GUEST COLUMN: Trammell Crow deal makes sense

John Fry, Guest Column John Fry, Guest Column On October 8, I signed a letter of intent with the Trammell Crow Co. to contract for the management and operation of the University's facilities, including residential buildings and those properties managed by University City Associates, Penn's wholly owned real estate subsidiary. About 142 Penn managers and support staff and 38 UCA staff are affected by this decision. Although this decision was driven foremost by the needs of the University, the future well-being of the 180 Penn and UCA staff impacted by this contract continues to be my primary focus. By the end of this week, I will have met personally with all Facilities Management and Housing Services staff impacted by the decision. For those not transferring to Trammell Crow, the University will provide Position Discontinuation and Staff Transition support which includes pay continuation as well as inplacement and outplacement services. Staff who are eligible can also choose to retire from the University with customary retirement pay and benefits. The staff who do transfer to Trammell Crow will receive a base salary that is at least equal to what they currently receive at Penn, with the opportunity to exceed this salary through performance bonuses. In addition, any out of paycheck increase in cost of medical, dental and vision coverage will be added to the base salary. Staff who transfer to Trammell Crow and continue to work at Penn will receive the same tuition benefits for their current dependent children as Penn staff receive. The only condition is that they remain on the Penn account. This represents a $4 to $5 million long-term investment on the part of the University. In addition, staff will continue to have access to tuition benefits for themselves through 2001. Additional Trammell Crow benefits will include coverage for domestic partners and the same holidays as Penn employees, including the special holiday vacation. Staff who transfer will also have access to University facilities and services such as parking, gymnasiums, credit union and libraries. Staff in Facilities Management and Housing Services have attended resume development workshops already, and interview workshops are scheduled. Over the next three weeks, they will review job descriptions and begin to interview for positions at Trammell Crow. While the transition of our staff will be my primary focus, we are also conducting a series of focus groups on campus to provide the University community with an opportunity to communicate their facilities related needs directly to us and to Trammell Crow. In addition to the 15 focus groups scheduled for various schools and centers, we have scheduled open sessions on October 27 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and November 3 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to hear about facilities related service delivery and needs. The location of these forums will be announced on Friday. If you have questions or concerns, I urge you to attend one of these sessions, or to e-mail evp@pobox.upenn.edu.. While I recognize how difficult this process has been, not only for affected employees but for the entire community, we are committed to providing three things: full access to information on all aspects of this transition; consultation with the Penn community as we move forward in our negotiations and ongoing support and counsel to those who need to choose among many different career options, including promising ones with Trammell Crow.