Iowa Board of Regents Efficiency Study

June 16, 2014
Iowa Board of Regents

Catalogue and Prioritized List of Opportunities
11
Table of Contents
Function Page Number
Preface 2
Introduction 6
Sourcing and Procurement 13
Facilities and Auxiliaries 18
Strategic Space Utilization and Scheduling 28
Academic Programs 33
Information Technology 45
Finance 52
Human Resources 62
Research Administration 70
Student Services 75
Marketing and Communications 83
Board of Regents 88
Business Cases 93
Conclusion and Next Steps 95
Preface
33
Purpose of this Document
The preface to this presentation was added after the conclusion of Phase 1 to provide additional context
to the analysis that was performed. The only modifications to this version after the conclusion of Phase 1
include the following:
Inserting the Preface slides
Highlighting the business cases selected for Phase 2 using green check marks
Updating slide 94 to indicate the final business cases that were selected
Preface
44
Purpose of this Document
The points outlined below provide important context for reading this document.
This document is a deliverable output of Phase 1 of the Transparent, Inclusive Efficiency Review
(TIER).
Phase 1 was conducted during a 10 week period of analysis.
The goal of this initial phase was to conduct a rapid, high-level assessment of potential opportunities
to improve operational performance including potential cost reduction, revenue enhancement and
service improvements.
This initial high-level assessment is based on initial data gathering, interviews and estimates.
It is intended to provide directional input to understand and helped to identify potential opportunities
to further explore in Phase 2.
Please note that business cases are not being conducted for all opportunities in Phase 2, only those
that were selected by the Board Subcommittee responsible for TIER.
Decisions about opportunities to implement as part of Phase 3 will not be made until the end of
Phase 2 and will take into account the associated complexities, risks, associated costs and
implementation timeframes for selected opportunities.
Preface
55
Inputs to the Analysis
Inputs to the Phase 1 analysis include the following:
Over 390 interviews with more than 700 interview participants
Review of volumes of university-wide data including financial data, policies, human resources data,
and systems data
Conducted open town hall meetings at each university for all community members to express ideas
and ask questions
Conducted sounding board sessions at each university to share initial observations and obtain
feedback. The sessions were held with faculty, staff, students, and union representatives
Preface
Introduction
77
Phase Objectives
Phase 1 Identify key strengths and challenges
Identify strategic priorities
Identify opportunities to improve service delivery and reduce costs
Phase 2 Determine a focused list of opportunities
Quantify the estimated impact and effort required to implement select opportunities
Develop a detailed implementation roadmap
Phase 3 Design, test, and launch improvements
Diagnostics /
Benchmarking
Phase
1
Design / Solution
Development
Phase
2
Implementation
Duration: Ongoing
Phase
3
Program Management
Organizational Engagement
Overview of TIER Project Phases
We are here
IN PROGRESS
Introduction
TIER uses a three phase approach to identify opportunities, develop solutions, and implement
improvements. This document summarizes the outputs of the diagnostics and benchmarking effort
conducted in Phase 1.
88
Introduction
Phase 1 Approach and Level of Engagement
Level of Engagement:
Conducted over 390 interview sessions and focus groups and met with nearly 700
interviewees at Iowa State University (ISU), University of Iowa (SUI) and University of
Northern Iowa (UNI)
Conducted open town hall meetings at each university for all community members to
express ideas and ask questions
Conducted sounding board sessions at each university to share initial observations and
obtain feedback. The sessions were held with faculty, staff, students, and union
representatives
Building
Understanding through
Documentation Review
Refining Understanding
through On-Campus
Engagement
Developing Analysis
and Documenting
Observations
Our approach during Phase 1 involved three primary steps.
Submit data request to
universities
Review data and build
initial understanding
Conduct campus kickoff
meetings and town halls
Conduct interviews with
faculty, staff, and
students
Conduct focus groups
and sounding board
sessions
Finalize the Opportunity
Catalogue and
Prioritized list of
opportunities
99
Overview of Template
There are three primary areas of focus in this section of the deliverable. Each function that is within the
scope of this review addressed the following topics:
Key Strengths and Challenges
Highlights areas within a function that are leading practices
Highlights areas within a function that are a challenge
Opportunity Catalogue
Provides an inventory of each potential opportunity and includes the
following information:
Prioritized Opportunities
Provides a list of the top priority opportunities within each function
Provides a visualization of the top opportunities and plots them based on
the implementation difficulty and value
ID Number
Potential Opportunity Name
University Specific of System Wide
Opportunity
Potential Finding Description
Potential Opportunity Description
Potential Opportunity Type
(Savings, Revenue, Effectiveness),
Anticipated Time to Implement
Introduction
10 10
Opportunity Catalogue Details
A detailed summary of the Opportunity Catalogue fields and response options are provided below.
Field Name Content Description
# or ID
Provides a unique ID for each potential opportunity. The first two letters indicate the function (e.g. IT) and
the following two numbers provide a unique ID number.
Opportunity Name Provides a descriptive name for the potential opportunity.
University/System Indicates if the potential opportunity relates to a University (e.g. ISU, UNI, SUI) or if it is System Wide (SW).
Findings Provides a description of the potential finding or observation that led to the identification of an opportunity.
Potential Opportunity
Description
Provides a description of the potential opportunity and recommend path or paths forward.
Anticipated Impact - Efficiency /
Revenue /
Effectiveness
Indicates if the opportunity relates to Cost Savings/Efficiency, an Increase to Revenue, or an Effectiveness
gain relating to process improvement. Opportunities are classified as High, Medium, or Low.
High: High gains in service or cost savings or increased revenue greater than $1M
Medium: Moderate gains in service, or cost savings from $500K up to $1M
Low : Some gains in service, cost savings up to $500K
Anticipated Time to Implement
Indicates if the potential opportunity can be implemented in the short-term (up to six months), medium-term
(six months to 18 months), or long-term (18 months or longer)
Introduction
11 11
Prioritization Criteria
Introduction
Opportunities in the catalogue are prioritized using criteria agreed upon with the Board. The team
prioritized the potential opportunities using 6 dimensions based on value and implementation difficulty.
For each dimension, a 5 point scale was used to rank and plot the opportunity in the prioritization
chart. For each area, only the top 10 opportunities are shown in the prioritized list contained this
document.
Operational
improvement
Degree of change
Time to value
Implementation
complexity
Financial benefit
Alignment to
mission
V
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Expected improvement in operational
processes, quality of service, compliance,
decision-making, etc.
Anticipated degree of change management
required to support impacts on people
Timeframe to realize return on investment for
the opportunity, either financially or non-
financially
Degree of technical and/or operational difficulty
to implement based on technology, process, or
policy
Whether opportunity directly achieves mission
of affordable, high-quality education, research,
and service to Iowa
Size of potential savings/revenues opportunity
as a result of implementing the opportunity
Prioritization Matrix
12 12
Interviews and analysis in Phase 1 resulted in the identification of high-level improvement
opportunities across the Regent system. These opportunities are grouped into three primary
categories:
Opportunity Category Description
Total Number of
Opportunities
Efficiency Results in financial savings or cost avoidance 63
Increase to Revenue Results in an increase to revenue 22
Effectiveness / Service
Quality Improvement
Results in more effective operations with limited
impact on financial savings or revenue
90
Introduction
Description of Opportunity Categories
Sourcing and Procurement
14 14
Several areas of strength and challenge were identified as a result of interviews, site visits and data
analysis.
Key Strengths
Focus on strategic activities Compared to
benchmarks, each of the universities performs well
on the percentage of time spent on strategic versus
tactical activities
1
Well Structured Data Sources The accounts
payable and purchase order data files were well
structured. Key fields in the data files were present
and facilitated the data categorization process
2
Use of system-wide agreements
3
A
collaborative environment has already been
established via the sharing of agreements (e.g. Dell,
Office Max, US Bank, WW Grainger, etc.)
Leadership interest in continuous improvement
Procurement leadership at each of the universities
demonstrates an interest in continuous
improvement and learning
Key Challenges
Savings levels below benchmarks Current
savings across all universities relative to
benchmarks (total savings as a percentage of
addressable spend) suggest opportunity for
additional savings
Procurement organization structure not optimal
Survey results from all universities suggest
opportunity for more focused organization around
spend categories
4
(e.g. IT, Facilities Services, etc.).
A strong organization structure that is focused on
key spend categories is a key factor that contributes
to an organization's ability to realize and sustain
savings
Underinvestment in Procurement function
Current investment in procurement function relative
to benchmarks
5
suggests underinvestment in
resources (e.g. personnel, technology, etc.)
1
The benchmark is 41% of time spent on strategic activities, and each of the universities exceeds this benchmark
2
Key fields that are normally in poor shape that were in good shape for each of the universities included : free-text expense descriptions and general ledger codes for that define
expenses
3
Agreements shared by all universities
4
A spend category is the same as an expense category (i.e. IT expense, Telecom expense, Maintenance supplies expense, etc.)
5
Benchmarks include (Procurement Operating Budget as a percentage of total spend and Procurement Operating Budget per Procurement FTE)
15 15
ID Opportunity Name
Anticipated
Impact
SP-01
Use the strategic sourcing process to negotiate
more favorable contracts for targeted spend
categories
High
SP-02
Strengthen the procurement functions at
each university by aligning staff to standard
expense categories
Medium
SP-03
Build analytical and cross-university
coordination capability for identifying and
driving system-wide procurement
opportunities
Medium
SP-04
Change targeted procurement policies that
may restrict the realization of savings
opportunities
Medium
SP-05
Establish common purchase order processing
platform
Medium
SP-06
Establish common travel and entertainment
(T&E) processing system
Medium
Efficiency Opportunity
Effectiveness Opportunity
Revenue Opportunity
SP-01
SP-02
SP-03
SP-04
SP-05
SP-06
V
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Implementation Difficulty
Low High
L
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H
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Indicates selected business case for Phase 2
16 16
# Opportunity Name
University
/ System
Findings Potential Opportunity Description
Impact - Savings /
Revenue /
Effectiveness
3
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
SP-01
Use the strategic
sourcing process to
negotiate more
favorable contracts
for targeted spend
categories
SW
Savings from sourcing have already
been achieved by the different
university procurement
organizations. However, the level
of savings achieved compared to
benchmarks
1
suggest that
significant incremental savings
opportunities still exist on material
and services spend categories.
Organize expense categories into logical,
market-facing groupings and strategically source
(i.e. conduct competitive bidding process). The
following targeted categories would be divided
into sourcing waves (i.e. phases) that would take
18 months to 2 years to complete. Specific
grouping of categories into waves still underway
and require validation during the business case
development phase
2
. The primary categories
include: 1) Facilities Services 2) IT 3) Office
Supplies 4) Maintenance Material 5) Lab
Supplies & Equipment 4) Hospital Supplies 5)
Agricultural Supplies and Equipment 6)Travel 7)
Food 8) Telecom 9) Transportation & Fleet 10)
HR Benefits 11) Utilities 12) Professional
Services 13) Print Marketing.
Savings
High
Short
4
SP-02
Strengthen the
procurement
functions at each
university by aligning
staff to standard
expense categories
SW
There is considerable sharing of
category responsibility. Multiple
people may have responsibility for
the same category. Tighter
category definitions should be
established and individuals should
be given responsibility and
accountability for driving results.
Fine-tune the current organization structure of
the Procurement organizations to focus on the
management of well-defined spend categories.
Examples of these categories include IT,
Facilities Services and Maintenance Materials.
Each of these categories will also have sub-
categories that are actively managed (e.g.
hardware, software, maintenance as part of the
IT category).
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
SP-03
Build analytical and
cross-university
coordination
capability for
identifying and
driving system-wide
procurement
opportunities
SW
Limited centralized analytical or
cross-university coordination
function currently in place to: 1)
regularly analyze spend 2) drive
sourcing initiatives 3) validate
savings 4) monitor sourcing and
procurement performance metrics.
Create an analytics and cross-university
coordination function to maintain a system-wide
view of sourcing and procurement activity and
coordinate cross-university sourcing activity.
Effectiveness
Medium
Short
1
Metrics are compared to benchmarks from the center for advanced procurement studies (CAPS)
2
Actual categories may change as overall spend level and category-specific
spend levels are validated
3
Estiamtes still require validation of total and category-specific baseline spend levels
4
Applies to initial wave of sourcing implementation
17 17
# Opportunity Name
University
/ System
Impact - Savings /
Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
SP-04
Change targeted
procurement policies
that may restrict the
realization of savings
opportunities
SW
Based on interviews, there appear
to be procurement policies (or
culture) that may be limiting the
extent to which savings realization
can occur (e.g. end users are not
required to use agreements
negotiated by Procurement).
Evaluate targeted sourcing and procurement
policies that could limit the realization of savings
opportunities. Example policy areas that should
be evaluated include:
1) Purchase-Card Usage
2) Purchase Order Usage
3) Direct Payments (i.e. check requests)
4) End-user usage of negotiated contracts
5) Usage of internal printing operations
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
SP-05
Establish common
purchase order
processing platform
SW
Each university uses a different e-
procurement system
1
. Different
systems makes analyzing system-
wide data more complex because
the data structures (data fields)
from each system are different and
must be standardized in order to
aggregate.
Standardize the Purchase order system to
facilitate better cross-university data capture for
system-wide sourcing and procurement
opportunities.
Effectiveness
Medium
Long
SP-06
Establish common
Travel &
Entertainment
Processing System
SW
Currently no common system, or
common card program across the
universities. Different systems
make analyzing system-wide data
more complex because the data
structures (data fields) from each
system are different and must be
standardized in order to aggregate.
Standardize the Travel & Entertainment system
to facilitate better cross-university data capture
for system-wide sourcing and procurement
opportunities.
Effectiveness
Medium
Long
1
Each systems by itself (for each university) works reasonably well. The process of aggregating data across universities is more complex when each system has its own unique data
structure and taxonomy (e.g. one PO system/university has four codes for IT expenses 1640, 1685, 1680, 6540, 6740), while another PO system/university has the following codes
for the same expense35400, 35410, 35500, 71400, 81600). When this happens, the fields across the different systems must be reconciled and mapped to make data comparable.
One system would alleviate this complexity and make data analysis more effective
Facilities and Auxiliaries
19 19
Several areas of strength and challenge were identified as a result of interviews, site visits and data
analysis.
