By SUSAN JONES
Chancellor Joan Gabel announced on Nov. 15 that the Office of Human Resources will move back under the control of the chancellor’s office as of Jan. 2, 2024.
Noting that people are Pitt’s “greatest asset,” Gabel said that “the infrastructure update will ensure I have a direct line to both employee feedback and HR initiatives that are championing positive change.”
She said she came to this decision after listening to feedback from Pitt employees and consulting with Dave DeJong, senior vice chancellor for business & operations, where HR is currently housed.
The role of vice chancellor of human resources, which is held by James Gallaher, is “central to helping our employees maximize what is possible at Pitt,” Gabel said. This includes making progress on compensation modernization; committing to employee retention, development and growth; and cultivating a labor relations team that continues its “positive and productive” working relationships with all bargaining units at Pitt.
“I am excited to directly oversee this unit, working closely with James Gallaher and the entire HR team in providing foundational support to employees across all campuses,” the chancellor’s announcement said.
DeJong, who was vice chancellor for human resources when it was under the control of former Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, said, “I appreciated the opportunity to engage directly with Pat, which is one of the reasons I think this is such a good move.”
“I think it’ll be great for OHR; it’ll be great for the University community,” DeJong said. “I think it reflects Joan’s strong commitment to supporting employees, and she wants to be very actively engaged in that.”
“I am honored to work closely with Chancellor Gabel and the entire HR team to continue our progress in supporting our valued employees,” Gallaher said.
Gallaher and the HR team will still be connected to the Business and Operations senior leadership team to maintain the synergies that have been established. Additionally, B&O will have a permanent role in the strategic direction of HR through the recently established Human Resources Advisory Committee.
This new cross-functional committee “will bring forward and discuss a range of key employee-focused needs and initiatives, striving to enhance the employee experience at Pitt,” Gallaher said. “They will develop recommendations and share insight with the senior leadership team.”
“To me, this is a win-win, that we’re not walking away from those synergies and yet, I think HR’s role has just been elevated, and it’s more central,” DeJong said.
Gallaher said HR’s largest opportunity is “to continually push ourselves in fulfilling our mission to recruit, develop, retain and support a diverse and talented workforce, and partner in maintaining a productive, dynamic and inclusive work environment. I’m proud that Pitt was recently named as one of the top companies to work for in Forbes Magazine. As an employer of distinction, we must not be complacent but, rather, advance in further strengthening employee satisfaction and retention.”
A short history of HR
Human Resources is primarily focused on work-related issues, such as compensation and benefits, for Pitt’s approximately 8,000 staff members — both union and non-union
HR has been through several changes since 2016, when the department’s longtime leader Ronald Frisch retired. Cheryl Johnson — who came to Pitt from Kansas State University, where she was vice president for human capital services — succeeded Frisch, and around the same time Greg Scott took over Jerome Cochran’s role as senior vice chancellor for business and operations.
The Total Rewards Study, the first step toward what is now called compensation modernization, began in 2017 under Johnson, but quickly stalled.
Johnson quietly resigned in 2019, and HR was briefly moved under control of the chancellor’s office. Then-Executive Vice Provost Dave DeJong was named as interim head of HR in July 2019, and became vice chancellor for human resources two months later. DeJong once again got the compensation modernization process started before the pandemic began to slow, but not stop, progress on the project.
A shakeup in spring 2020 at the head of the Office of Business & Operations saw Scott leave to “pursue other opportunities” and DeJong step into that role as interim SVC, in addition to his HR job.
In early 2021, DeJong was named permanent senior vice chancellor for business & operations, and HR was moved back under that office’s control. While a national search was conducted for a new head of HR, Mark Burdsall, assistant vice chancellor of consulting services in HR, stepped up to the role of acting deputy vice chancellor for Human Resources.
The current vice chancellor of human resources, James Gallaher, came to Pitt in December 2021. Under Gallaher, the second phase of the compensation modernization project finally went live in August with the release of a new job catalog and corresponding pay ranges. This included setting a $16.50 an hour minimum wage, or approximately $32,175 per year for full-time employees.
Currently, around 800 staff members fall under union contracts, but that number would change significantly if efforts of the Staff Union of Pitt, which is organizing under the United Steelworkers banner, succeed. In June, the group filed for a union election with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. HR currently has a team of about eight people who work on employee and labor relations.
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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