Questions and Answers

Many of the below questions pertain to the new shared administrative student services organization, the Office of Student Enrollment and Account Management (SEAM). Learn more about the development and implementation of SEAM here. 

Have a question that isn’t addressed here? Submit your question using the form at the bottom of this page. All questions are anonymous.

General questions about how SEAM works:

What do the organizational charts look like for each shared services organizational area?  My staff are concerned about their jobs and it would be helpful to be able to assure them that there are numerous positions that will be needed by each of the areas.

Here are the current org charts for each of the shared services areas. Please attend one of the upcoming town halls to learn more, and ask any questions you may have about these positions.

Are divisions planning to dissolve current Enrollment Management Offices like Student Accounts and Registration? Our school leadership seems to think that these offices will not remain staffed at the school level and that all work will be done by SSEI.

All Customer Service and Student Accounts (for degree seeking programs) will be moved to the new shared services organization, SEAM.  There will remain some school-based Registration and Financial Aid roles, however they will take on a more generalist capacity.

Will SEAM serve post-docs?

Yes, anyone who registers for classes, manages their student account, or receives financial aid will be able to visit the One-Stop offices. However, the office will not oversee employee benefits/paychecks; those matters will be managed by existing offices/departments at each school.

How will you manage/oversee the call center to make sure it’s providing the same level of customer service, providing quality answers, and meeting metrics/goals?

We are planning to ensure quality by setting and measuring both quantitative metrics (call volume, wait times, etc.) and qualitative metrics (satisfaction results). We plan to hire One-Stop staff who will be charged with overseeing quality and metrics for the call center and any other vendors with whom we partner.

How do we plan for inclusion of SEAM’s new tools/software on our divisional websites?

We will be working closely with divisions as we implement apps, software tools and shared services websites. We plan to establish a working group to focus on this topic in the coming months and will include representatives from each division.

How will we still ensure representation from financial aid (or other offices) during prospective student visits, admissions info sessions, etc.?

While functional operations staff will be located off-site, we will work with divisions to ensure that they can have enough on-site coverage for events like these. We expect to further refine the details of how this will work in the coming months as we design the future state.

How will divisional IT staff that currently support FinAid, Student Accounts and Registration be affected?

If you are currently in an IT role back in the school, determinations will remain back in the school. We encourage you to reach out to your manager and HR rep if you have questions about where these will end up.

How, and when, will academic advising be reviewed in this new process and structure?

Academic advising is not within the scope of SEAM; SEAM will not perform academic advising functions. SEAM is focused on providing student support for registration, student accounts and financial aid functions.

Academic advising has been involved in the SSEI as one of the six original areas of scope, and is aware of the work we are doing to stand up SEAM. Currently the advising group is developing workflows, and will have a session to determine the next phase of work, which involves selecting digital technology to enhance advising processes.

Is it anticipated that enough SEAM positions will be available in the areas of Registration, Student Accounts and Financial Aid?

Yes. There is no overall decrease or increase in headcount based on this project. There are a number of newly created positions within Student Support; if someone is currently in a registration, student accounts or financial aid role that is student-facing, they would be encouraged to explore these opportunitiesmove into these in these newly created positions in Student Support.

Application logistics:

Can we apply to multiple positions across different departments? 

Yes, and we strongly encourage you to do so, if you find multiple positions that are a good fit for you, and that you’re interested in, we encourage you to apply.  In addition, the one year waiting period has been waived, so you could change positions if another opportunity within SEAM comes available that you are interested in.

What training is available, and is it available to everyone applying for SEAM positions? 

Online courses on resume writing and interviewing are available via myLearning. In addition, live synchronous virtual workshops are in the process of being planned; the schedule will be posted on the SEAM page when available. If you are considering SEAM positions, please take advantage of these training opportunities. 

What about the requirement to be in a position at JHU for at least one year before applying for another one at JHU? 

That restriction has been lifted for SEAM jobs. If you apply for a position within SEAM, and while you are interviewing, a position opens up back in your school that you feel is a better fit, and if you are eligible you are encouraged to explore those options. There is no penalty for considering other positions if you have moved. 

If we move to SEAM, would we have to start over from day one? 

No, you would not be considered a brand new employee if you move to SEAM. Nothing changes in the way that your tenure and benefits are calculated, you would be completing an internal transfer within the university to a new department.. 