Key Strengths
Utilities systems Utilities operations at each
university optimize mix of coal and natural gas on a
real-time basis to maximize cost efficiency, and
build in multiple layers of redundancy to protect
against outages
Regular meetings heads of Facilities and
Construction at each university meet regularly with
their counterparts to exchange ideas
Student focus Residence and Dining work to
ensure students are safe, comfortable and stay in
school until they graduate
Self-sustaining Athletics departments Athletics
organizations are running large, balanced budgets
at SUI and ISU
Alternative delivery for capital projects the
universities are exploring innovative delivery
strategies for new capital projects and public-private
partnerships for new buildings
Public Safety services Campus Security
provides night ride escort service
Affordable parking fees Parking keeps fines and
towing charges low to avoid overburdening students
Key Challenges
Energy costs energy prices have quintupled in
the last 10 years, compounding the need for energy
conservation
Benchmarking data it is difficult to benchmark
performance versus peers in spite of participation in
multiple benchmarking studies
Decentralization multiple Facilities departments
exist at each campus (e.g., Residence and Unions)
Rates charged Faculty, staff and auxiliary
leadership report dissatisfaction with the rates
Facilities charges for work performed
Collaboration with customers Facilities at each
university does not regularly meet with customers to
assess condition of facilities, nor does it adequately
advise customers on how to budget for future
maintenance requirements
Master planning if each of the three universities
had a current academic master plan, Construction
and Facilities Management could create better
master plans of their own
Technology usage current use of mobile
technology by Facilities employees is minimal
20 20
FAC - 01
FAC - 02
FAC - 03
FAC - 04
FAC - 05
FAC - 06
FAC - 07
FAC - 08
FAC - 09
FAC - 10 V
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Low High
L
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H
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ID Opportunity Name
Anticipated
Impact
FAC-01
Utilize alternative contracting and delivery
strategies for capital projects
High
FAC-02
Explore alternative operating models for
facilities management
High
FAC-03
Reduce utilities and operational costs by
limiting use of buildings during evenings and
summer
High
FAC-04
Reduce energy consumption by investing in
energy management initiatives
High
FAC-05
Close residence halls temporarily to perform
maintenance and reduce energy consumption
Medium
FAC-06
Pursue Job Order Contracting (JOC) for
capital projects under $100K
Medium
FAC-07 Construct new residential facility Medium
FAC-08
Consider restructuring departments in select
opportunity areas to increase spans of control
to efficient levels
Medium
FAC-09
Consider merging campus public safety with
municipal police departments
Medium
FAC-10
Link master plan for construction and facilities
management to broader university master
plan to maximize effectiveness
Medium
Revenue Opportunity
21 21
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact -Savings /
Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FAC -
01
Utilize
alternative
contracting and
delivery
strategies for
capital projects
SW
Universities currently use design-bid-build delivery
method which requires two, time-consuming bid
phases. SUI is piloting the use of design-build
delivery for two projects, which speeds up project
delivery through a single contract between owner
and design-build team. None of the universities
have used Construction Management at Risk
delivery, but are interested in pursuing it since it
offers additional potential benefits for larger
contracts.
Consider alternative contracting and
delivery strategies for new capital projects,
including Construction Management at
Risk, Design-Build, etc. The tighter
integration of the project teams resulting
from these new strategies may achieve
lower unit costs, faster construction and
delivery speed, and fewer cost and
schedule changes. UNI could use the
construction of the Schindler Building of
Education to pilot the use of Design-Build
or Construction Management at Risk
delivery.
Savings
High
Long
FAC -
02
Explore
alternative
operating
models for
facilities
management
SW
Facilities' performance does not meet peer
benchmarks and costs are higher. For example,
ISU ranks 8th among its 9 peers in campus
inspection index and both ISU and SUI have
above average daily service budget among 13
peers. Faculty, staff and auxiliary leadership
reported during Phase 1 interviews dissatisfaction
with service quality and high rates charged for
work performed. The overall budget for facilities
management is approximately $90.7M.
Explore alternative operating models for
Facilities Management in order to improve
efficiency and effectiveness. Consider
redesigning processes, organization, and
technology to reduce costs and improve
quality. A new model could enable staff to
focus on core mission, provide greater
transparency and clarity of annual
budgets, and deliver more consistent
levels of service for students, faculty, and
staff.
Savings
High
Medium
FAC -
03
Reduce utilities
and operational
costs by limiting
use of buildings
during evenings
and summer
UNI
Evening classes and summer programs are
spread out in multiple facilities across UNI
campus. This results in almost all academic
buildings remaining operational in situations when
the buildings are not fully occupied. Reductions in
facility usage and utilities appear to be possible,
particularly in the summer, when classroom
utilization is lower.
Reduce utilities and operations costs by
closing or limiting use of buildings at UNI
during summer breaks and evenings. The
temporary closure can enable UNI to save
on cost of utilities, custodial and
maintenance services, as well as provide
opportunities for renovation or repairs, as
required. This may also be a potential
opportunity for SUI and ISU.
Savings
High
Short
22 22
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings /
Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FAC -
04
Reduce energy
consumption by
investing in
energy
management
initiatives
ISU + UNI
Campus stakeholders expressed a desire to
reduce energy consumption by increasing efforts
to manage campus energy demand. ISU does
not allocate any funds for energy management
initiatives other than small operational budgets.
This lack of funds may negatively impact ISUs
ability to undertake energy efficiency projects with
shorter than four-year payback periods. SUI,
however, has set aside significant funding energy
for management projects through multiple
sources, including a rebate system. SUI has also
established an Advisory Council and Strategic
Plan that ISU and UNI may be able to leverage.
Increase efforts to manage consumption
by investing in energy management
initiatives with short, under four-year
payback periods. Develop and evaluate
business cases for energy savings that
have these payback periods, such as:
energy efficient light bulbs, motion sensor
switches, building controls and building
automation. To fund these initiatives,
consider as one of the sources a rebate
system that reinvests a percentage of
savings each year from energy initiatives
back into the energy management fund.
Savings
High
Short
FAC -
05
Close residence
halls temporarily
to perform
maintenance
and reduce
energy
consumption
UNI
UNI residence halls can house 5,200 people, but
current occupancy is only 4,355 (84% occupancy
rate). Therefore, vacant residence hall spaces on
campus could be closed temporarily in order to
perform needed maintenance or renovation and
save on energy costs.
UNI has the flexibility to temporarily close
16% of beds without impacting current
needs and they can renovate the space if
a demand increase is anticipated. UNI
could save on utility and other facility
operations costs by temporarily closing
halls.
Savings
Medium
Short
FAC -
06
Pursue Job
Order
Contracting
(JOC) for capital
projects under
$100K
SW
Significant time and money is spent going through
informal bidding processes for smaller capital
projects under $100K. This would not require
legislative change, since the Board of Regents
only requires that projects over $100K be bid and
awarded to lowest bidder. None of the universities
presently utilize JOC.
Use Job Order Contracting (JOC) for
smaller capital projects to lock in lower
unit rates and avoid repetitive contractor
selection/bidding process. Competitively
bid one or multiple contracts for small
projects with set terms. Can achieve 8-
15% savings on total spend on small
capital projects.
Savings
Medium
Medium
FAC -
07
Construct new
residential
facility
SUI
Since on-campus residence halls operate at full
capacity, the university supplements these halls
with approximately 300-350 beds in temporary
housing. Residence brings in $38-40M in
revenue, but once expenses and bond payments
are factored in, the department is profit neutral.
Review operations of current residential
infrastructure and student growth
projections to study whether an additional
residence hall needs to be built. It could
be constructed by the Residence
Department or under the partnership with
Balfour Beatty.
Revenue
Medium
Long
23 23
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FAC -
08
Consider
restructuring
departments in
select
opportunity
areas to
increase spans
of control to
efficient levels
SUI + UNI
At SUI, data analysis demonstrates that the
Memorial Union, Residence Life, and University
Housing Admin all have spans of control less than
4. At UNI, Dome Operations has a span of
control of 2.17. The span of control offers a ratio
for the number of staff who report to a single
manager. Specific analysis of the FTE count and
spans of control are in the notes column.
Consider restructuring select Facilities and
Auxiliaries departments to increase spans
of control to efficient levels. By doing so,
managers and employees will better serve
campus needs and increase departmental
effectiveness.
Savings
Medium
Long
FAC -
09
Consider
merging campus
public safety
with municipal
police
departments
SW
Campus Public Safety departments at each
university receive a combined $12.7M of general
fund support. Campus Police services may be
provided at a reduced cost through economies of
scale, elimination of redundant processes, and
operational changes by merging with local,
municipal police forces. Public safety is of great
importance to each university and therefore this
opportunity requires an especially thoughtful and
detailed review.
Evaluate campus public safety
departments to determine whether
merging with municipal police departments
would allow the Universities to achieve
savings and efficiencies while delivering
comparable levels of public safety
services. The study should examine:
services provided, staffing levels,
management, shift staffing, current mutual
support agreements, scope of control, and
other efficiencies.
Efficiency
Medium
Medium
FAC -
10
Link master plan
for construction
and facilities
management to
broader
university
master plan to
maximize
effectiveness
SW
All three universities may not have a meaningful
university master plan, which prevents
Construction and Facilities Management from
creating comprehensive master plans of their
own. This limits Construction's ability to approach
capital projects with a long-term and university-
wide view and limits Facilities Management's
ability to prioritize which buildings to repair and
renovate.
Create a university-wide master plan that
Construction and Facilities Management
can build its own master plan upon, in
order to maximize effectiveness and
efficiency in facilities operations and
construction services. Each institution
should then be better able to analyze
capital project needs from a portfolio-wide
perspective, and apply longer-term horizon
to assess and prioritize capital projects.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
24 24
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FAC
11
Explore creating
Centers of
Excellence for
facilities, utilities
and construction
functions
SW
Heads of some departments at each university
meet periodically, but stand to benefit from
increased collaboration and sharing of best
practices across campuses. For example, SUI
has an advanced Construction Services function
that ISU and UNI may be able to learn from.
Similarly, ISU's Custodial function structures its
teams by geography and by building, a model that
the other campuses could leverage.
Employing a Center of Excellence (CoE)
concept for each Facilities functional area
may promote sharing of best practices and
increase efficiency and effectiveness
across the university system. The
university that has the most expertise or is
most efficient and/or effective in a certain
function could lead a functional CoE (e.g.
SUI could lead Construction CoE, ISU
could lead Custodial and
benchmarking/analytics CoEs).
Savings
Medium
Short
FAC
12
Streamline
facilities
management
organization
structure
UNI
UNI's complex organizational chart and reporting
structure for Facilities Management may be
causing inefficiencies. There are some Senior
Managers that are retiring soon, which may offer
an appropriate opportunity for a reorganization.
Streamline the Facilities Management
organization structure to create greater
focus and increase efficiency and
effectiveness (includes Energy
Management, Utilities/Power Plant,
Design, Construction, and Facilities
Operations). Transition to an enhanced
organization structure by replacing retiring
employees with new positions filled by
employees with desired skillsets.
Savings
Medium
Medium
FAC
13
Improve
business case
development
process for high
value equipment
replacement
SUI
The business case process for replacing
equipment lacks transparency. For example, at
SUI, a bulk order of "sustainable" hand dryers
was purchased, but they require significantly more
maintenance than expected. Therefore, a
majority of dryers have not been installed.
According to an interview with maintenance staff,
this may have been avoided if supervisors had
included staff in the business case process for
such large purchases.
Ensure business cases are created and
facilities staff ("closest to the ground") is
consulted before replacing high-value
equipment and items used across multiple
buildings. Increase transparency for these
decisions so that multiple stakeholders
may contribute to the business case review
and validation.
Savings
Low
Short
25 25
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FAC -
14
Use mobile
technology to
increase
efficiency of
facilities
management
operations
SW
Facilities employees return to the office in order to
receive new work orders and close out completed
work orders. Current use of mobile technology for
Facilities employees is minimal.
Provide facilities staff with handheld,
wireless technology for receiving and
closing out work orders in real-time. This
can enable staff from having to come back
to office to receive new work orders.
Effectiveness
Low
Short
FAC
15
Enhance
customer
satisfaction and
service
management
processes
SW
Faculty and staff have voiced concerns with the
quality of Facilities services and Facilities charge-
back rates and processes. They allege that
facilities at each university do not regularly meet
with customers to assess condition of facilities,
nor do they advise customers to budget for
required maintenance. UNI has no formal
processes to gauge customer satisfaction of
service management. ISU currently has no formal
performance management process for
construction Project Managers. UNI Facilities
charge-back currently hits budget every 30 days,
while ISU chargeback hits budget real-time.
Enhance and standardize the
performance management process for
Facilities to increase effectiveness.
Incorporate feedback from stakeholder
surveys and interviews into performance
management metrics. Increasing focus on
customer satisfaction would maximize
services that customers desire (e.g., more
frequent trash removal) and reduce
services they do not desire. Additionally,
Facilities' meeting with its customers at
the beginning of each month to discuss
charge-backs for Facilities services may
help gauge customer satisfaction and
allow Facilities to advise customers on
how to budget for upcoming Facilities
expenses.
Effectiveness
Low
Medium
FAC -
16
Develop
consistent and
cost-effective
emergency
maintenance
on-call process
UNI
The current call-in process for after hours building
emergencies has been reported as inefficient for
student and campus needs. After hours
maintenance required between 4pm and 7am
necessitates calls being placed ad-hoc to find first
available facilities employee with the required
skill. The ones who deliver the service have to be
paid overtime. Other universities use an on-call
process for employees after work hours.
Consider instituting a process for on-call
maintenance personnel to be available for
building emergencies after hours.
Savings
Low
Short
26 26
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FAC
17
Streamline the
approval
process for
capital projects
SW
The process for requesting and obtaining
approval for capital projects from the Board of
Regents is cumbersome. For example, architect
selections must be approved by the Board of
Regents Office before the design phase can
begin, though often times it can take the university
several weeks to schedule the appropriate
meeting with the Board. This results in significant
delays to construction projects. Additionally,
approval thresholds are low, resulting in lengthy
approval processes.
Streamline the process for requesting
capital projects from the Board of Regents.
For example, approval for architect
selections may be delegated to the
University President rather than Board of
Regents level to expedite project design.
Another improvement could be to increase
approval thresholds to allow for faster
project delivery. Exactly how much to
increase approval thresholds should be
studied, including thresholds for
contractors, equipment replacement, and
change orders. Explore whether certain
items requiring approval can be replaced
with improved information exchange (e.g.
information provided to Board at a regular
cadence).
Effectiveness
Low
Medium
FAC
18
ISU should
explore
removing LEED
Gold
certification
requirement
ISU
The LEED Gold certification requirement for all
new buildings at ISU may result in unnecessary
spend on areas that gain points towards the
LEED rating, but that don't necessarily result in
commensurate sustainability or cost savings.
Dealing with LEED systems and processes on a
daily basis post-construction may cause burden
for facilities managers that may not be balanced
by the benefits. SUI and UNI adhere to the Board
of Regents lesser certification requirement for
LEED Silver and do not report feeling burdened
by the requirement.
Explore whether changing ISU's LEED
Gold certification requirement for new
buildings to LEED Silver would relieve the
university of undue burden and inefficient
spend and allow for investments in areas
that drive sustainability more effectively.
