At Case Western Reserve University, a new initiative was created to highlight employee voices during its milestone year. Titled “200 Days, 200 Conversations,” the program aims to gather meaningful feedback from faculty and staff during the university’s bicentennial celebration.

The idea for the initiative emerged shortly after Jason Steckel transitioned into the role of Director of Employee Engagement this January. According to the university, his presence highlighted the importance of directly connecting with employees across campus.

“As he considered how to best engage faculty and staff, he presented the idea of holding one-on-one conversations,” said Robert Solomon, vice president for the Office for Campus Enrichment and Engagement. “It’s being launched now to help inform how we can enrich the employee experience.”

The initiative also ties closely to the university’s 200-year anniversary. While the number of conversations reflects the bicentennial milestone, Solomon emphasizes that the connection goes beyond symbolism.

“Our bicentennial is an opportunity to recognize the generations of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends who have shaped our past while charting an ambitious course for the future,” he said. “The questions employees are being asked seek to both recognize the good work we have been doing and dream of ways to create an even better future here at CWRU.”

One of CWRU’s main priorities has been employee engagement. According to Solomon, President Eric Kaler once asked, “what makes Case Western Reserve an engaging–or not engaging–place to work, and in what ways can we help more employees become fully engaged in the university as a whole?” which then led to the creation of the office for Campus Enrichment and Engagement and the director of employee engagement role.

When introduced, this initiative was described as a listening tour. Rather than simply collecting feedback, the conversations are structured to foster open dialogue to create a more authentic understanding of employee perspectives.

“Meaningful listening involves listening to learn,” Solomon said. “In the context of ‘200 Days, 200 Conversations,’ this involves asking thought-provoking, open-ended questions and providing employees space to share their thoughts, feelings, ideas and aspirations.”

Through these discussions, the university hopes to gather insights that reflect both strengths and areas for growth.

“First and foremost, we hope the insights provide an honest reflection of the employee experience, so we can learn what is working well, what needs improvement and what ideas employees have for making their experience here at CWRU even better,” Solomon said.

In March, randomly selected faculty and staff received invitations to participate, with selections made in collaboration with Institutional Research to ensure a representative sample across all of CWRU’s schools, university general divisions and departments. Each one-on-one session follows a consistent format and typically lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. Responses gathered during the conversations will be managed by the Office of Campus Enrichment and Engagement, which is responsible for collecting, organizing and analyzing the data.

As CWRU marks 200 years, the “200 Days, 200 Conversations” initiative reflects a broader effort to look inward by using employee voices to strengthen the overall campus experience.