1. Employee Classification Trends
Derek Wilson and David Lee
Colorado School of Mines

2. HB (reformatted)
Administrators employed in educational institutions and departments not charitable or reformatory in character shall be exempt from the state personnel system. For purposes of this section, "administrators employed in educational institutions and departments" means:
Officers of an educational institution and their executive assistants; employees in professional positions, including the professional employees of a governing board; and any other employees involved in the direct delivery of academic curriculum;
Professional officers and professional staff of the department of higher education;
Employees in grant-funded positions where funding is limited by a known expiration date of the research project or grant funded by grants, gifts, or revenues generated through auxiliary activities. For purposes of this paragraph, "auxiliary activities" means institutional activities managed and accounted for as self-supporting activities.
The president of each educational institution or a person designated by the president shall determine which administrative positions in that institution are exempt from the state personnel system under subsection (1) of this section, subject to an appeal to the board; except that a position shall not be determined to be exempt while it is held by an existing employee in the state personnel system. The president of an educational institution may decide not to exempt a position funded through auxiliary activities if the president determines that exempting the position is not in the best interests of the institution.
For purposes of this section, a person is in a professional position or is a professional employee or professional staff if the person is in a position that involves the exercise of discretion, analytical skill, judgment, personal accountability, and responsibility for creating, developing, integrating, applying, or sharing an organized body of knowledge that characteristically is:
Acquired through education or training that meets the requirements for a bachelor's or graduate degree or equivalent specialized experience; and
Continuously studied to explore, extend, and use additional discoveries, interpretations, and applications and to improve data, materials, equipment, applications, and methods.

3. Requirements & Interpretation
Classified position cannot be exempted while occupied
Professional position defined to be “the exercise of discretion, analytical skill, judgment, personal accountability, and responsibility for creating, developing, integrating, applying, or sharing an organized body of knowledge...”
Position must qualify to be exempt from FLSA
Any position eligible for overtime pay is not exempt from FLSA
All new and vacant positions shall be filled as exempt if criteria met
7 previously classified positions filled as exempts (6 existing employees)
6 vacancies being refilled as exempt

4. Mines’ Perspective Good for Employee Good for Institution
Salary (potentially) & benefits
Opportunity for advancement / reassignment
“Status” on campus
Still in PERA
Good for Institution
Flexibility in hiring process, searches
Organizational flexibility
Positions are “At Will”
Governed by internal HR policies, not SPB processes

5. General Process at Mines
Basic procedures:
Write / rewrite job description, gain preliminary approval from HR for exemption.
Submit exemption paperwork for processing
Reviewed/approved by AVP/HR, appropriate VP & President
Complete Recruitment Authorization Form
Coordinate with Budget Office for new position number and to transfer position budget.
Follow standard exempt hiring and salary request processes.
If current employee is moving from classified to exempt position, they must meet with AVP/HR, acknowledge exemption differences, waive classified rights, sign position offer.

6. CIO Council Salary Survey
Two principal objectives
Create common classification scheme for similar positions regardless of classified/exempt status
Settled on Robert Half Technology classifications / descriptions
Gain better understanding about different perspectives about positions
Establish database of (central?) IT salaries within Colorado Higher Ed
Useful for salary requests and info for HR and administration
UNC developed survey
Map local positions to Robert Half Technology defined positions
Organized by Robert Half Groupings
To prepare for entry, developed spreadsheet layout, helped a lot

7. Robert Half Technology

8. Glossary of Job Descriptions

9. CIO Salary Survey

10. CIO Salary Survey

11. CIO Salary Survey

12. Questions Questions for us? Questions for you
Is this issue relevant to your institution?
Will the survey be useful? Should we continue?
What are you doing re classified vs. exempt?
What issues concern you?