Money may be better spent on energy
management initiatives that more
effectively reduce energy consumption,
such as enhanced/upgraded building
automation for older, less energy efficient
buildings.
Savings
Low
Short
27 27
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FAC
19
Optimize
leading
practices in food
service
operations
SW
In analysis of the 2013 NACUFS Student
Satisfaction Survey from each school, distinct
differences in student perception and satisfaction
are apparent. Students rank dining attributes in
the areas of food, menu, service, cleanliness,
dining environment, and environmental
stewardship. 11 attributes were selected for
analysis, at least one from each survey area, and
chosen based on importance as identified by the
students. These attributes were compared across
peers from a) other schools in the NACUFS
Midwest region and b) other schools with self-
operated, university-owned dining services.
-UNI outperforms the median benchmark for both
peer groups in all 11 of the most important
attributes.
-At ISU, their dining halls scored above peers for
7 of the top 11 attributes, but only 1 of the 11
attributes ranked above peers for retail units.
That indicates that a majority of attributes fall
below peer median benchmarks for retail units.
-At SUI, only 1 attribute ranks above peer median
benchmark for dining halls while only 3 attributes
rank above the benchmark for retail units. The
majority of attributes at SUI rank below the peer
benchmarks.
Common challenges across SUI and ISU are
menu choice and healthy menu options, which
consistently fell below all peer benchmarks. The
Regent institutions' common strength is location,
which performed above median benchmark in all
dimensions.
Conduct a deep-dive analysis as a
Regent system to have each food service
operation meet and exchange leading
practices in accordance with its areas of
strength identified by benchmark data. On
the basis of the NACUFS data, an
opportunity exists for ISU and SUI to
conduct an internal review of operations in
areas where they rank below peer median
benchmarks. They may look to UNI to
better understand best practices utilized
by this campus. Because the institutions
share the same master food provider
contract (Martin Brothers), there may be
quick wins at SUI and ISU in the student
satisfaction category of food.
Savings
Medium
Medium
Strategic Space Utilization &
Scheduling
29 29
Several key findings and themes emerged throughout Phase 1 from interviews and analysis relating
to Strategic Space Utilization & Scheduling.
Key Strengths
Commitment to continuous improvement
Scheduling staff and stakeholders on all three
university campuses are engaged and sincere in
their desire to more effectively utilize resources
Desire to improve resource utilization Some
progress has made in benchmarking resource
utilization and planning for improved efficiencies
Key Challenges
Varying reports and metrics used across
system Data quality and inconsistency greatly
limit boards ability to collect accurate,
homogenized information regarding allocation of
faculty and academic space
Multiple technology systems in place Three
different ERP systems, three different Degree Audit
systems, and two different scheduling systems are
used at the universities
Current utilization rates are low Low-to-
moderate levels of faculty and space utilization are
common across all three universities
Greater financial oversight needed Little
progress has been made, to date, in the area of
fiscal accountability within the academic units on
the three university campuses
Strategic Space Utilization & Scheduling
30 30
ID Opportunity Name
Anticipated
Impact
SSU-01
Move control of academic space to the
University level
High
SSU-02
Systematize the process to vet academic
space capital funding requests to reduce
unneeded expenditures and improve equity
High
SSU-03
Improve utilization of classroom space
through scheduling policy
High
SSU-04
Optimize faculty allocation through a data-
informed, student-centered course schedule
High
SSU-05
Maximize capacity of faculty in academic
course schedules through objective analysis
of student course needs
High
SSU-06
Improve graduation and retention rates by
creating more student-centric schedules
High
SSU-07
Track efficiencies and progress for each
university, each major academic term
High
Revenue Opportunity
SSU-01
SSU-02
SSU-03
SSU-04
SSU-05
SSU-06
SSU-07
V
a
l
u
e
Low High
L
o
w
H
i
g
h
31 31
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
SSU -
01
Move control of
academic
space to the
University level
SW
Academic space allocation and management are
often done at the academic unit level. This leads to
poor space utilization, superficial capacity
bottlenecks and disparate maintenance
approaches/systems. SUI has the most overt
ownership in the form of classroom ownership.
Eliminate classroom ownership by academic
units to remove silos of utilization and
improve the effective capacity of each
campus.
Efficiency
High
Short
SSU -
02
Systematize
the process to
vet academic
space capital
funding
requests to
reduce
unneeded
expenditures
and improve
equity
SW
No defined system for using data to justify capital
requests exists currently. Academic units make
requests uniquely for each request, typically based
on perceived need/anticipated growth.
Assess the objective capacity of existing
facilities on each campus through a
homogenized database. Utilize these
findings to establish standards needed for a
successful capital requests (which should
come from the university, not an academic
unit).
Efficiency
High
Medium
SSU -
03
Improve
utilization of
classroom
space through
scheduling
policy
SW
Defined, enforced scheduling policies are needed
to reduce avoidable wasted capacity and to
improve utilization of space.
Assess, each academic term, meeting
pattern assignment and compression of
activities into primetime. Create a policy that
limits off-grid meeting pattern usage during
peak scheduling times (primetime) and
compression into primetime for each
academic unit.
Efficiency
High
Short
SSU -
04
Optimize
faculty
allocation
through a data-
informed,
student-
centered
course
schedule
SW
No defined system exists currently. Faculty
allocation is not currently assessed and aggregated
to an academic unit level. No policy exists for
minimum student credit hour standards for
academic units.
Assess faculty allocation each year,
factoring in actual teaching loads,
contractual loads and average enrollments
taught to define student credit hour
allocation v. model. Set floor policy levels by
academic unit and release time ceilings.
Efficiency
High
Medium
32 32
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
SSU -
05
Maximize
capacity of
faculty in
academic
course
schedules
through
objective
analysis of
student course
needs
SW
Academic units have limited decision-support
information to assist in schedule refinement each
academic term. The Provost offices don't have an
objective framework to assess the efficiency with
which faculty are allocated.
Assess, each academic term, opportunities
to remove unneeded offerings (Reduction
Candidates) from schedules. Define a policy
to hold each academic unit accountable for
minimum efficiencies. Cut expenditures on
part-time instruction.
Efficiency
High
Medium
SSU -
06
Improve
graduation and
retention rates
by creating
more student-
centric
schedules
SW
Academic units have limited decision-support
information to assist in schedule refinement each
academic term. The Provost offices don't have an
objective framework to assess the alignment of
faculty to student course needs.
Assess, each academic term, opportunities
to add key offerings (Addition Candidates) to
schedules or change the times to improve
access to required courses. Define a policy
to hold each academic unit accountable for
effectiveness.
Effectiveness
High
Medium
SSU -
07
Track
efficiencies and
progress for
each university,
each major
academic term
SW
Disparate systems, poor data integrity and limited
system-level utilization data and metrics exist. This
limitation will greatly impact the system's ability to
set goals and objectively track progress and ROI
into the future.
Establish a cloud-based infrastructure to
import, homogenize and analyze efficiencies
each Fall and Spring academic term for all
three universities. Compare findings to each
university's initial findings, the other two
universities, and national averages.
Effectiveness
High
Medium
Academic Programs
34 34
to Academic Programs.
Key Challenges
Student completion rates approximately 50% or
fewer of the students complete their undergraduate
degrees in four years
Community college transfers community
college transfer students frequently require extra
time to complete their four-year degrees
Non-traditional student access limited access
for non-traditional students (age 30 and older) to
earn degrees or certificates
Rigorous curriculum review cumbersome
processes for curriculum review and determining
programmatic areas for growth, stabilization, or
discontinuance
Enrollment management varying levels of
sophistication in applying enrollment management
principles, involving faculty mix, faculty load, and
programmatic and classroom configurations
Educational master plan lack of an education
master plan that sets parameters for each of the
universities regarding programmatic areas for
investment, target enrollment levels, etc.
Collaboration across universities lack of
incentives to collaborate across the system
Key Strengths
Student engagement students engaged in
pursuing their education with high satisfaction
survey results
Student outcomes the universities producing
meaningful student outcomes in terms of job
placements and post-graduation pursuits
An active faculty dedicated and talented faculty
and staff
Community outreach community outreach and
engagement for the benefit of Iowa
Mission focus clear focus on the mission of
each institution with deep appreciation for their
historic origins
Commitment to research active research
endeavors that impact our global society and
Iowas local economy
New programs receptivity to design and launch
of new programs to meet emerging new student
interests
Collaboration within universities strong desire
to effectively use resources with meaningful
collaboration within universities
Academic Programs
35 35
The strategy map highlights the key tenets of an impactful academic program for all Regent institutions.
Academic Programs
Excellent and Affordable Higher Education as an Iowa Asset to the World
Student
Success
Instructional,
Research,
Community
Outreach
Excellence
Organization
Excellence
Fiscal
Integrity
High-Quality, High-Value
University Education
Optimized time to earn degrees
Value of education on Iowan
economy
State need-based aid
Reduced student debt
Outstanding Student Outcomes
Employability and post-secondary
education pursuits
Continued support of classroom
learning and learning communities to
improve retention and student success
Student Access
Outreach to high schools
Integration of community college transfer
students
Integration of veterans
Recruitment of out-of-state and international
students
Distance Education expansion for non-
traditional students
Focused and Impactful
Research*
Research that supports mission
Applied research on improving Iowas
economic viability
Impactful research for furthering global
knowledge
Research integrated into
undergraduate learning
Focused and Impactful Community
Outreach/ Engagement
Community service supportive of university
priorities
Focus on improving Iowa
Real world experiences integrated into
undergraduate learning
Impactful Curriculum and
Instruction
Continuous curriculum and
program improvement
Sharing of proven pedagogical
approaches
Excellent faculty
A diverse faculty and student
body
Strong Enrollment Management
Targeted enrollment levels
Admissions and student mix
Persistence and completion rates
Instructional class sizes
Faculty and resource allocations
Collaboration
Programs Linked to Student
Needs and Post-graduation
Opportunities
Defined and marketed differences
among universities to different
segments (value propositions)
Empirically Based Decision-making
Standardized reporting of data
Institutional research for monitoring and
analyzing education-related issues
Evidence-based analysis
Fiscally-Sustainable Education-
Delivery Model
Sufficient revenues to support excellent
education
Affordable and competitive tuition costs
Management of the costs of education
Fiscally-Sustainable Research
Programs
Research funding
Commercialization of research
Among top 10 opportunities
* Research opportunities are explored in its own area of review. It is core to facultys role, along with instruction and community outreach, so is cited here.
Context for Opportunities Strategy Map
36 36
Academic Programs
Revenue Opportunity
APIRC-3
APIRC-2
APSS-2
APSS-4
APFI-1
APOE-1
APSS-1
APOE-2
APOE-6
APFI-2
V
a
l
u
e
Low High
L
o
w
H
i
g
h
Table Legend: Student Success (APSS); Instructional, Research, and Community
Outreach (APIRC); Organizational Effectiveness (APOE); Fiscal Integrity (APFI)
ID Opportunity Name
Anticipated
Impact
APSS-1
Collaborate to increase revenue through online
and hybrid Distance Education degree and
certificate programs, thereby expanding the
universities reach beyond the traditional
student markets
High
APSS-2
Ensure a smoother transition of transfer
students into the four-year university
experience
High
APSS-4
Continue to emphasize the importance of
diversity, inclusiveness, and cultural sensitivity
and awareness
Low
APIRC-2
Establish incentives for collaboration and
sharing across academic programs and across
the public universities, while maintaining
competitive edges
High
APIRC-3
Continuously improve classroom instruction by
building on and sharing successful lessons
learned
High
APOE-1
Develop strong enrollment management
system-wide (e.g., optimal organization, faculty
staffing, and class size)
High
APOE-2
Develop a common definition of what
constitutes a "program" and implement a
comprehensive program review process at
each university
Medium
APOE-6
Develop system-wide Institutional Research
reporting and data sharing
High
APFI-1
Explore alternative tuition pricing models for the
three public universities for out-of-state and
international students
High
APFI-2
Increase the percent of students who graduate
within four-or five- years, which in turn will
reduce student debt
High
37 37
Nearly 70 individual or small group interviews with Provosts and Associate Provosts, Deans and
Associate/Assistant Deans, and others
Focus groups and group meetings with more than 300 faculty senate, council, and caucus
representatives; faculty union; department chairs/DEOs/heads; and student senate leadership
Extensive document and data review
University
of
Northern
Iowa
Iowa State
University
University
of Iowa
Student
Success
Instructional,
Research, Community
Outreach Excellence
Organization
Excellence
Fiscal
Integrity
(APSS) (APIRC) (APOE) (APFI)
Refinement of ideas into 60 Opportunities in Academic Programs (AP)
that cluster into four major groupings
Academic Programs
Context for Opportunities
38 38
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
APSS-1
Collaborate to
increase revenue
through online
and hybrid
Distance
Education degree
and certificate
programs,
thereby
expanding the
universities reach
beyond the
traditional student
markets
SW
The majority of the undergraduate students are
traditional students (age 18 to 25). The universities
are offering more programs online but have not
extended their outreach significantly outside of
Iowa, targeted employers, or the mid-west. There
are many and varied efforts by the three
universities to deliver Distance Education, but there
is not a standard approach across the system to
assess the quality of distance and online learning
and to understand what student profiles perform
best with online courses.
The three Iowa public universities could
more effectively serve the non-traditional
and place-bound student market - within and
beyond Iowa - through Distance Education,
and assess and track the effectiveness of
online/ Distance Education courses.
Revenue
High
Medium
APSS-2
Ensure a
smoother
transition of these
students into the
four-year
university
experience
SW
Although the Board of Regents and the universities
have established articulation agreements with each
community college, the knowledge, implementation,
and use of web-based tools associated with those
agreements are not consistent or used to the
maximum benefit.
Faculty members find that not all community
college students are prepared for the four-year
university experience.
The three public universities could develop
strategies and plans to smooth the transition
of community college students to four-year
baccalaureate programs.
Revenue
High
Medium
Opportunity Catalogue Student Success
Academic Programs
39 39
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
APSS-3
Develop
strategies to
attract students
from a variety of
sources, including
in-state, out-of-
state, and
international
students
SW
Approximately 90% of the students at UNI are from
in-state. Both SUI and ISU have increased their
mix of out-of-state and international students to
make up for the flat in-state high school graduation
rates.
All three public universities are interested in
attracting more international students, as a means
to assist in becoming more global and
strengthening them financially. Local and
international employers want globally-educated
graduates.
The three public universities could develop
strategies to broaden their in-state reach;
continue to increase the percent of qualified
high school graduating students in other
states; and coordinate and improve
recruitment of international students.
Simultaneously, the universities could
ensure that the out-of-state and
international tuition more than covers their
costs of teaching those students and
continue to ensure that no in-state student
who is eligible to attend a public university
is denied admission.
