The Office of Human Resources, working in close con- 

 cert with the museums, research institutes and offices 

 across the Institution, has begun to develop curricula for 

 (a) first-time supervisors, (b) managers and experienced 

 supervisors, and (c) SI executives. This more formal ap- 

 proach to training and development is intended to provide 

 the knowledge and skills needed for improved managerial 

 and supervisory - performance in order to better meet the 

 Institution's strategic mission. 



The Office of Human Resources worked closely with senior 

 management to reduce Smithsonian staffing levels. One initia- 

 tive was the offering of employee "buyouts," which were in- 

 tended to encourage voluntary retirement or separation. 



The Office of Human Resources contracted with the 

 USDA Training School to conduct a number of tailor-made 

 training courses that prepared staff for their newly develop- 

 ing role as human resource advisors/consultants. These 

 courses also prepared the staff to conduct training tailored 

 to managers and supervisors on a variety of human resour- 

 ces related topics. 



The Office of Human Resources held its first ever bone 

 marrow program. This resulted in more people being 

 registered from the Smithsonian than any other Federal agen- 

 cy. The program is now an integral part of the Smithsonian's 

 Health Services Program. 



The Office of Human Resources established a cross-func- 

 tional team which explored the possibility of a Pan-Institu- 

 tional Adult Basic Education Program. This resulted in the 

 approval of funding for a pilot program. The pilot program 

 was successful and as a result, a ma]or program is now being 

 implemented Institution-wide. 



The Office of Human Resources assisted in the develop- 

 ment of Coho, a windows-based decision support tool which 

 facilitates the creation of position descriptions and other posi- 

 tion-related documents. Coho provides the user with on-line 

 guidance and advice in navigating through a "menu" of 

 choices regarding the role, responsibilities, and duties of the 

 position being created. 



Office of Facilities Services 



Richard H. Rice. Jr. . Senior Facilities Services Officer 



The Office of Facilities Services, along with other organiza- 

 tions in the Facilities Services Group, continued to focus on 

 collaborative efforts to improve service to the Institution. 

 Among these were several specific organizational develop- 

 ment initiatives, focusing on internal relationships, com- 

 munications and leadership. The Office also led the strategy 

 to increase funding for repair of the Smithsonian's physical 

 plant, which resulted in appropriation of an additional S15 

 million over the FY 1995 funding level. 



Office of Physical Plant 



Patrick J. Miller, Director 



The Office of Physical Plant exists to create, preserve, re- 

 store, and protect a physical environment that enables the 

 Smithsonian, its museums, and research institutions to 

 achieve their goals. Physical Plant strives to achieve the fol- 

 lowing goals: to be the leader in creating functional, pleasing, 

 safe, and accessible physical environments that are the 

 benchmark of quality and innovation; to be responsible and 

 proactive in meeting our customers' needs; and to be a 

 steward of the Institution's resources that are dedicated to 

 achieving our mission. Physical Plant has a staff of ap- 

 proximately 460 employees. 



Office of Sponsored Projects 



Ardelle G. Foss, Director 



The Office of Sponsored Projects served Smithsonian re- 

 searchers and scholars by supporting the work of approximate- 

 ly 110 principal investigators who submitted 199 new 

 proposals valued at $33.1 million and by negotiating and ac- 

 cepting for the Institution 152 grant and contract awards 

 valued at $15.5 million. 



Office of Protection Services 



David F. Morrell. Director 



The Office of Protection Services announced the selection of 

 David F Morrell as permanent director. Noteworthy ac- 

 complishments under the interim direction of Michael J. 

 Sofield include: 



completion and first steps towards implementation of a 

 quantitative method to examine posting and scheduling 

 patterns for security officers. Pilot pro]ects at HMSG 

 and NMAH will form the basis for manpower plans and 

 scheduling techniques that will maximize security 

 effectiveness and improve response time to reported 

 incidents, 

 award of contract for a task analysis of the work performed by 

 security officers. The results of the study will be the basis 

 of a new training curriculum, 

 participation in high-visibility programs for staff develop- 

 ment — the Women's Executive Leadership Program and 

 the New Leader's Program. 



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