A five-week series of presentations designed for UH staff to better understand the internal structure of the University wraps up Friday.
“Discover UH – the Vision, the Culture, the Pride” aims to educate new employees, administrators, managers and supervisors on the decision-making process and internal relationships within a large and complex institution like UH.
“I think the mission of Discover UH is to help all of our community own the University,” Human Resources Director Sandy Coltharp said. “I think every single person on this campus plays a role, and if helping them understand the mission helps them own the University, then that is my goal.”
Discover UH, which has 27 participant s this fall, stemmed from a session four years ago called the Management Institute. Over the past year, Coltharp and her team developed Discover UH before it made its debut Sept. 10.
The series offers UH employees the chance to dive deeper into the workings of UH by exploring various aspects such as finances, transportation, and the upkeep of the buildings and outdoor areas.
Participants in Discover UH also learned about the history of the University and heard from different divisions within UH, like the Board of Regents, which helps with networking and staff involvement.
“I didn’t graduate from UH, but I feel like this is my university,” Coltharp said. “I want everybody to think, ‘This is where I work, but this is also my University. I want to promote this University.’”
The Tier 1 vision for the University was a driving force behind the Discover UH initiative, which will be offered at the start of every semester. Coltharp said it is important for every person at UH to ask what Tier 1 means for himself or herself and what role they play in the journey to Tier 1.
Deputy Director of the Blaffer Art Museum James Rosengren has been participating in the prorgram. Rosengren stressed the importance Discover UH plays in networking within the University and developing relationships with people that normally do not interact with each other.
“It helps us build a resource network,” Rosengren said. “Discover UH puts us in the same room with various University decision makers to take our understanding of strategies and operations to a level beyond a display of a simple organizational chart.”
The interaction and community formed by every part and person of the University that has participated is what Coltharp envisioned when Discover UH was in the planning stages.
“Discover UH delivers all of this information in a way that ties it together into the overarching goals of UH and does it with spirit,” IT Project Manager Mike Mantell, who is also participating in the program, said. “You actually come out of each session impressed with the content, proud to be a part of the team and jazzed about the University’s future.”
