NOVA Taking Steps to Improve Communication at All Levels

As I mentioned in last week’s office hour zooms, several of the anonymous questions submitted in advance of these sessions suggested that communications about changes related to the advising and career services model could be improved. The members of Administrative Council leading these projects quickly developed an action plan to address these questions. My message to you today outlines the findings from their immediate review of the situation, the plan of action and then some broader steps I’m recommending NOVA take to improve communication and provide more regular pathways for employees to raise questions and note concerns. I sincerely thank those of you who asked the questions that led to this important review and work.

Questions on Communications about Individual Employee Work Roles
The initial communication on the new student services and advising model was initially at a broad, strategic level. The immediate priority was to delineate the new structure and roles within it, as well as initiate hiring for some of the new roles. The detail work of managing workflow was delegated, as appropriate, to the subject matter experts at the supervisory level, but this was complicated by the newness of some to their roles and by the constantly evolving pandemic planning guidance facing NOVA. Given that most personnel are not returning until July, and that NOVA faced an immediate need to roll out summer and fall enrollment activities, specific details on employee work assignments once back on campus were not uniformly the focus. While some areas had developed more robust plans, others had not. For these employees, the absence of this information created levels of confusion and concern that were further exacerbated by the general stress of the post-pandemic return. NOVA can and should do better, and we will.

Questions on Communications about Counselor Staffing
Communications about the new models both for career counseling and campus staffing were uneven. During the fall and early spring semesters, Career Counselors served on a collegewide functional workgroup that made recommendations on the NOVA Career Services model to Vice Presidents Villagran-Glover and Partridge and the provosts. In addition, the VP for Student Services and the provosts developed a staffing plan to make counselor representation more equitable across campuses so that each campus had individuals in four distinct roles: Transfer, Academic Standing/Success, CARES/Behavioral Intervention and Career Services (reporting up to Workforce Development). While the impacted individuals were engaged in the process, the rationale for the change and the design of the model were not shared as widely as they should have been, which led to confusion, misinformation and concern.

Communications Plan
The table below outlines the plan for remedying the communications challenges identified above.

Improving Communications at NOVA: the Big Picture
NOVA is a big place. In addition to over 70,000 amazing students, we have almost 4,000 incredibly important and valuable employees. Communications challenges are not new at our college, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work to do better. As I mentioned in my zooms last week, I’ve been reaching out to colleagues at other colleges and in private industry and the military who lead large, complex, decentralized organizations. I got a lot of suggestions on what NOVA could do to improve communications, including some that led to steps we will be taking immediately:

• NOVA’s new Director of Communications Dawn Selak began last week. One of her first charges will be to launch a search for an Associate Director of Internal Communications.
• We will dedicate budget to hire an Employee Ombudsperson to serve as a confidential, independent, neutral resource for all NOVA employees, listening to concerns impartially and referring employees to resources and processes that could be of benefit. For more about the ombuds role, visit this description from the International Ombudsman Association.
• AVP for Human Resources Charlotte Calobrisi and the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Nathan Carter will work with the College Senate to identify members for a representative, time-limited workgroup to inform the design of an “I Have a Question” employee portal located on NOVAnet. It will allow employees to submit anonymous questions to members of Administrative Council on an ongoing basis.
• Provosts Molly Lynch and Sam Hill will work with the College Senate to identify members for a representative, time-limited workgroup that will inform the creation of a “NOVA team toolkit” that will clarify the college’s expectations for any project team. The toolkit will provide team/project leaders with a process to ensure representation across NOVA campuses and employee demographics, and to build in opportunities for meaningful participation by those impacted by the project, including both employees and students. It will also include required templates for committee charges and formal team participation agreements, project management and internal communications.

Your concerns have been heard, and I thank you for identifying ways to make our NOVA community stronger!

Submitted by:
Anne Kress, presidentsoffice@nvcc.edu