For those who may not have a degree, but have served in the same capacity for more than 15 years, and know the job inside and out, will consideration be given to according to the University’s Equivalency Formula?

Yes.

Is there a timeline for the resume building and interviewing workshops?

The workshops will be be a combination of online, self-paced learning, and/or live, instructor-led sessions (TBD April/May). If you’re interested in attending live virtual workshops, please let us know your level of interest by completing this quick survey.

Questions about job postings:

Are internal postings of the roles only going to folks in these specific areas or all areas in the University?

New positions will be viewable to internal applicants from all areas of the University.

How are you sharing job opportunities that arise?

Jobs will be shared in a number of ways: via email from the SSEI team, as well as via an internal “HR microsite” that is currently in development and will go live on March 12th. Please be sure to apply as an internal candidate via Success Factors.

When will generalist roles be posted for the schools? 

This work is being done right now; these positions will start to be communicated within the next couple of weeks. We encourage those who want to know about the generalist roles in their school to talk to their leaders, HR business reps, to understand what kinds of positions are expected and may be put out there in the next few weeks. 

I noticed that some of the SEAM positions were posted externally. I thought these were being advertised internally first? 

These few jobs were posted externally because the SEAM microsite was not yet developed; any roles that are created going forward specific to SEAM will be posted only internally on this microsite until we exhaust the internal candidate pool.  

Positions posted prior to the SEAM jobs microsite going live, which are still open, are now available on that site.  

Are these jobs available to folks within these departments, or the entire Hopkins community? 

These positions are open to everyone who is a JH employee.  

When will admin coordinators and other positions within SEAM will be posted? 

We are doing some final refinement of the job descriptions right now, and will be posting shortly. We expect most positions to be posted by the end of March / early April. 

Other HR questions:

Will those who are not rehired after this restructure be classified as being RIF’ed – which will allow them to be eligible for unemployment benefits?

Yes. Please know the State of Maryland determines unemployment benefits eligibility.

Will there be any type of severance package offered – considering the timing of this venture and considering the current pandemic?

If positions are eliminated, University leadership will consider appropriate severance packages for any affected employees at that time.

Will HR work with us to find comparable positions within the university if we are not given our positions that we have to reapply for? 

Yes.

For those of us who are retirement eligible due to years of service, will there be an option provided for early retirement? 

The University has no early retirement incentive programs in place and does not foresee the need at this time to consider it. However if you are eligible for retirement please consult with the University’s Benefits Service Center at 410-516-2000 or benefits@jhu.edu.

SEAM logistics / operations:

Where will the new shared services “one-stop” offices be located?

We are planning to create One-Stop offices in East Baltimore, at Homewood and in D.C. We will also work with Carey, School of Education, and Peabody to host “pop-up” one-stop shops during peak times. We are working with JHU Facilities to determine exact locations and will share additional information as it becomes available.

Where will I work if I work in the functional operations office?

We expect that functional operations staff will be collocated in one location, but do not yet know where. We are working with JHU Facilities on this and will share additional information as it becomes available.

Will the one-stop shop include a chat option?

We are planning to implement AI chat bot technology. Additionally, we will be working with staff during the future state design process to assess other ways to deliver virtual services to students, parents, etc., including chat or virtual (Skype or Zoom) sessions.

Questions about Student Support positions:

Will the student support positions be considered as a call center?

The student support position specialists are not considered call center support staff. We already have a contract with a call center that works specifically with in-bound calls. The student support position services will serve as more of a front-line, advisory role (for registration, student accounts and financial aid processes).

Will the Student Support position(s) be located at the Homewood campus or another location, or will this be a position that will have the opportunity to telework?

Student Support Specialists and Site Managers are intended to be on-site positions. Telework opportunities will be contingent on University campus return to campus guidelines.

Questions about SSEI:

Will SSEI tackle payroll? Counseling? Other areas?

No, SSEI’s focus is only on student administrative services, specifically financial aid, registration, and student accounts for shared services purposes.

Submit Your Questions:

Please use this space to submit any questions you may have pertaining to proposed changes in the way we provide service delivery in the areas of Financial Aid, Student Accounts and Registration at JHU. Note that all question submissions here are anonymous.