Revenue
High
Medium
APSS-4
Continue to
emphasize the
importance of
diversity,
inclusiveness,
and cultural
sensitivity and
awareness
SW
As verified in the focus groups during the Phase 1
TIER project, each public university is interested in
how to manage and encourage diversity diversity
in ethnicity, ideas, gender identity, etc. at the
student, faculty, and administrative levels.
The three Iowa public universities could
explore best practices and evaluate
opportunities to increase student diversity
and ensure all feel included.
Effectiveness
Low
Long
Opportunity Catalogue Student Success
Academic Programs
40 40
Opportunity Catalogue Instructional Excellence
Academic Programs
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
APIRC-1
Align the various
program reviews
so they can be
conducted in a
more holistic
manner with more
meaningful
outcomes
SW
Academic programs undergo multiple types of
reviews and public accountability:
The universities do program reviews on
scheduled bases, but such reviews are not
consistent across the system or sometimes only
focus on a specific program versus the whole
context of the program.
BOR-required reviews are not always
coordinated with accreditation reviews (e.g.
AACSB) or with Advisory Council program
discussions.
The State legislature requires tracking and
reporting on Student Learning Outcomes
(SLOs), starting with the large classes as part of
a Continuous Improvement Program (CIP).
Faculty do not understand the linkages across
these review initiatives.
The public universities could establish
meaningful program and curriculum
evaluations with criteria for continuance/
discontinuance and reallocation of
resources potentially as a precursor for
system-wide rationalization of course or
program offerings.
Effectiveness
Medium
Long
41 41
Opportunity Catalogue Instructional Excellence
Academic Programs
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
APIRC-2
Establish
incentives for
collaboration and
sharing of
academic
programs across
the public
universities while
maintaining
competitive
edges
SW
The system is more frequently described as a
confederation rather than a collaborative system
with shared goals. Although there are examples of
collaboration between universities, they generally
compete with each other both in athletics and
academics which results in unnecessary added
costs and inefficiencies in some areas.
Furthermore, the universities have disincentives to
collaborate because of the desire to keep student
credit hours at their home universities.
The Board of Regents could assume a
leadership role that emphasizes
collaboration where it makes sense to the
betterment of Iowa and competition where it
is healthy to create higher levels of quality
and innovation among the public
universities.
Effectiveness
High
Short
APIRC-3
Continuously
strive to improve
classroom
instruction by
building on and
sharing
successful
lessons learned
SW
The public universities and their colleges are
exploring new pedagogical approaches, such as
Active learning in the Transact Interact Learn
Engage (TILE) classrooms and hybrid classes at
SUI, flip classes at ISU, the Quality Matters!
initiative through its Distance Education programs
at UNI.
That said, the universities do not routinely share
lessons learned, and it is hard to compare SLOs
across teaching modalities.
The public universities could meet at least
once a year to share innovations and efforts
so that each university can benefit from the
lessons learned and demonstrated
successes. Similar discussions should
occur within each university across colleges.
Effectiveness
High
Medium
APIRC-4
Establish a
consortium
across the three
public universities
where
international
study and work
opportunities are
shared to ease
students access
to such
opportunities
SW
Each of the three public universities provide work
and study abroad opportunities to their students.
Each university can demonstrate how such
experiential learning opportunities are life
transforming for their students.
The Board of Regents could encourage
greater collaboration among the universities
to develop a consortium of study abroad
opportunities for SUI, ISU, and UNI
students. Each college should identify ways
to integrate these experiences with their
overall programmatic goals.
Efficiency
Medium
Medium
42 42
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
APOE-1
Develop a strong
enrollment
management
system-wide
SW
The universities and colleges are at different levels
of sophistication in enrollment management.
SUI CLAS accounts for 53% of the student
contact hours for undergraduates. Current
average class sizes are 16 students. The
break-even point is estimated to be an average
class size of 23 students.
The UNI colleges have not calculated their
break-even points and, thus, have not set target
average class sizes.
ISU has identified such targets through
Resource Management Model (RMM).
All three public universities could become
more sophisticated regarding enrollment
management to ensure cost-effective
delivery of student learning outcomes
through better programmatic configurations,
faculty mix, and mix of class sizes so that
students can expeditiously complete their
programs.
Effectiveness
High
Medium
APOE-2
Develop a
common
definition of what
constitutes a
"program"
SW
The university system does not have a formal
definition of what constitutes a program. The
universities have working definitions for their
programs: some are linked to majors, others to
minors. The UNI Faculty union raised program
definition as an issue when the university
terminated some programs, majors, minors, and
courses.
The Board of Regents could have the
universities formally define a program as a
common nomenclature across the three
universities for consistency and ease of
communication with students and the public.
Effectiveness
Medium
Short
APOE-3
Explore options to
achieve optimal
organizational
and staffing
SW
There is inconsistency in spans of control, with
some deans having more than 35 direct-reports and
others with10 or fewer.
Adding to the spans of control is a mix of
departments, centers, and support functions.
Faculty Chairs (DEOs/heads) workload also varies
within colleges and across universities.
The academic community, particularly the
colleges involved in the liberal arts and
sciences, could engage in a thoughtful
discussion about their role as a general
education foundation and addressing
optimal staffing and organizational
configuration.
Effectiveness
High
Medium
APOE-4
Provide sufficient
lead time to
accommodate the
ISU growth
ISU
ISU has successfully increased its enrollments to
34,000 for Fall 2014 but faculty feel it has become
too lean to accommodate this growth.
ISU has benefited from its rapid enrollment
increases in many ways, but has not had an
opportunity to stabilize and provide the
infrastructure needed.
BOR and ISU could assess what is the
optimal size for the university and the timing
needed for stabilization.
Effectiveness
High
Medium
Opportunity Catalogue Organizational Excellence
Academic Programs
43 43
Opportunity Catalogue Organization Excellence
Academic Programs
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
APOE-5
Formalize faculty
performance
management
procedures for
improved
consistency and
ease in
administration
SW
Each university and often times each college within
a university approach faculty performance reviews
differently.
Despite a commitment to such reviews, there is a
lack of consistency regarding the content,
approach, and rating scales used during these
performance reviews.
The Provosts could work with their faculty to
formalize and standardize faculty
performance management, and share and
benefit from best practices and lessons
learned.
UNI could look at the post-tenured review
models at SUI and ISU and explore the
development of such a review.
Efficiency
Medium
Medium
APOE-6
Establish a formal
institutional
research (IR)
office at SUI, and
establish system-
wide IR reporting
and data sharing
at BOR
SUI
The universities have varying levels of institutional
research IR capabilities. ISU and UNI have
dedicated IR offices. In contrast, SUI does not
have an IR office so its IR capabilities are
fragmented. In general, efforts to produce
traditional IR types of data at each university and
across the systems are burdensome.
Without uniform capabilities and reporting across
the three public universities, the ability to track
system and university-specific trends is challenging
at the BOR level.
SUI could establish a formal IR office and
openly share information, building on efforts
at UNI and ISU and meeting national
standards. All three universities should
move into using big data to address
university issues on effectiveness and
efficiency as part of continually striving to be
better.
In addition, the BOR should continue to
work with the three public universities
regarding the kinds of standard reports that
should be routinely generated for trend
analysis, system-wide comparisons, public
accountability, and BOR reporting.
Effectiveness
High
Short
APOE-7
Align BOR,
university, and
college strategic
plans
SW
The Provosts have strategic plans for the academic
areas that support their respective overall university
strategic plans. Many of the colleges have specific
strategic plans that align with the Provosts strategic
plans but not all do.
The universities lack longer term educational
master plans, which should be the foundation for
any facilities master plans, IT master plans, etc.
The Provosts should ensure educational
master plans are in affect and align with the
strategic plans. Similarly, other master
plans facilities, IT, staffing, etc. should
then be supportive of the educational
master plans.
Effectiveness
Medium
Long
44 44
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
APFI-1
Explore
alternative tuition
pricing models for
the three public
universities
SW
The State and BOR are interested in containing
tuition costs, particularly for in-state students. The
programs should ensure that the tuitions are
affordable, competitive, and sufficient for covering
students who are not in state (e.g., out-of-state and
international students).
In some areas, the colleges did not know if their
tuition rates were competitive, under-valued, or
below the market rates, such as for international
students.
The system could explore different tuition
pricing models used among its peers; some
possible options are:
A three-tier tuition schedule with
incremental differences for out-of-state
domestic students and international
students
More differentiated tuitions based on
colleges costs and programmatic
demands
Additional charges for credits beyond 15
or 16 per semester
Variable tuition among the three
universities
Revenue
High
Medium
APFI-2
Increase the
percent of
students who
graduate within
four-or five-years,
which in turn will
reduce student
debt
SW
The greatest factors contributing to student debt are
cost and number of years enrolled.
At the three public universities, about 50% or less
of the students complete their baccalaureate
degrees in 4 years. Some programs formally take 5
years; and others are de facto 5 years (e.g.,
engineering with work cooperatives or education for
additional teaching endorsements). The majority
are 4-year programs, however.
The three Provosts should continue to
establish targets and plans for increased
percentages of students completing their
baccalaureate degrees on time.
The BOR should monitor these university
goals and plans.
Revenue
High
Long
Opportunity Catalogue Fiscal Integrity
Academic Programs
Information Technology
46 46
Several key findings and themes emerged throughout Phase 1 from interviews and data analysis
relating to the Information Technology landscape.
Key Challenges
Limited visibility of total IT spend while a good
understanding of central ITS spend is available, the
total amount of decentralized IT operating and IT
capital expenditure is not easily visible
Need to determine right balance between
central and distributed IT services some
infrastructure services provided in a distributed
manner, which could potentially be pooled
Single points of failure Some skill areas are at
risk if there are immediate departures
Continued focus on IT security while ITS
security teams are well-defined and functional,
systematic testing of IT controls could be a future
opportunity
Enhance enterprise architecture discipline
missing a detailed catalog of applications and IT
projects across all three universities. There is also
a need to consider the longer-term ERP strategy
Need for more advanced business intelligence,
analytics and technology innovation user
groups are requesting advanced reporting,
analytics and big data capabilities
Key Strengths
Robust technology infrastructure landscape -
the three primary data centers are enterprise-class
facilities and appear to have sufficient capacity for
medium-term needs. Additionally, the optical
network (BOREAS) provides high-speed
connectivity between SUI and ISU at a lower cost
due to collaboration between institutions
Well-defined IT organization structures distinct
infrastructure, applications and educational
technology teams with clearly defined focus areas
Significant custom applications development
and maintenance capabilities SUI and ISU each
have internally developed Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) systems (like MAUI, Kuali etc.) and
have strong IT capabilities to develop and support
these platforms
Positive relationships with distributed IT groups
our interviews revealed a foundation of trust and
collaboration between the distributed teams and
central IT teams
Positive flexible sourcing experiences as
examples, e-mail and VoIP services are being
handled by third-party providers
47 47
* Takes into account potential one-time cost avoidance
Revenue Opportunity
IT-01
IT-02
IT-03
IT-04
IT-05
IT-06
IT-07
IT-08
IT-09
IT-10
V
a
l
u
e
Low High
L
o
w
H
i
g
h
ID Opportunity Name
Anticipated
Impact
IT-01
Streamline the distributed IT service delivery
model for greater efficiency and accountability
High
IT-02
Transform the central ITS service delivery
model into a more flexible, collaborative model
High
IT-03
Simplify the applications portfolio across the
three universities including the ERP platforms
High*
IT-04
Utilize technology innovations to reduce the
total cost of ownership (TCO) for Infrastructure
Medium
IT-05 Develop a shared data center strategy Medium*
IT-06
Strengthen IT security and IT controls
capabilities
High
IT-07
Improve the visibility of IT financials and project
portfolios
Medium
IT-08
Create a business intelligence (BI) and analytics
Center of Excellence (COE)
Medium
IT-09 Strengthen IT strategic planning discipline Medium
IT-10
Standardize key IT processes across all
universities like software development
processes
Medium
48 48
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
IT-01
Streamline the
distributed IT
service delivery
model for greater
efficiency and
accountability
SW
Over 45 distributed IT teams (colleges,
departments etc.) provide secondary commodity
infrastructure services like desktop management,
server administration, help desk support, database
administration and classroom IT support in addition
to other localized services like applications and web
content maintenance.
Strengthen collaboration between
distributed and central ITS teams
Savings
High
Medium
IT-02
Transform the
central ITS
service delivery
model into a more
flexible,
collaborative
model
SW
Most of the ITS organizations are largely insourced
organizations, with a number of similar functions
being performed by the ITS groups across all the
three universities (e.g. security policy creation, data
center support, network/telecom functions). Further,
some demand management opportunities were
seen, in application development and maintenance
and Infrastructure functions, along with some
overlaps of functions. Finally, some challenges
exist with single points of failure for some
specialized skillsets.
Explore cross-skilling and the use of
variable staffing models while
streamlining overlaps in functions within
the ITS teams
Savings
High
Medium
IT-03
Simplify the
applications
portfolio across
the three
universities,
including the ERP
platforms
SW
Duplicative applications seen supporting similar
business needs and capabilities within universities -
like time and attendance, learning management
systems, door access systems, web content
management, facilities management systems, help
desk systems, etc. Such duplication can also be
seen across the three universities especially around
the ERP systems (e.g. HR, Finance, Student).
Consider standardizing on primary
application systems across key functional
capabilities, and link to standard
contracting
Savings
High
Long
49 49
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
IT-04
Utilize technology
innovations to
reduce the total
cost of ownership
(TCO) for
Infrastructure
SW
Over 30,000+ conventional desktops are used
across the three universities by students, faculty
and staff. Some thin client machines (VDIs) have
been successfully used for student testing,
computer labs and other functions at one university
and savings have been achieved. ISU has
deployed VoIP (Voice over IP) with some success
and has achieved annual savings while SUI and
UNI are on standard PBX / telecom for voice.
Consider deployment of VDI and VoIP to
enhance quality of service and increase
spend effectiveness
Savings
Medium
Medium
IT-05
Develop a shared
data center
strategy
SW
There are six data centers across the three
universities, each with a primary and backup
facility, and over 60 server rooms/closets. While the
primary data centers across the three campuses
have sufficient capacity for growth and good
redundancy, the backup data centers are faced with
key concerns such as lack of sufficient redundancy
or capacity.
Develop a shared data center landscape
to support all three universities
Savings
Medium
Medium
IT-06
Strengthen IT
security and IT
controls
capabilities
SW
There has been a greater spotlight on IT security
due to a number of recent IT security incidents and
there is a greater level of concern about the
capability effectiveness of the current security
teams. Also, no clear evidence was found of a
systematic definition and regular testing of IT
controls.
Enhance the IT security capability at
each university and coordinate IT
security and controls activities across
universities
Effectiveness
High
Short
IT-07
Improve visibility
of IT financials
and project
portfolios
SW
While central IT spend is clear, there is less
visibility on distributed IT spend, especially for
capital expenditures. There is also an opportunity
to further clarify and refine the distributed IT
operating expenses. Additionally, there are differing
levels of visibility into the portfolio of IT projects at
the different universities.
