A University of Wisconsin initiative aimed at examining administrative efficiency and effectiveness is entering its second phase, establishing university-run groups to analyze potential areas to save costs before changes are implemented.
Under the Administrative Excellence project, the Huron Consulting Group has been analyzing data in a number of areas across departments on campus. This data was then benchmarked against standards in higher education to highlight opportunities to improve the level of services and save costs, Vice Chancellor for Administration Alice Gustafson said.
Gustafson said the upcoming second phase would essentially be a “deep dive in the data” to ensure university officials understand the data and are using administrative resources efficiently.
“This project is about rethinking how we approach the administrative and business work that we do on this campus to support the mission of the university,” Gustafson said. “We have to be willing to step back and rethink how we do business and find new ways to do business.”
The project’s steering committee, comprised of the chancellor, the provosts and vice chancellor for administration, prioritized more than 75 opportunities for potential savings. The Advisory Committee then narrowed these areas down to seven that the program will focus on in phase two.
These seven projects include strategic purchasing, classroom utilization and email and calendar consolidation, Gustafson said. Teams have been set up for each of these seven projects and given an aggressive timeline to analyze the data more before ultimately deciding which should be implanted.
“We’d like something that would be easy to do, drop some dollars down to demonstrate cost savings and that is quick to provide some momentum in terms of this project,” Gustafson said. “We’ll do this for as long as we think there will be gains and opportunities for the university to improve our work.”
Vice Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell said the seven teams will be working to analyze in greater depth all of the data and to identify whether to move the ideas into implementation.
Gustafson also said the process will mean giving the data to the teams, seeking out any missing information, talking to stakeholders who are involved in the process before ultimately building a business case for recommendations.
“It was uncomfortable for some on campus to have outside consultants come in,” Gustafson said. “I think we can see a stronger partnership now. … They’re just providing support to the work teams and providing analysis. They’re here in a support capacity.”
The teams are comprised of team leaders who have greater expertise in the subject matter or experience in the field, as well as some student representatives, Gustafson said. While Huron consultants are still involved, they currently serve in roles of project support.
Gustafson said examining UW’s budget is especially important in light of the severity of recent budget cuts from the state and in order to ensure the university can move forward in the most effective way possible.
She said most of the teams have been given a 17- to 22-week timeline, with phase two slated for completion over the summer.
