, she said.
"We have got to go to our donors and friends…. Look what happened to Bauer College here," Khator said. "It was completely transformed because somebody needed it and somebody said, ‘I’m going to step forward and do something.’"
She said academic excellence and student success must be achieved together.
"It’s not about the University, it’s about the students," Khator said.
Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald Foss said UH has plans to place additional advisors on community college campuses and has made more scholarships available to transfer students.
The Staff Council also released the results of a survey to assess communication, training and monetary compensation.
Of 925 responses, 98 percent of staff members said they had good working relationships with peers, 96 percent with subordinates and 90 percent with supervisors, according to the staff survey results.
Eighty-eight percent said supervisors allowed them time to attend job-related programs, 78 percent said they were aware of a staff tuition scholarship program and 75 percent said UH provided them with training required to perform their jobs.
About 48 percent of staff said they preferred salary increases to be divided in half between merit-based and across the board increases.
Khator said there is a proposal asking for incremental increase in budget from the state Legislature to compensate for inflation, which could be used toward UH staff payroll.
Khator said the most important factor for a diverse workplace is to have a diverse hiring board – one that would not base its decision on race or gender.
"We are such a diverse institution," she said. "I can tell you it’s a very different environment here."
Khator said she is continuing to seek input in her 100 Days Survey, which can be accessed at www.uh.edu/100days.