Develop a total picture of IT spend
across the universities and standardize
on a project portfolio tool
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
50 50
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
IT-08
Create a BI /
Analytics Center
of Excellence
(COE)
SW
Increasing needs for advanced reporting, Business
Intelligence (BI) and analytics capabilities and tools
were seen across the universities. Also, there are a
number of reporting databases (like MS Access and
other legacy databases) utilized for reporting which
makes for an inflexible reporting foundation.
Explore development of a BI / analytics
COE model that could serve the three
universities
Effectiveness
Medium
Long
IT-09
Strengthen IT
strategic planning
discipline
SW
Each university has developed IT strategic plans
and visions for IT with varying methods, levels of
detail and planning maturity. Further, detailed
roadmaps for some of the key IT projects were
found to be lacking.
Significantly strengthen the discipline of
strategic IT planning at each of the
universities
Effectiveness
Medium
Short
IT-10
Standardize key
IT processes
across all
universities
SW
IT processes within each central IT group are not
uniform and in some instances new processes must
be adopted (e.g. Enterprise Architecture catalogs).
Different incident management tools are used
within the central IT groups and distributed IT.
Different Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
processes are followed as well.
Follow a set of standardized processes
for the main IT capabilities so that there
is uniformity in IT operations across the
universities
Effectiveness
Medium
Long
IT-11
Integrate DR / BC
planning within
universities
SW
While Disaster Recovery (DR) plans exist across
central ITS assets, few other assets are covered by
these DR or Business Continuity (BC) plans. The
issue is more acute across the assets supported by
the distributed IT teams.
Integrate central ITS and distributed IT
DR plans
Effectiveness
Medium
Short
51 51
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact -Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
IT-12
Strengthen
Enterprise
Architecture (EA)
discipline
SW
There is little visibility across the entire application
portfolios (or interfaces and data sources) within the
universities and especially across the three
universities. Therefore, procurement decisions may
be being made without the required knowledge of
the application portfolio, which might help avoid
duplication and systems proliferation.
Perform an inventory of applications (data
sources and interfaces),and use regularly
within the universities
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
IT-13
Develop
integrated storage
management
practices
SW
A heterogeneous landscape for data storage exists
at the universities with some standalone Storage
Area Networks (SANs). Some distributed groups
are reluctant to use central storage because of
outages in the past. In some instances, distributed
IT can purchase storage and manage more cheaply
than using the central service.
Leverage a more centralized SAN
environment for managed storage
providing different tiering of cost options
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
IT-14
Develop a cross-
CIO coordination
council
SW
Currently there is no formal collaboration
mechanism between the different university CIOs
although this does happen informally once a year.
Thus, there is little knowledge of IT strategic plans
across the universities or tracking of progress made
against the plans.
Create a CIO council across the
universities to formalize CIO coordination
at the system level
Effectiveness
High
Short
IT-15
Create a
Technology
Innovation COE
SW
There is at least one dedicated innovation group
among the central IT groups at the universities.
Distributed IT has more latitude to spend their own
funds on new technology. Distributed IT feels that
central IT is slow to move on adopting newer
technologies due in part to strict procurement
policies.
Formalize support for innovation across
the universities with a dedicated group
responsible for finding and testing new
technologies
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
Finance
53 53
Although each University demonstrated unique strengths and challenges in finance, key themes
began to emerge across the three regent institutions.
Finance
Key Strengths
Dedicated staff strong commitment to
supporting the mission of teaching and research
through efficient and customer-focused
administrative services
Continuous improvement Keen interest in
continuous process improvement and technology
innovation
Collaborative culture High levels of
collaboration between finance functions at each
institution, as well as cross-institution knowledge
sharing in key areas (e.g., risk management)
Key Challenges
Decentralized organizational structure many
finance processes are dependent on input and
coordination from decentralized administrative staff
who may not be trained in all the relevant
processes, procedures, and technology (e.g., travel
and expense, procurement)
Balance of compliance vs. flexibility increased
focus on compliance has led to increased
processing times and auditing effort
Investment in technology many processes are
still manual, requiring paper processing and
duplicative data entry. Investment needed in certain
areas to encourage automation and minimize
paper processing (e.g., Electronic Data
Interchange, Electronic Journal Entry Access)
Lack of transparency in strategic financial
decision making budget funding model and
process is not always transparent to faculty and
staff, leading to confusion on how funds should be
managed at the department level (e.g., end of year
spend down on funds)
54 54
Finance
ID Opportunity Name
Anticipated
Impact
FN-01
Streamline Processing of Finance
Transactions
High
FN-02 Increase AP Operations Efficiency High
FN-03
Revise Budgeting Model to Allow for Greater
Transparency and More Robust Strategic Cost
Management
Medium
FN-04
Move to Selected Post-Audit for AP and
Expense Transactions
Medium
FN-05 Coordinate Enterprise Risk Management Medium
FN-06
Reduce Property Insurance Premiums by
Increasing Deductibles
Medium
FN-07 Implement Budgeting Tool Medium
FN-08 Reduce Reliance on Manual Checks Low
FN-09
Leverage Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
Processing to Reduce Data Entry
Low
FN-10 Streamline Budgeting Support Low
Revenue Opportunity
FN-01
FN-02
FN-03
FN-04
FN-05
FN-06
FN-07
FN-08
FN-09
FN-10
V
a
l
u
e
High
Low
L
o
w
H
i
g
h
55 55
Finance
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FN-01
Streamline
processing of
finance
transactions
SW
Departmental level staff at each institution often
play multiple roles, splitting time between
disparate processes and functions. The wide
range of responsibilities makes it difficult to train
staff on new processes, procedures, and
technology. Ultimately, decentralized structure can
lead to multiple people being involved in initiating
and approving transactions, resulting in rework
and audits to ensure transactions are completed
correctly.
Streamline and standardize how finance
transactional activities are delivered (e.g.,
creation of travel and expense reports).
Evaluate the potential to revise the service
delivery model for decentralized finance
processes and consolidate transactions to
improve service quality, reduce handoffs,
and improve accountability. Trained staff
members will provide specialized and
standardized expertise, quality assurance,
and operate under mutually agreed upon
service agreements.
Savings
High
Long
FN-02
Increase
Accounts Payable
operations
efficiency
SW
The Accounts Payable (AP) functions at each
institution are staffed differently, with varying
levels of support and automation. SUI has the
largest AP operations and the largest volume of
invoices. When normalized for invoice volume,
SUI and UNI Full Time Equivalents (FTEs)
process invoices that are in line with benchmark
peers (but not leading practice). ISU lags in
comparison, with staff processing approximately
10,000 invoices per FTE a year. From a cost
perspective, UNI appears to be the most efficient,
with invoices costing an average of $5.25. Cost
per invoices at SUI and ISU are $7.05 and $7.70
respectively.
Evaluate ways to improve and streamline
AP operations across the system. Given
current benchmarks, certain portions of AP
operations may be consolidated for more
cost effective service delivery (e.g. invoice
intake, data entry). Investments in
technology will be necessary to improve
efficiency (e.g., Vendor Self-service,
Electronic Data Interchange, Automated
Clearing House / Electronic Funds
Transfer Capability).
Savings
High
Long
FN-03
Revise budgeting
model to allow for
greater
transparency and
more robust
Strategic Cost
Management
SUI + UNI
The current budgeting processes at SUI and UNI
could be more transparent. Departmental staff
report that they don't understand how strategic
funding decisions are made at the leadership
level. Departments spend the majority of their time
managing salary line items in the General
Education Fund. Budget officers report little
visibility into how tuition, state appropriations, and
indirect cost recovery is allocated to each unit.
There is also confusion over budget policies and
procedures (e.g. carry-forwards).
Incorporate some of the principles of
strategic cost management to allow
leadership to make more informed financial
decisions. Include principles like:
-Encourage carry-forward ability
-College-level ownership of certain
revenue streams
-Establish a Strategic Initiative Fund to
encourage cross-collaboration (e.g., cross-
college programs, building initiatives)
-Develop All-funds visibility to better
understand performance
Effectiveness
Medium
Long
Indicates selected
business case for Phase 2
56 56
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FN-04
Move to selected
post-audit for
Accounts Payable
and expense
transactions
SUI + UNI
SUI and UNI are currently operating in 100% audit
environments for expense transactions. SUI moved
to 100% audit of travel and expense transactions
after a fraud incident in 2011. AP had to hire 4
additional FTEs to review 100% of transactions.
Currently 10 FTEs auditing transactions in AP. At
UNI, Business Operations reported that they also
conduct a 100% review of travel and expense
reports. UNI reports they have 3 FTE's in Business
Operations who work on the audit and review
process, as well as secretaries who vet reports in
their respective departments. Increased auditing
requirements has led to redundant transaction
reviews across campus, leading to inefficiencies
and duplication of effort.
Move to selected post-audit based on a
standardized threshold or category (e.g.
international travel). This can reduce the
number of Audit staff required and
provide a greater level of efficiency n
business operations at each institution.
Savings
Medium
Short
FN-05
Coordinate
Enterprise Risk
Management
needs
SW
Risk Management is managed separately at each
Regent institution, with varying levels in
sophistication. Significant portion of Risk
Management operations is dedicated to insurance
procurement and claims processing, with limited
focus on Enterprise Risk Management. Staff at
each institution also expressed confusion over what
the appropriate risk tolerance and strategy is, as
well as who is responsible for compliance in the
different functions.
Streamline and coordinate risk
management activities across the three
institutions. The Board of Regents can
play a larger role in providing guidance
on risk tolerance and leading practices
around Enterprise Risk Management.
Enterprise Risk Management
collaboration can include: Strategic
Planning, Internal Audit, Insurance,
Legal, IT Security, Compliance & Ethics.
By strategically managing risk at a
system level, Iowa can reduce the
chance of loss, create greater financial
stability, and protect resources in order to
continue their mission of supporting
teaching, research, and public service.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
Finance
57 57
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FN-06
Reduce property
insurance
premiums by
increasing
deductibles
SW
Currently SUI and ISU have a combined insured
value of nearly $13 billion, with premiums of about
$8.4M. Of ISUs total insured value of nearly $4
billion, $1.1 billion of that value carries deductibles
of $100k or less. SUIs total insured value is $8.9
billion.
Property insurance is an important issue to the
University of Iowa. In June 2008, a flood caused
$717 million in damages, of which SUI expects to
recover $483 million from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) and only $65 million
from insurance. As a result, the University of Iowa
works diligently to obtain as much flood coverage
as possible in both the commercial insurance
market and the National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP) operated by FEMA. Flood insurance is both
scarce and expensive, and there is generally not
enough coverage available to address a large
catastrophe.
There is an opportunity to reduce
insurance costs across the system.
Institutions should explore the opportunity
to reduce premium costs by assuming
higher deductibles e.g., minimum
deductible of $500K, with larger locations
assuming deductibles of $1M or $2M.
This changes the insurance company
relationship from a transactional dollar
trading relationship to a more strategic
one, in which insurers respond only in
serious, and rare, circumstances.
Institutions may consider establishing an
internal property insurance fund, to cope
with losses that exceed some internal
thresholds (e.g., $25K or $100K
depending on size of facility), but do not
trigger commercial insurance. Lastly, all
three institutions may investigate
participating in a captive insurance
company operated by groups of
universities. Several of the large
insurance brokerage firms have
organized and managed these captives.
Savings
Medium
Medium
FN-07
Implement
budgeting tool
SW
Currently there is no comprehensive budgeting tool
in use at any of the institutions that can aggregate
budget data and provide all-funds capability.
Units/Colleges have developed their own tools to
help aggregate data, leading to multiple shadow
systems.
Develop requirements for a
comprehensive budgeting tool with all-
funds capability to minimize use of
shadow spreadsheets and allow for
greater financial tracking and
performance management.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
Finance
58 58
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FN-08
Reduce reliance
on manual check
processing
SW
Reliance on manual check processing in AP is
widespread across the three Regent Institutions.
-SUI: 45% of payments are paid by check (253,065
check payments in FY 13 out of a total of 562,365)
-UNI: 65% of payments are paid by check (37,958
check payments out of 66,122 payments in FY 13)
-ISU: Virtually all payments are paid via check (over
89,000 payments in FY13). AP has decided not to
pursue electronic payments since it would be
manual for Treasury to enter routing information.
Currently there is no way to capture bank routing
information on the vendor file. This leads to manual
check processing which is not efficient.
Leverage electronic payment
mechanisms to improve efficiencies and
reduce costs. SUI, UNI, and ISU should
require new suppliers to accept
electronic payments and work with
existing suppliers to transition to
electronic payments. Moving to
Automated Clearing House / Electronic
Funds Transfer (ACH/EFT) could save of
at least $0.45 per transaction over paper
processes. At ISU, invest in e-Payables
to allow for efficient use of ACH/EFT
payments.
Savings
Low
Medium
FN-09
Leverage
Electronic Data
Interchange (EDI)
processing to
reduce data entry
SW
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), the process in
which preferred vendors transmit invoice
information electronically to reduce cost associated
with the handling and processing of paper invoices,
is not widely used. SUI has recently implemented
EDI, but only 16% of invoices at SUI are received
via EDI, leading to a large volumes of paper invoice
still being filed and managed. Currently 4 FTEs in
AP that support invoice processing and data entry.
At UNI and ISU, EDI is not in use, leading to
duplicative data entry when processing invoices.
Leverage Electronic Data Interchange
(EDI) capability to reduce data entry,
error rates, and manual processes. At
ISU and UNI, implement EDI technology
to reduce the amount of data entry
required.
Savings
Low
Short
FN-10
Streamline
budgeting support
SUI
Finance functions exist in central administrative
units and at the college/department level. Each
school/major unit has at least one Budget/Financial
Officer and various support staff. Support and skill
level varies based on the college/unit. Some units,
such as College of Medicine, College of Liberal Arts
& Sciences, and Information Technology, have
multiple finance and budgeting support staff.
Evaluate the potential to revise the
service delivery model for budget
planning to minimize involvement of staff
that are not trained financially. The new
model could provide standardized,
consistent levels of service for budgetary
and financial processes.
Savings
Low
Medium
Finance
59 59
Finance
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FN-11
Optimize finance
organizational
structure
SW
Each institution has multiple finance organizations
that report up to the VP for Finance and
Administration, who also oversees various
Administrative functions (e.g., HR, Facilities). There
is no dedicated Chief Financial Officer overseeing
finance related functions.
-At SUI there are four traditional Finance
Organizations: Controller, Business Services,
Financial Management/Budget, and Treasury.
-At UNI there are three finance units: Controller,
Business Operations, and Budget.
