Mary Maher, M.A., has modernized the UT Health Science Center Office of Human Resources with many new programs.
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SAN ANTONIO (April 7, 2009) — Mary Maher, M.A., vice president for human resources at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, has been chosen chair-elect of the board of directors of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), a national organization. She will begin her one-year term on July 1.

“I am honored and humbled to have the privilege of serving the CUPA-HR membership, corporate partners and talented national office staff as the next chair-elect,” Maher said. “Human resource professionals across America will have some interesting challenges over the next few years, as we and our organizations work through these difficult economic times. I’m confident that, even as we are tested, we will come up with creative, new solutions to better serve our institutions and our most valuable asset, our employees.”

Maher has modernized Human Resources at the Health Science Center
Maher joined the UT Health Science Center in June 2008 and has worked in the field of human resources for more than 25 years, both in higher education and in health care. Since joining the Health Science Center, she has modernized the Department of Human Resources, instituting the new UT Advantage Faculty & Staff Assistance program, a nationwide resource that provides counseling, education and referral services to help employees better balance their home and work responsibilities. The new Worklife Solutions program offers a number of fitness and nutritional programs for employees, including Weight Watchers at Work and online fitness challenges, where employees can log their physical activities.

Upcoming programs
Other projects in the works include:

• A Classification Redesign Project to create an intuitive career family framework of jobs, and accessible and up-to-date compensation data at the Health Science Center


• An Organizational Literacy Program to create career tracks so employees can advance their careers at the Health Science Center


• A Training and Development Program to centralize and offer new training opportunities for employees

“Since coming to the Health Science Center, Mary has helped Human Resources be more responsive to our employees’ needs and to move more quickly to meet them,” said Michael Black, M.B.A., senior executive vice present and chief operating officer at the UT Health Science Center. “We are pleased to see exceptional progress with so many programs. These programs add value to being a Health Science Center employee.”

Past service for CUPA-HR
CUPA-HR National Board Chair Kirk Beyer added, “Mary is a rising star in CUPA-HR. I have been impressed with the contributions she has already made to the success of the association, and I look forward to serving with her in the coming year.”

In CUPA-HR, Maher has served on the national learning and professional development committee, as co-chair of the 2007 national conference program committee, as a founding member of the Lone Star State Chapter, on the national board and the national economic issues task force.

Maher is the recipient of two CUPA-HR awards — the national association’s 2005 SunGard Higher Education Technology Award and the Southwest Region’s 2006 Best Practices Award. She has presented at numerous CUPA-HR regional and national conferences.

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The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $668 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $16.3 billion biosciences and health care sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $36 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 25,600 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and other health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty members are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, visit http://www.uthscsa.edu.

CUPA-HR, founded in 1946, provides global leadership to the higher education human resource profession and the higher education community by offering essential knowledge, resources and connections to enhance individual and institutional capacity and competitiveness. Our membership is institution-based and includes 90 percent of all U.S. doctoral institutions, 70 percent of all master’s institutions, 50 percent of all bachelor’s institutions and 500 community colleges and specialized institutions. We also serve other organizations that are affiliated with higher education. We provide vital resources to more than 11,000 higher education HR professionals at more than 1,700 institutions.