"Our job is to bring talented people together
to meet Montclair State's mission and to create
its future."
-Shenita Brokenburr

"Hiring has increased...to meet the University's goal of growing to capacity."
-Cathy Bongo

Although all Montclair State employees are part of the same campus community, personnel procedures for classified staff and unclassified employees differ. Recognizing that, Vice President for Human Resources Judith Hain saw the importance of bringing in two people with specific expertise to administer procedures and serve the hiring managers of each constituency. Cathy Bongo (pictured at right), director of Unclassified Staffing, and Shenita Brokenburr (left), director of Classified Staffing, are those people.

Bongo brings to the University 25 years' experience in financial services and 20 years' experience in human resources. Before coming to Montclair State, she served as vice president of Human Resources at Carteret Federal Savings and Loan--the largest savings and loan company in New Jersey, which employeed more than 3,000 people in the 110 branches in seven states along the east coast for which she was responsible.

Having worked in both public and private institutions of higher education, Brokenburr has more than 15 years' experience in human resources. She previously served as an external consultant and adjunct faculty member at a private university. She is a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) certified professional and an expert in the areas of staffing, benefits, employee records, terminations, diversity enhancement, human resource information systems and training.

Bongo and Brokenburr recently discussed their parallel roles and how, together, they serve all Monclair State employees.

Q: What have you brought to Montclair State's staffing services?
Brokenburr: Creative energy, a passion for what I do and a love for people. I bring the benefit of having spent my entire career in higher education in various capacities and I've learned from the best. I know what works and I'm able to recognize what doesn't and quickly change course. I'm a problem solver with an understanding of how Human Resources fits into the University's big picture. We serve and support the needs of the faculty and staff who train our students to be future leaders.
Bongo: My position is newly created. I was hired for my expertise in policies and procedures, compensation, staffing and employee relations. I'm a certified compensation professional and I'm certified in human resource management from SHRM.

Q: Define the constituency you serve.
Brokenburr: The classified or civil service staff comprises employees in positions governed by the civil service rules of the state. Civil Service employees include clerical support staff, first-line supervisors and employees of Physical Plant, the New Jersey School of Conservation and University police. They are represented by CWA, IFPTE, AFSCME and PBA unions, respectively.
Bongo: I direct the unclassified staffing function for managers, unit professionals, faculty and librarians, who are represented by the AFT. I'm also responsible for classification, compensation and reappointments for unit professionals, I write policies and procedures, and conduct exit interviews.

Q: What does the University gain from the exit interview?
Brokenburr: The exit interview is a vital part of the termination process because it provides us with important insight about the institution from the perspective of an employee leaving the University. In this confidential interview, employees speak directly to a human resources professional about their experiences as employees and share the reason for their departure.
Bongo: Exit interviews help us identify trends. For instance, if there's a high turnover rate in a specific area, exit interviews often reveal the reasons people are leaving so we can take the proper steps to correct problems that may exist, whether they be working environment or management.

Q: How are you bringing Human Resources into the 21st century?
Brokenburr: The classified staffing area has several challenges. Among them is the arcane and antiquated Civil Service system. The system's rules and regulations can sometimes be burdensome because they don't always provide the flexibility to recruit and hire efficiently. My first order of business was, and continues to be, getting us organized and more efficient at providing customer service. This begins with implementing systems, procedures and technology to improve our overall operation. The Human Resources Web site is a step in that direction and it has significantly improved our ability to attract a lot of bright people to Montclair State. A second priority for staffing is to educate employees and managers on the civil service system about who we are in Human Resources. High on Vice President Hain's priority list is our commitment to our current employees. This begins with helping employees understand their role at the University; building consensus as to where we're going as an institution and how each person is connected to the University's mission. In keeping with this goal, we plan to introduce several training initiatives on career and professional development topics.
Bongo: Hiring has increased, especially in all academic areas and in Student Development and Campus Life, to meet the University's goal of growing to capacity. We've developed new hiring procedures for both classified and unclassified staff, and we are assisting management in hiring new people. We've also cut down on the paperwork.

Q: How do staffing services work toward the mission and goals of the University?
Brokenburr: By providing professional expertise and information that enable hiring managers to retain and reward talent, diversity and creativity. Our job is to bring talented people together to meet Montclair State's mission and to create its future. Human Resources also serves as a consultative partner and resource to managers on a variety of issues. For example, we educate managers on more efficient ways to utilize their advertising and budget, we advise them on drafting more focused position announcements to attract the best talent, and we help managers explore alternative ways to recruit employees through our clerical staffing pools.
Bongo: By striving to get everyone in Human Resources to operate and function as a team. We all must work together to meet the goals of the Human Resources division and the University.

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