-At ISU there are three traditional Finance
Organizations: Business Services, Budget &
Analysis, and Treasury.
While these structures seem to work based on
strong personal relationships between units, it can
create siloed operational structures and limit cross-
collaboration. Sometimes roles and responsibilities
don't align with the department. For example, at
UNI, some traditional controller functions roll up to
other areas (e.g., Payroll, budgeting).
Review finance related organizational
structures to determine if a revised model
could increase spans of control, reduce
siloed operations, and clarify roles and
responsibilities.
Savings
Medium
Medium
FN-12
Eliminate paper
copies of Journal
Entries
UNI
Currently Journal Entries are submitted in Excel via
email, but paper copies are mailed to Accounting
for record keeping. This was due to internal audit
recommendations. Controller also manually signs
off on all Journal Entries (signs paper copies prior
to storing)
Allow users to submit electronic backup
documentation with Excel Journal Entries
to reduce the amount of paper mailed
across campus. Consider automating
Journal Entry process by allowing end
users to have Web ADI upload access.
Could also consider leveraging budget
adjustment tool for Journal Entries.
Develop thresholds for entries that need
to be reviewed - correction and
interdepartmental charges should not
require review by the Controller. Entries
that do need review should be done so
electronically and not signed off on paper.
Savings
Low
Short
60 60
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FN-13
Reduce number
of direct payments
in AP
UNI
Currently, 50% of spend is directed through
"Request For Payments" (e.g. direct payments),
where departments requisition goods on their own,
then submit the invoice for payment to AP
retroactively. This not only minimizes spend
visibility, but creates a lot of manual paper work and
auditing. Only 24% of UNI invoices are associated
with Purchase Orders, as opposed to 76% at SUI.
Request for Payments are submitted on paper, and
100% of requests are audited/reviewed by AP Staff.
Channel more spend through official
purchasing channels.
Savings
Low
Medium
FN-14
Adopt electronic
submission of
Request for
Payments
UNI
Request for Payments are currently sent on paper.
This results in duplicate data entry and paper being
mailed across campus.
Move to electronic submission of
Request for Payments (RFP). Short-term
solution is to submit RFP via e-mail with
electronic supporting documentation.
Eventually should invest in electronic
routing that would allow users to input
Request for Payments directly into
Oracle.
Savings
Low
Short
FN-15
Increase volume
of online/
electronic
payments for
student
receivables/
payables and
non-student
receivables
UNI
Approximately 57% of student payments are made
through e-checks. 27% of payments are still made
via check, and 7% of payments are made with
cash. This results in data entry and a large
cashiering staff to manage paper checks and cash.
A significant amount of refunds to students are also
via check. Non-student A/R can only be paid by
check. Invoices specify that check should go
directly to Cashier's office, but approximately 5% of
checks are sent directly to departments. This
requires additional accounting entries to account for
when departments deposit their checks to their own
departmental accounts.
Develop outreach program to encourage
students to submit online payments.
Implement e-Check capability for non-
student A/R. Also consider upfront credit
card payment requirements for small
dollar invoices.
Savings
Low
Medium
Finance
61 61
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
FN-16
Revise receipt
policy for travel &
expense
UNI
UNI currently requires paper receipts for all travel
and expense transactions above $25, which is
below the federal guidance of $75. This results in
additional administrative burden to compile and
process expense reimbursements.
Implement threshold of purchases over
$75 requiring receipt (federal guidance).
Effectiveness Low Short
FN-17
Develop a
centralized tax
function
ISU
There is no central Tax Accounting function at ISU.
The Controller's Office, Payroll, and General
Counsel all try to manage tax issues as they arise.
This raises questions from an audit and cost
management perspective around appropriate
counsel and advisory needs.
Collaborate with SUI or UNI to build a
centralized tax function in order to help
departments with business tax needs by
responding to tax questions, conducting
tax research, and advising regarding tax
planning options and consequences.
Effectiveness
Low
Medium
FN-18
Implement No-
PO, No Pay
policy for vendors
ISU
Currently many vendors submit invoices to AP
without the PO number attached, creating
additional work for Accounts Payable (AP) staff.
Allow AP to educate vendors on correct
invoicing processes. Send back invoices
that do not properly document the
associated Purchase Order (PO)
number.
Effectiveness
Low
Short
Finance
Human Resources
63 63
to Human Resources.
Key Strengths
Strong sense of collaboration HR units and
dedicated staff continually work together to identify
business process improvement through automation
Automation of many HR services Through
workflow and self-service, staff time has shifted to
strengthening service quality which has resulted in
many leading services across each of the
universities, such as wellness programs,
compensation & classification systems and
processes, automated time & attendance, and
welcome programs
High utilization of resources Given IT and
budget limitations, HR staff take on multiple roles to
increase capacity for supporting students, faculty
and staff
Key Challenges
Inefficient service delivery model Current HR
model leads to certain inefficiencies, such as high
numbers of handoffs and reviews, and lacks more
strategic, consultative HR services
Lack of clear policies and procedures Unclear
HR policies place an excessive burden on staff,
and lead to inconsistent processes within and
across the universities
IT resource constraints HR-dedicated IT
resources are constrained in number and skill-level
for automating paper-based processes, and for
customizing old systems to better fit modern data
needs
Human Resources
64 64
Revenue Opportunity
Human Resources
ID Opportunity Name
Anticipated
Impact
HR-01
Streamline the distributed HR model for
transactional services
High
HR-02
Revise existing HR Unit Rep responsibilities to
be more strategic and consultative
Medium
HR-03 Increase payroll operations efficiency Low
HR-04
Evaluate potential changes to program designs
for retirement and health & welfare benefit plans
High
HR-05
Define policy to encourage use of social
platforms for initial interview rounds for
professional and scientific and faculty applicants
Medium
HR-06
Automate and streamline transactional HR
processes, where possible (e.g. HR change of
status process, personnel action forms)
Low
HR-07
Evaluate the use of payroll cards in place of
paper checks
Low
HR-08
Increase employee and student immigration
services efficiency
Low
HR-09
Standardize professional & scientific (P&S)
compensation & class systems and processes
Medium
HR-10
Establish clear policy around professional &
scientific search committee size and structure
Medium
HR-01
HR-02
HR-03
HR-09
HR-10
HR-05
HR-06
HR-04
HR-08
HR-07
V
a
l
u
e
Low High
L
o
w
H
i
g
h
65 65
Human Resources
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
HR-01
Streamline the
distributed HR
model for
transactional
services (e.g.,
personnel
action forms,
customer
inquiries)
SW
SUI and ISU rely on decentralized HR staff to
perform transactional HR processes while UNI
uses departmental administrative support for
the same transactions, which can make it
difficult to train staff on new processes,
procedures, and technology. Decentralized
structure can lead to a high number of handoffs,
rework and reviews to ensure transactions are
completed correctly.
Evaluate the potential to revise the HR
service delivery model and consolidate
transactions to improve service quality,
reduce handoffs and exceptions, and
improve accountability. The new model
should provide standardized, consistent
levels of service for transactional
processes such as personnel actions
and basic customer inquiries.
Savings
High
Medium
HR-02
Revise
existing HR
Unit Rep
responsibilities
to be more
strategic and
consultative
SW
SUI has 154 HR Reps, ISU has 26 HR Liaisons,
and UNI does not have any decentralized HR
reps, relying instead on department admins. HR
Reps are "generalists" and primarily support
transactional HR services. There is a strong
demand for more strategic, consultative HR
services, such as training and development and
succession planning.
Revise existing HR Rep roles to be more
strategic and consultative in nature (e.g.
assist with training and development and
succession planning) with Central HR
more responsible for transactional
services and university-wide HR policies
and plans. Outline clear roles and
responsibilities between Unit HR and
Central HR.
Savings
Medium
Medium
HR-03
Increase
payroll
operations
efficiency
SW
Payroll processes are quite similar and do not
differ much across the universities. For SUI,
there are 12 FTE performing payroll functions
whereas we find 5 FTE at both ISU and UNI,
respectively. We see that SUI and UNI are
operating at rates above ISU's benchmark of
payroll FTE to 1000 employees: .66 for SUI,
.81for UNI, and .42 for ISU.
payroll operations among all three
universities to leverage process and
system efficiencies and reduce
redundancy. Some portions of payroll
operations (e.g., year end closings,
payroll calculations) may be consolidated
for more cost effective service delivery
based on internal benchmarks.
Savings
Low
Medium
66 66
Human Resources
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
HR-04
Evaluate
potential
changes to
program
designs for
retirement and
health &
welfare benefit
plans
SW
Based on interviews and data collected, benefit
plans at the three universities are quite
generous despite being roughly on pay with
other schools in the Big 10 or Big 12. Each
university offers a different set of options for
health and dental plans for faculty and P&S
staff. Total employer spend on retirement and
health & welfare benefits is approximately
$335M, excluding AFSCME benefits, IPERS,
Social Security, and Medicare.
Review existing benefits plans to
evaluate the potential to make program
changes and/or standardize plans across
the universities. Consider plan changes
to reduce employer costs such as:
adjustments to co-pays, contributions,
eligibility criteria, etc. Programs to
include in the review would primarily
include voluntary retirement programs
(TIAA-CREF), health and dental
programs for faculty and P&S staff.
Savings
High
Short
HR-05
Define policy
to encourage
use of social
platforms for
initial interview
rounds for
professional
and scientific
and faculty
applicants
SW
Current policies do not strongly encourage the
use of more cost effective channels for
screening/interviewing applicants, such as
social tools like Skype. The three universities
use varying levels of virtual interviewing
methods. Feedback from interviews at all three
campuses indicates the current search process
can be costly and timely when needing to bring
candidates to campus.
Set clear policies for using phone and
Skype interviews to cut down travel costs
for professional and scientific and faculty
hiring. Final round interviews should be
conducted in person, and all others could
be conducted remotely when possible.
Establish clearly defined exception
criteria for circumstances where in-
person interviews may be required.
Savings
Medium
Short
HR-06
Automate and
streamline
transactional
HR processes,
where
possible (e.g.
change of
status
process,
personnel
action forms)
SW
There are several transactional HR processes
that currently require manual data entry,
processing, and reconciliations. Manual
processing can increase the risk of errors and
lengthen cycle times compared to electronic
processing or automation. There are also
processes that require many handoffs and differ
in complexity depending on the department.
Automate all existing manual
transactional processes (e.g., change of
status, background checks, payroll
reconciliation, etc.) to decrease manual
labor, increase speed, and lower the
chance of error. Standardize the
procedure for the workflow of personnel
action forms so that the process is more
consistent between departments.
Savings
Low
Medium
67 67
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
HR-07
Evaluate the
use of payroll
cards in place
of paper
checks
SW
The percentage of employees on paper check
payroll at SUI, ISU, and UNI are 1%, 3%, and
4%, respectively. Payroll cards lower the use of
paper checks, reducing disbursement costs,
and provide similar benefits of direct deposit to
the underbanked. According to the American
Payroll Association, electronic payroll payments
save employers $2.75 per payment.
Consider offering current employees still
on paper pay checks the option of payroll
cards to reduce paper-based processing
and reconciliation. Evaluate implications
of using payroll cards from regulatory,
employee, and cost perspectives.
Savings
Low
Short
HR-08
Increase
employee and
student
immigration
services
efficiency
SW
Employee and student immigration services
require very specialized knowledge. Immigration
services are provided by different groups for
students and employees, requiring both groups
to have the necessary skills and expertise to
handle these processes. This may lead to
redundancies in staffing. SUI currently provides
immigration services for UNI, which costs less
than an attorney for UNI.
employee and student immigration
services among all three universities
considering the area requires extremely
specialized knowledge of visas and I-9
documentation. Leverage process and
system efficiencies at SUI and ISU to
lower costs for the schools and ensure a
certain level of quality across all three
universities.
Savings
Low
Medium
HR-09
Standardize
professional &
scientific
(P&S)
compensation
& class
systems and
processes
SW
All three universities have different job
classification structures for professional &
scientific staff. At SUI, positions are assessed
against market data. UNI and ISU do not have
standardized market-based systems so the
processes are not consistent across campus.
They manually try to account for market
differences when positions are being re-
classified or a search process is started.
Create a standardized P&S
compensation & classification system
that ensures comp & class are regularly
reviewed so that salaries are equitable
and competitive. Leverage the existing
comp & class structure at SUI across the
universities as the process has recently
been improved.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
Human Resources
68 68
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact -Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
HR-10
Establish clear
policy around
professional &
scientific
search
committee
size and
structure
SW
Unclear policies regarding size and structure of
search committees in the hiring process for P&S
staff lead to lengthened time to fill, resulting in
greater use of search committee members time
and the universities losing out on top
candidates. All three universities require the use
of search committees for all P&S hiring.
Review policies surrounding P&S search
committees and establish clearer policies
around their appropriate size and
structure. In particular, determine
whether a search committee is
necessary for all positions to remain
compliant with federal, state, and Board
of Regents policies.
Effectiveness
Medium
Short
HR-11
Review
current
recruiting
policies
around
diversity in
faculty and
staff
SW
There is currently a gap in the perceived
importance of diversity in faculty and staff at the
university and the actual level of diversity that
exists. According to focus groups, the
universities need to build a stronger culture of
diversity by recruiting more diverse faculty and
staff and offering programs that increase
cultural awareness.
Review current recruiting strategies and
policies around diversity in faculty and
staff and explore new channels for
reaching and attracting more diverse
populations of faculty and staff. Offer
programs to increase cultural awareness
to improve retention.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
HR-12
Reevaluate
roles,
responsibilities
and desired
skillsets of
Compliance
functions
across all
three
universities
SW
The Compliance offices expressed frustration
with identifying compliance regulations and
interpreting these regulations according to
university policy in a timely manner. It appears
that some staff within Compliance offices do not
have the desired legal expertise required for
connecting the university community/HR with
the Board of Regents, General Counsel, and
State regulations. The role of Compliance varies
across all three universities, creating confusion
to staff of decision-making authorities.
Examine roles and responsibilities for
each of the officers that are key to overall
people management, in addition to
articulating the charge of the Compliance
offices. If current skillsets are not aligned
with roles and responsibilities, training
may be required.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
Human Resources
69 69
Human Resources
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
HR-13
Encourage
increased
collaboration
and
coordination
between HR
and the Office
of the Provost
for faculty HR
related
matters
SW
HR has little visibility into faculty related HR
matters within recruitment and employment.
This increases the risk of compliance issues as
the Provost Office may lack understanding of
regulatory requirements, and limits the ability for
HR to provide guidance, support, and
information to facilitate better decision-making.
Increase collaboration and coordination
between HR and the Office of the
Provost so that HR plays a larger
advisory and supporting role in the
recruitment and employment of faculty to
ensure regulation compliance.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
HR-14
Establish a
performance
appraisal
policy and
training and
development
governance
structure for
professional &
scientific staff
ISU + UNI
ISU and UNI do not have formal performance
management policies or performance
management software, resulting in manual
performance appraisal processes. Similarly, ISU
and UNI do not have many resources dedicated
to the training and development of their
employees or developed learning management
systems (LMS).
