After 11 years as CWRU's chief human resource administrator—the culmination of a more than 35-year career in human resources management—Earl L. McLane will retire from the University, effective April 1, 2003.

A committee has started to search for a new vice president of human resources.

As associate vice president for human resources at CWRU, McLane has worked to improve employee benefit administration and offerings, including a restructured Benelect program and introduction of a staff employee retirement savings program (Plan C). Under his administration, numerous volunteer benefits such as legal services, long-term care and supplemental long-term disability have been introduced.

McLane has improved communications and understanding of human resource programs throughout the University through the introduction of Human Resources Quarterly and, most recently, a supervisory newsletter, The CWRU Supervisor.

Among his other contributions, McLane has introduced an energized employee benefits fair, which includes health screenings and flu shots and brings CWRU employees in contact with benefit plan providers. He started regular retirement planning and investment seminars and counseling and brown bag lunch seminars sponsored by human resources. The automated Benelect Enrollment Network (BEN) also was launched under his supervision.

In the area of staff education and development, McLane initiated an employee assistance program in partnership with the Center for Families and Children and forged internal partnerships with the Weatherhead School of Management and Kelvin Smith Library to present the supervisory leadership program, Appreciative Leadership, and numerous personal development courses through KSL Learn.

The new electronic staff employment requisition and applicant tracking system, CHRIS, is a result of another human resources department partnership that McLane helped to develop with the Weatherhead School. The on-site temporary system benefits the University through improved administration and service, while reducing overall cost for the employment of temporary employees on campus.

McLane also has led the University to the final phase of commitment to a human resource information system.

Outside the University, McLane served for two years on the Cleveland United Way Allocation Committee, is past co-chair of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) Foundation and past president of Ohio CUPA-HR.

In 1999 McLane received the CUPA-HR Midwest Region Chapter Distinguished Service Award and the CUPA-HR Midwest Individual Award of Excellence in HR Administration.

In 2001 CWRU's human resources program was recognized with the CUPA-HR Midwest Best Practice Award for the Application of Appreciative Inquiry in Human Resource Planning.

In 2002 CWRU's human resource program received the CUPA-HR Midwest Region Institutional Award of Excellence in Human Resource Management and the CUPA-HR National Award for Excellence in Human Resource Practice. McLane has been a presenter at numerous state, regional and national human resource conferences and recently had an article published in the CUPA-HR Journal.