A More Efficient, Strategic HR Department

Budget cuts continue to affect the hiring of high-cost faculty, but also the HR staff that facilitates the hiring. There are fewer resources available to attract, develop, and motivate top faculty and staff. And don’t forget: HR budgets in higher education are already 50 to 75 percent lower than in other industries, according to a study by AON.24

Facing unique financial pressures, colleges and universities must have HR departments that operate efficiently and at a high level. They must move past basic administrative roles and become a major organizational influence.”25

LinkedIn

Few administrators, professors, or university trustees seem happy with the current faculty model in higher education.”27

Chronicle of Higher Education, Harvard Business School

Reshuffling the faculty for better results.

With the time saved on mundane tasks, your HR team can utilize workforce‑modeling software to investigate more‑pressing talent‑management issues, such as the merit of new faculty models.

In a recent report, the Chronicle of Higher Education compiled new ideas for structure, including a two‑track model that separates teaching and research faculty, and a plan to pair members with instructional designers.28

Whether or not such configurations are feasible for your institution, an agile HR system is vital to wield effective talent management going forward. It’s also key to ensuring the best possible education for future leaders. In this sector, what could ever be more important?

Figure 3: Chandra’s Omnichannel Candidate Journey
chap_3 fig Chandra receives notification on his smartphone that his application has been received Caroline, the recruite r , conducts a virtual interview Chandra schedules an in-person interview time upon receiving a notification to select a date/time slot Caroline then uses the company ’ s internal social network to discuss Chandra ’ s application with other interviewers Chandra submits his background check paperwork to a secure portal He receives notice that he passed the background check He receives a call to o f fer him the job Chandra is enrolled in a video onboarding and training program, so he can be ramped more quickly for the upcoming semester While familiarizing himself with campus, Chandra speaks to colleagues about how convenient and transparent the application process was Chandra is given access to a mobile-friendly employee portal with job info, online learning and training, and a social community
  1. 24 Rayanne Thorn, “The Challenges Faced by Human Resources in Higher Education,” LinkedIn, April 20, 2017, linkedin.com/pulse/challenges-faced-human-resources-higher-education-rayanne-thorn/.
  2. 25 Ibid.
  3. 26 How to Target Passive Job Seekers, Society for Human Resource Management, June 2016. shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/how-to-guides/pages/how-to-target-passive-job-seekers.aspx.
  4. 27 Jeffrey J. Selingo, “2026: The Decade Ahead—The Seismic Shifts Transforming the Future of Higher Education,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2016,
    uky.edu/universitysenate/sites/www.uky.edu.universitysenate/files/The-Decade-Ahead-Chronicle-of-Higher-Education1.pdf.
  5. 28 Ibid.
Chapter 2: Engaging Both Sides of the Classroom

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