Establish a formal policy and process
around performance management to
encourage professional development for
P&S employees
Effectiveness
High
Medium
HR-15
Standardize
the university
onboarding/
orientation
process
between
departments
ISU + UNI
Onboarding is primarily a decentralized activity
managed at the department level. This leads to
inconsistent information provided to new hires
and inadequate levels of support.
Standardize the university
onboarding/orientation process between
departments to provide a baseline level
of training and set the tone for
performance management.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
Research Administration
71 71
Central research services provided by the Vice President for Research and Sponsored Accounting at
each institution are well regarded, but opportunities remain for additional streamlined support and
collaboration across functions.
Key Strengths
Customer service oriented faculty and
departmental staff report high levels of satisfaction
with central research administration support for
pre- and post-award needs
Commitment to continuous improvement
research administration leaders are committed to
continuous improvement of processes and
procedures to support campus research needs
(e.g., developing clearer processes for submitting
proposals, faculty focus groups gather feedback on
service)
Mission-driven clear focus and understanding of
the research mission and strategic needs at each
university. Research staff seek and support
granting opportunities that are aligned to the
strengths of each institution
Key Challenges
Complex environment Ongoing changes to
Federal regulations, coupled with differing pre-
award requirements of other granting agencies,
requires significant and continual training for staff
Ad hoc local support model Some
departments lack trained, dedicated research
administrators and rely solely on ad hoc support
from local secretarial staff. Untrained staff
involvement leads to revisions and rework due to
rushed submissions and non-compliance to
differing agency regulations.
Confusion over indirect cost recovery - Faculty
and staff reported confusion as to how indirect
cost recovery is distributed. Policies around
indirect cost rates are often not enforced
Desire for more economic development
support Inconsistent service levels provided in
the area of economic development and technology
transfer
72 72
ID Opportunity Name
Anticipated
Impact
RA-01 Streamline Research Administration Support High
RA-02
Enhance Economic Development / Technology
Transfer Offerings
High
RA-03
Assess F&A Policies to Establish Adequate
Recovery of Indirect Costs
High
RA-04 Require Training in Research Administration Medium
RA-05
Consider Applied Research as part of Tenure
Process
Medium
Revenue Opportunity
RA-01
RA-02
RA-03
RA-04
RA-05
V
a
l
u
e
Low High
L
o
w
H
i
g
h
73 73
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
RA-01
Streamline
research
administration
support
SW
Faculty and staff at all three institutions reported
relative satisfaction with the Sponsored Programs
and Sponsored Accounting services provided by
Finance and the Office of the Vice President of
Research, but noted that local support models vary
widely. Departments with high research volume
tend to have dedicated full-time research
administrators, while other departments rely solely
on secretarial staff for ad hoc research
administration support. The lack of trained research
administration support often shifts administrative
burden to faculty and secretarial staff. Untrained
staff involvement can also lead to grant revisions
due to rushed submissions and non-compliance to
differing agency regulations.
Streamline and improve the level of
research administration support across
campus for pre- and post-award support.
Explore ways to encourage research
administrators to collaborate in order to
provide consistent support to schools and
departments. Additionally, there is a need
to develop a mechanism in which
research administrators with specific
granting agency experience can be
identified and leveraged to support
proposals and awards across
departments in order to maximize
knowledge base and efficiency when
dealing with different agency regulations.
Research administrator roles should be
clearly defined with agreed upon service
levels to confirm faculty expectations are
being met.
Effectiveness
High
Long
RA-02
Enhance
economic
development /
technology
transfer offerings
SW
While each institution has different research foci, all
institutions expressed a desire for additional skilled
resources in the areas of technology transfer and
commercialization of research. UNI does not have a
consolidated tech transfer/economic development
office, but services are provided through seven
different offices. Economic Development reports to
the VP for Research at SUI whereas ISU has
recently elevated Economic Development to the
President's Office. As part of this process, a focus
on business development is needed to assist
faculty in identifying opportunities to transition
proposals and research into viable business
opportunities.
Enhance Technology Transfer and
Economic Development services to
encourage collaboration and provide
better visibility into entrepreneurial
opportunities, particularly in light of the
emphasis placed on development by the
state legislature. Investment may be
required to recruit qualified managers
who are experienced in venture
capitalism and business development.
Explore what role the Board should play
in facilitating economic development
across the system.
Revenue
High
Long
74 74
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
RA-03
Assess F&A
policies to
establish
adequate
recovery of
indirect costs
SW
While each institution has a federal negotiated
indirect cost recovery rate (Facilities and
Administrative - F&A), rates are not enforced
consistently. SUI and ISU's negotiated federal F&A
rate is approximately 51% whereas UNI's
negotiated federal F&A rate is 33%. F&A rate for
state agencies was reported to be 8% at all
institutions. Often, faculty want to use 8% rate on
private contracts, or no rate at all, in order to be
more competitive on grants. In calculating the
effective indirect cost recovery across the three
institutions, the effective rate is approximately 18%,
suggesting collective room for improvement.
Faculty and staff at UNI and SUI also reported
confusion over how F&A recovery is distributed
across campus.
Develop and enforce a consistent policy
around F&A recovery. Conduct a
comprehensive F&A review to determine
if overhead costs related to research are
adequately recovered. Develop
consistent and clear policies on how
F&A recovery is distributed across
campus. Institutions may evaluate ways
to incentivize an improved management
of indirect cost recovery (e.g., only
distribute F&A recovery for research
incentive funds to PIs that are using the
maximal allowable indirect cost rate).
Revenue
High
Medium
RA-04
Require training in
research
administration
SW
Currently, no training is required to administer
sponsored projects. This leads to inconsistencies in
skill level and impacts the efficiency of supporting a
Primary Investigator and other resources
throughout the lifetime of a grant. Although training
courses are offered at each campus, attendance
has been variable.
Require Sponsored Program training for
all new Principal Investigators and
Research Administrators to minimize
errors and compliance concerns. Identify
required training needs and coordinate
across institutions in building robust and
effective training programs for research
administration.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
RA-05
Consider applied
research as part
of tenure process
UNI
Currently, applied research and community
outreach does not count as much in tenure
decisions as peer-reviewed published journals. This
does not incentivize faculty to pursue applied
research, which is the research that most directly
supports UNI's mission.
Explore revising tenure guidelines to
incorporate Applied Research and
Community Outreach as formal
components of the Tenure process to
encourage faculty to participate in
funded research.
Effectiveness
Medium
Long
Student Services
76 76
to Student Services.
Key Strengths
Strong commitment to student success
widespread focus on retention, 4 year graduation
rate, etc.
Innovative student service programs
implemented programs such as Living Learning
Communities at ISU, TILE classrooms at SUI,
financial literacy/counseling programs at UNI, and
leveraging technology and personal relationships
to improve the student experience
Commitment toward collaboration
coordinated initiatives between and within
academic and non-academic departments for a
seamless university experience (e.g. cross-trained
staff to answer questions from various areas)
Large quantity of historical information
comprehensive data collection with opportunity for
better analysis
Key Challenges
IT resource constraints Student Service-
dedicated IT resources are constrained in number
and skill-level for automating paper-based
processes and consolidating student academic
sites
Lack of data analysis limited knowledge and
resources exist to analyze and apply business
intelligence to current and historical data for more
informed and proactive decision-making
Unclear international student support model
international student population has increased and
will continue to increase, meanwhile, unclear
division of roles and responsibilities exist around
international students between Admissions,
International Programs, and departments
Student Services
77 77
Student Services Prioritized Opportunities
Student Services
Revenue Opportunity
ID Opportunity Name
Anticipated
Impact
SS-01
Review financial sustainability of non-academic
programs
Medium
SS-02 Streamline student I-9 processing Low
SS-03 Automate financial aid repackaging process Low
SS-04
Automate existing student service processes
within student portal
Low
SS-05 Create common application portal Medium
SS-06
Integrate student job board within university
applicant tracking systems
Medium
SS-07 Integrate career placement system with SIS Medium
SS-08
Standardize "manual" calculation of Regent
Admission Index
Low
SS-09
Coordinate international recruitment and partner
with sister programs
Medium
SS-10
Develop best practice approach to lowering
student debt through financial literacy programs
and education
Low
SS-01
SS-02
SS-03
SS-04
SS-05
SS-06
SS-07
SS-08
SS-09
SS-10
V
a
l
u
e
Low High
L
o
w
H
i
g
h
78 78
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
SS-01
Review
financial
sustainability
of non-
academic
programs
SW
It was cited that some non-academic programs
(e.g., summer camps, leadership development
programs)
may not be financially sustainable and in line
with wider university missions. In these
instances, evaluate the costs and benefits of
such programs for future support.
Conduct a review of non-academic
programs (e.g., summer camps,
leadership development programs) to
examine financial sustainability and
alignment with university missions and
administrative policies.
Savings
Medium
Medium
SS-02
Streamline
student I-9
processing
SW
Processing of student I-9s is performed
differently at all three universities and requires
multiple handoffs between Financial Aid, Career
Services, HR, Payroll, and 3rd party vendors.
This can lead to duplicate I-9 processing and
reviews inconsistent processes can lead to slow
processing times, delays, and confusion over
accountability and ownership.
Define clear roles and responsibilities
between Central HR, Payroll and HR
Unit Reps for student I-9 processing. It
may be more appropriate to have HR
Unit Reps initiate the process and
provide the in-person verification
needed, pass off to central HR for
processing through a third party vendor,
which will then automatically transfer to
Payroll for recording purposes.
Savings
Low
Short
SS-03
Automate
financial aid
repackaging
process
SW
The financial aid re-packaging process is highly
manual within all three universities. Re-
packaging occurs when a student has already
been disbursed aid, and this student then
receives another scholarship or loan. At the
time of any financial changes to the student's
situation, the re-packaging process must occur,
and a new aid package is calculated and
disbursed.
Evaluate the potential to automate the
process for re-packaging using existing
Financial Aid modules across all three
universities.
Savings
Low
Medium
Student Services
79 79
Student Services
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
SS-04
Automate
existing
student
service
processes
within student
portal
SW
Many manual processes still exist for students
(add/drop, major change, etc.) and staff, and
not all processes are currently housed within
the student self-service portal, such as housing,
career, and extracurricular organizations. A
centralized location of all student service
functionality could reduce student inquiries on
staff and enable greater access to student
services.
Convert remaining paper and
transactional processes to more
automated workflow processes with
imaging by integrating into the student
self-service portal.
Effectiveness
Low
Medium
SS-05
Create
common
application
portal
SW
Each university uses the same Regent
Admission Index (RAI) threshold for admission,
yet each school has a different application
portal for admission, creating a redundant
process for those students who wish to apply to
multiple institutions.
Explore possible options for creating a
common Iowa application portal that
allows for increased flexibility and
collaboration for SUI, ISU and UNI in-
state, out of state, and international
applications.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
SS-06
Integrate
student job
board within
university
applicant
tracking
systems
SW
At the three universities, ownership of student
employment is scattered among career
services, financial aid, and the departments with
their own disparate systems and websites. The
multiple systems produce added overhead that
may not be necessary given existing applicant
tracking systems for P&S and merit prospective
employees. The number of student employees
at each university is: 7,600 at SUI, 4,000 at UNI,
and 5,836 at ISU.
Explore the functional capabilities to
integrate student employment/job
boards (e.g., Hireahawk) into student
self-service portals for easy access
using existing applicant tracking
systems. Standardize and streamline
the student employment process so HR
Reps, university officials, and students
are familiar with the key student
employment contacts for any inquiries.
Effectiveness
Medium
Short
80 80
Student Services
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
SS-07
Integrate
career
placement
system with
the student
information
system
SW
Career Services at SUI, ISU and UNI all capture
graduate placement outcomes in offline shadow
systems that are not linked to the student
information system. As Federal regulations
continue to include requirements around
measuring student outcomes that link to school
funding, it will be necessary to track students
from recruitment through career status in one
system.
Implement career placement data
capture functionality within student
information system for end-to-end
student lifecycle tracking and reporting.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
SS-08
Standardize
"manual"
calculation of
Regent
Admission
Index
SW
The Regent Admission Index (RAI) provides
transparency into the admissions process,
leading to increased enrollment; however, the
RAI for all three universities relies on class rank
as an input, which is more recently not available
at all high schools. Therefore, each university
has created their own proxy calculation for
those that are not eligible for the standard auto-
admit process.
Standardize the RAI manual
workaround process for all three
universities to mimic the automatic
acceptance process. Additionally,
consider using business intelligence
tools to identify parameters that lead to
successful student outcomes, and
adjust the RAI threshold of 245 given
the analysis.
Effectiveness
Low
Long
SS-09
Coordinate
international
recruitment
and partner
with sister
programs
SW
At other universities, international sister
programs have been large sources of revenue.
While SUI does not hope to increase
international student enrollment, the school
does plan on more targeted recruiting to attract
high quality students. UNI and ISU hope to
increase international student enrollment.
Designate main point of contact for
international program recruitment efforts
to establish sister programs. Clearer
roles and responsibilities may eliminate
duplication of work, and strategic
relationship building can be improved
when targeting specific international
feeder schools.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
81 81
Student Services
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
SS-10
Develop best
practice
approach to
lowering
student debt
through
financial
literacy
programs and
education
SUI + ISU
UNI has the lowest average student debt of the
three public universities (SUI: $28,131, UNI:
$23,151, ISU:$29,898). UNI offers a
personalized approach to financial literacy
through financial counseling, the federal TEACH
grant program, and financial literacy one-on-one
lessons.
Evaluate UNI's financial literacy
programs to determine best practices
and lessons learned so that the most
effective elements can be shared across
SUI and ISU to support each university's
goal of lowering student debt.
Effectiveness
Low
Medium
SS-11
Consider
implementing
extracurricular
requirement to
increase
student
engagement
ISU + UNI
SUI requires students to be involved in at least
one extracurricular activity to demonstrate
leadership abilities and build engagement which
can ultimately lead to greater retention and 4-
year graduation rates. The implementation of
the extracurricular requirement generated $8M
with the increase in retention from 82% - 86%.
UNI and ISU do not have an engagement
requirement.
Consider activities to increase
engagement by requiring first year
students to be engaged in at least one
activity similar to SUI (could include
student employment, etc.), and track
engagement through use of student ID.
Revenue
Medium
Medium
SS-12
Outsource
Perkins loans
UNI
SUI and ISU outsource their Perkins Loans but
UNI manages this process in-house although
they purchased a contract with a vendor some
years ago. Even with the outsourcing, there is
still staff time dedicated to reconciliation, cash
management and collections of loan processes.
Given the variability among vendor and
process, efficiencies and economies of scale
could be reached by exploring a common
process and vendor.
Explore possibility of outsourcing the
Perkins Loan process at UNI, similar to
ISU and SUI. Consider coordinating
contracts with the same vendor for
outsourcing all three universities' Perkins
Loans.
Savings
Low
Medium
82 82
Student Services
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
SS-13
Automate high
school transfer
credits
UNI
Process for determining high school credits is
highly manual. The data table is standardized
with courses and transfer credits, but the data
table is not integrated with the admissions
module. While there will always be some
manual work for credits that have not yet been
assessed if coming in from a new community
college, it is an industry standard to automate
high school credits according to course titles
and grades, which tend to be fairly common and
predictable.
Automate high school credit process
using the current mapping table, and
integrate with admissions module so
analysis can be completed using a
student's application. These credits
would then be automatically transferred
to the student's record for the adviser
and registrar to use once the student is
enrolled.
Savings
Low
Short
SS-14
Enhance user
access to
student-
related data
for all key
stakeholders
of student
success
ISU
Advisers do not have the ability to pull a
student's record when advising if that student is
not a formal advisee of theirs. Therefore, when
faculty are meeting with prospective majors,
they do not have the ability to advise students
on course selections because they are not able
to view a student's record.
Explore additional data needs that would
be needed against current access and
determine if access needs to be
enhanced, and/or if training relating to
the system is required to better
understand available data.
Effectiveness
Low
Short
SS-15
Automate
Federal
Financial Aid
Regulations
SUI + ISU
At ISU and SUI, the financial aid modules are
homegrown and do not have automatic feeds
for updated federal financial aid rules.
Therefore, financial aid staff are responsible for
articulating new financial aid regulations to IT
staff to be built into the rules engines. UNI's
Campus Solutions product has automatic rules
updates built into the system.
Explore potential solutions to enable
automatic data feed of financial aid rules
for SUI and ISU homegrown solutions.
With automated feeds, financial aid staff
can focus more on high value work
instead of communicating updates to IT.
Effectiveness
Low
Medium
Marketing & Communications
84 84
to Marketing and Communications.
Key Strengths
Quick response to shifts in technology
adaptive to changing technologies and audience
interests
Strong coordination with enrollment
management strategic focus toward university
marketing strategic goals
Local content ownership specialized
knowledge within departments for communicating
impact
Key Challenges
Disconnected service delivery model current
marketing service delivery models vary and local
marketing representatives report through their
departments and are not required to coordinate
with central marketing, leading at times to siloed
operations, inconsistent messaging, and work
redundancies
Lack of coordination around university image
branding guidelines are used inconsistently
across campuses leading to variation in formatting
and messaging
Unclear print strategy balance between print
and electronic marketing materials can be difficult
to assess from existing metrics
85 85
Revenue Opportunity
ID Opportunity Name
Anticipated
Impact
MA-01
Streamline distributed marketing service
delivery model
Low
MA-02 Increase electronic marketing publications Low
MA-03 Standardize and enforce branding guidelines Low
MA-04
Support competitive bidding process for printing
services
Low
MA-04
MA-01
MA-02
MA-03
V
a
l
u
e
Low High
L
o
w
H
i
g
h
86 86
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
MA-01
Streamline
distributed
marketing
service
delivery model
SW
Multiple marketing service delivery models have
been implemented across the three campuses:
decentralized with no authority (ISU and UNI)
and decentralized with some authority (SUI).
Local marketing reps report through their
departments and are not required to coordinate
with central marketing. The lack of authority and
coordination can lead to siloed operations,
inconsistent messaging, and work
redundancies.
Evaluate the potential to revise the
marketing service delivery model to
improve coordination and collaboration,
establish a unified brand, and provide
consistent messaging. The new model
could support open communication
between the various unit marketing reps
and with central marketing and
communications.
Effectiveness
Low
Long
MA-02
Increase
electronic
marketing
publications
SW
Each marketing and communications
department has shifted to more electronic
means; however, the opportunity exists to
continue expanding publications that are
communicated online as emails become more
readily available, tools are built to capture this
information, and more effective electronic media
strategies are used to encourage "customers" to
access the content that is sent to them.
Decentralized marketing departments are
independently making decisions on print
strategy.
Evaluate the inventory of all print
publications, both centrally and within
departments, to better understand the
purpose, audience, cadence, and cost of
each. Identify the publications that can
be shifted to electronic channels or
consider collaboration opportunities
across departments if similar marketing
goals arise from the analysis. Create a
set of guidelines for all future print
publications to validate necessity and
cost/benefit.
Savings
Low
Short
87 87
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
MA-03
Standardize
and enforce
branding
guidelines
SW
At ISU, central marketing owns the university
branding toolkit that all departments are
encouraged to use; however, when reviewing
business cards and websites, it appears as if
the toolkit is not consistently used as colors and
formatting across websites varies. At SUI and
UNI, similar stories were shared around
marketing materials that are created in the
departments not following existing branding
guidelines. Without clear guidelines and
enforcement of those guidelines, the
universities could continue to experience
redundant and unclear messaging across
university constituents.
Explore existing style, formatting and
branding toolkits, and identify areas for
more consistent messaging. Using this
enhanced toolkit, standardize website
layout and formatting. Consider defining
policies that enforce consistent branding
guidelines.
Effectiveness
Low
Medium
MA-04
Support
competitive
bidding
process for
printing
services
SUI
All departments and central marketing
resources are required by the Board of Regents
to use the onsite SUI printing service, which
charges prices 15-20% higher than local
competitors, according to department
representatives. External vendors typically
deliver higher quality and more timely services.
Over 1 million brochures, magazines, and
newsletters are printed by the various
administrative units and colleges annually.
Consider options to allow departments
and central marketing to bid for printing
services through procurement to reduce
printing costs and increase timeliness of
print jobs. Current policy requiring all
units to use onsite SUI printing service
would need to be reevaluated.
Savings
Low
Short
Board of Regents
89 89
Key Strengths
Lean and efficient structure Board staff
represent less that 0.01 percent of the total system
budget, one of the leanest in the nation but has
broad responsibilities around policymaking,
coordination, and oversight
Public accountability and transparency the
Board maintains close touch with its constituents
through public meetings, reporting, and open
access to Board meetings, minutes, and materials
Strong focus on improving state outcomes
deep commitment to providing high-quality
accessible education, high-quality research and
scholarship, public services, and economic
development to benefit Iowans and the world
High return on investment for every dollar of
state funding in the Regent institutions, the return
is $2.30 in external gifts, grants, contracts, and
non-resident tuition
Key Challenges
Limited capacity and resources given the
small size of the Board, there is limited capacity
and resources to meet all of the needs of the
system from a governance, coordination, and
oversight perspective
Limited partnerships and working
relationships with Universities partnerships
and working relationships between the Board and
key counterparts at each university could be
stronger for greater collaboration
Lack of transparency and visibility into
university operations the Board has a limited
view into the operations at each university due to
lack of key performance indicators and ability to
track and monitor progress
Limited technology capabilities the
universities have different enterprise systems,
making integration and standardization difficult
Not a proactive policy body while the Board
establishes policies, it does not play an active role
in providing policy interpretations, enforcing
policies, and evaluating progress and compliance
to the Iowa Board of Regents
Board of Regents
Source: http://www.regents.iowa.gov/FAQ/faq.html#Regents
90 90
High Support and Guidance Low Support and Guidance
There is a strong opportunity for the Board of Regents to play a greater role in providing support and guidance to
Iowas higher education system.
Iowa Board of Regents is currently here
Limited capacity across people, process, and
technology to support mandate and mission
Stronger operating model and capacity to provide
robust support for mandate and mission
Limited use of policy as a tool of leadership,
direction, and control
Active promulgation and reinforcement of policy to
achieve strategic objectives
Limited support for policy interpretation,
compliance, and guidance around regulatory
complexities
Strategic policy interpretation, guidance, and
evaluation of progress
Less visibility and regular reviews of existing
academic programs and administrative operations
Active role in review of administrative operations
and academic programs
Lack of a Continuous Improvement function and
outcome-based performance measurement
Continuous Improvement capability to identify and
track key performance measures and respond to
opportunities
Limited ability to support economic development
and technology transfer
Capability to support innovation, entrepreneurship,
and economic development
Note: Rating is based on Deloittes high-level assessment of the Iowa Board of Regents current capabilities using interviews, data requests, and a comparison against other
state-wide public higher education systems
Board of Regents
Building the Boards capacity in these areas may require
additional investment
Key Potential Opportunities for the Board of Regents
91 91
Board of Regents
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
BOR-01
Evaluate
potential
options to
adjust Board
of Regents
operating
model
SW
The Board of Regents currently has 20 staff
members providing support to a $4.7B
enterprise. This represents less than 0.01
percent of the overall budget. The Boards staff
provide a range of services across policy, legal,
academic, and administrative areas and liaise
with both the Universities and the state
legislature. Compared to other state systems of
higher education, Iowa has one of the leanest
organizations
Evaluate the potential to adjust the
Board of Regents operating model to
better support the Boards ability to fulfill
its mandate and mission in alignment
with the Boards strategic plan. Assess
the positions, processes, and technology
required to provide this support.
Effectiveness
High
Long
BOR-02
Build Boards
capacity to
provide further
policy support
SW
During interviews, university stakeholders
expressed an interest in receiving further
support from the Board in the realm of policy
interpretation and compliance, especially as
regulatory complexities continue to grow.
Build Board and staff capability for
strategic policy interpretation, guidance,
and evaluation of progress.
Effectiveness
Medium
Long
BOR-03
Enhance
policies for
administrative
and academic
coordination
SW
The Board currently reviews requests for new
academic programs but may not have insight
into the financial justification of new programs
including ongoing costs and assumptions about
continuous improvement. Also, the Board does
not conduct periodic reviews of existing
programs.
Build policies and capabilities for the
Board to take a more active role in
performing regular reviews of both
administrative operations and academic
programs.
Effectiveness
High
Medium
BOR-04
System-wide
continuous
improvement
SW
Currently, there is little opportunity for the Board
to assess and advise the Regent institutions
based on insight into performance indicators.
While the Board collects and disseminates data
and reports, it does not define and use
performance metrics to identify, pursue, and
monitor improvement opportunities
Create a Continuous Improvement
capability within the Board office that
identifies key performance metrics,
tracks key performance measurements,
and shares best practices across the
Regent enterprise. Provide further
support for Regent institutions to
manage performance and proactively
assess and respond to improvement
opportunities.
Effectiveness
High
Medium
92 92
Board of Regents
#
Opportunity
Name
University /
System
Impact - Savings
/ Revenue /
Effectiveness
Anticipated
Time to
Implement
BOR-05
Develop
service
delivery
capabilities
SW
Currently, the Board provides governance,
coordination and oversight but does not provide
services to the universities. Based on interviews
and analysis of system-wide capabilities, there
is an opportunity for some services to be
provided at the system-level, potentially through
a more robust Board structure
Evaluate the potential to develop Board-
level capabilities and capacity to provide
services to the universities. Examples of
potential services that can be provided
include support for technology transfer
and economic development, portfolio
and program management, and
innovation
Effectiveness
High
Long
BOR-06
Conduct
review of state
reporting
requirements
SW
The Board collects data from the universities to
produce approximately 50 legislative and other
mandated reports on a monthly, quarterly,
annual, or as needed basis. This places a
significant burden on universities to collect,
validate, and format data for these reports,
many of which are duplicative and may not have
significant value to the state
Conduct a review of state reporting
requirement to identify reports that can
be streamlined, consolidated, generated
less frequently, or eliminated.
Effectiveness
Medium
Medium
BOR-07
Strategic
planning
SW
The Board will be conducting a refresh of their
Strategic Plan in 2016 and is also responsible
for approving university strategic plans.
However, there may be room for the Board to
improve its ability to coordinate strategic
planning between the universities and support
more robust monitoring and performance
tracking
Evaluate potential ways to incorporate
universities into system-wide strategic
planning process to foster greater
collaboration. Identify areas to improve
the monitoring and tracking of progress
against Board and university-level
strategic objectives
Effectiveness
High
Long
BOR-08
Education
master
planning
SW
The Board lacks an Education Master Plan for
the system. None of the universities have
Educational Master Plans, which define
projected areas of growth and form the
framework for Facilities, IT, HR/staffing, and
other plans to support academic programs
Design a System Education Master
Plan, based on 10-year forecasts, and
have each university develop their
respective Education Master Plans (and
other plans) so they are consistent with it
Effectiveness
High
Long
Business Cases
94 94
Business Cases
Opportunities documented below have been selected* for Phase 2 analysis.
# Business Case Name
FN-01 Streamline processing of finance transactions
HR-01
Streamline the distributed HR model for transactional
services
HR-10
Establish clear policy for Professional and Scientific
staff search committee size and structure
SP-01 Strategically source targeted spend categories
IT-01
Streamline the distributed IT model for commodity
technology services
IT-02 Transform the central ITS service delivery model
IT-03
Simplify the applications portfolio across the three
universities including ERP platforms
IT-04
Utilize technology innovations to reduce the total
cost of ownership (TCO) for infrastructure
FAC-03
Reduce utilities and operational costs by limiting use
of buildings during evenings and summer
FAC-04
Reduce energy consumption by investing in energy
mgmt. initiatives
# Business Case Name
SSU-03
Improve utilization of classroom space through
scheduling policy
SSU-04
Optimize faculty allocation through a data-informed,
student-centered course schedule
APOE-01
Enrollment Management strengthen academic
programs to achieve maximum competitiveness
APSS-01
Student Access Distance Education
APOE-06
Develop system-wide Institutional Research
reporting and data sharing
SS-05 Create a common application portal
SS-08
Standardize "manual" calculation of Regent
Admission Index
Note: The content on this slide was updated to reflect the final business after the conclusion of Phase 1.
Conclusion and Next Steps
96 96
Conclusion and Next Steps
Key Strengths
Dedicated and talented faculty and staff
Clear focus on the mission of each institution
Strong desire to effectively use resources
Keen interest in continuous improvement
Key Challenges
Limited cross-university collaboration
Many silos within and across institutions
High level of role overlap and duplication
High degree of complexity across functions
Phase 1 analysis spanned 10 weeks and is the first phase of a multi-year transformation. The outputs from this phase
provide the Board and three universities with a perspective of both immediate and long-term opportunities to reduce
cost, increase revenue, or improve service.
During Phase 1, several strengths and clear challenges have been identified within and across the three universities.
Below is a summary of the themes identified relating to overall strengths and challenges:
Next Steps:
Confirm business cases and areas of focus for Phase 2
Conduct planning for Phase 2
Commence Phase 2 activities including developing business cases, future state operating models, and the
implementation roadmap

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June 16, 2014

Iowa Board of Regents

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