VPFA

The Controller’s Unit Food Insecurity Committee invites support of a food and supplies drive to benefit the OSU Food Pantry at the Human Services Resource Center (HSRC). This drive is focused on gathering food and toiletry items that OSU students need but that the pantry has a hard time keeping in stock.

If you are interested in giving, there are two ways to participate: 

1. Review the list of needed items, shop, and drop items off at the OSU Food Pantry:

2. Shop from the committee’s Amazon Wish List and ship items directly to the HSRC.

When checking out, select “OSU Human Services Resource Center” under Other Addresses for shipping.

Reach out to the Controller’s Unit Food Insecurity Committee with any questions: ControllersUnitFIC@oregonstate.edu. Please note that participating in the drive is optional and time spent purchasing and delivering should be conducted on personal time. The food drive runs Nov. 29 through Dec. 20, 2021.

Learn more about Food Insecurity on Campus at FYI Friday, Dec. 3 – Food insecurity is a significant issue on college campuses impacting students’ physical and mental health as well as academic success. Food insecurity is three times more prevalent among college students compared to the general population. By attending this presentation – put on by DFA Controller's Unit Food Insecurity Committee members Tamara Gash, Christina Saechao and Kelsey Herman - you’ll learn about the problem of food insecurity on campus, resources that are currently available and how you can help. Friday, December 3rd, 11 am – 12 pm on Zoom. Register on the FYI Friday website.

Kudos (noun): /ˈk(y)o͞oˌdäs,ˈk(y)o͞oˌdōs/  - praise and honor received for an achievement

From time to time, our campus partners are so impressed by the work of people in the DFA that they reach out to the leadership team to give a shout-out about their excellent experience. Sometimes the stories are big, sometimes they are about everyday work, but they always involve someone exceeding expectations. We’re sharing these stories of how your division colleagues are putting our DFA guiding principles into action. 

parker_publicsafetyportrait-j21-3597.jpg	Teresa Parker, Dispatch Manager for the Department of Public Safety, and the dispatch team were recognized by a colleague from University Housing and Dining Services: “In my 16 years working at OSU with UHDS, NEVER have I seen such a committed pivot from a University partner like what you did on Sunday night keeping the ID Center open until 8:00 PM to support our students that were delayed in their move-in process. That act spoke volumes and truly highlights the great collaboration and commitment that I have felt from you in your role with the ID Center and I can't tell you enough how much I and many others in UHDS are so very appreciative of it. Thank you!!!”  Teresa, the dispatch team and the ID Center staff supported the student experience during one of the busiest periods on the Corvallis campus. The ID Center recently became a part of the Department of Public Safety, so this is the first time Teresa and many other DPS team members participated in fall term Move-In Days. Great job demonstrating dedication and flexibility, everyone!
machelle_bamberger_head_shot_2.jpg ehs_hazardous_waste_team3.jpg	Machelle Bamberger, Hazardous Waste Safety Officer at Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) received high praise from a professor in Integrative Biology. His research requires licensing from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which can be a complicated process. After many years of frustration, Machelle joined the EH&S team and helped the professor streamline the compliance process. He called her “friendly, efficient and extremely knowledgeable about all that she does. She is one person on this campus that truly makes our (faculty) life easier.” But that’s not all! Recently, a sensitive and potentially risky situation arose, and the professor recognized Machelle's extremely pro-active thinking that took care of a potential issue.  The biology professor also commended Machelle’s colleagues on the EH&S hazardous waste team, Pete Lepre and Pete Schoonover, for their skillful approach and for being “super easy to work with, which encourages folks in the labs to reach out to them rather than avoid them.” This story is a great example of the importance of building partnership and trust. Pictured: Pete Lepre, Machelle Bamberger and Pete Schoonover
matt_philpott_ehs.jpg	Matt Philpott, Biological Safety Officer and the Hazardous Waste team at Environmental Health and Safety, received a shout-out from an associate professor of biomedical sciences. Matt recognized that biohazard management at the Veterinary Bacteriology and Virology laboratories in Magruder Hall wasn’t very efficient, largely due to the wide range of users and large class sizes that generated a lot of materials. Matt brought in Machelle Bamberger, Pete Lepre and Pete Schoonover to consult and the team worked with the associate professor to design a new waste disposal process that was easier for professors, students to manage. The associate professor sums it all up: “It may seem like a small change, but it significantly improved safety and compliance in the teaching laboratory and I wanted to take the opportunity to formally thank your team.” Thank you, Matt, Machelle, Pete and Pete, for this example of what active stewardship of resources and managing risk can look like. Pictured: Matt Philpott, Biological Safety Officer
brittany_edwards1.jpg	Brittany Edwards, Samantha Martin and the Student Employment Team in University Human Resources were praised by a supervisor in University Information Technology. Hiring a lot of student employees can be complicated and time-consuming. But over the past year, with a dedicated student employment team in place, the UIT supervisor has received “quick responses to my emails, issues have been regularly addressed in a timely manner, and when I have had to bring up difficult questions, the team has communicated well and done an excellent job of explaining the situation.” The UIT supervisor gave special recognition to Brittany and Samantha for going above and beyond. This story shows how important clear and transparent communication is to the success of our partners. Pictured: Brittany Edwards, Supervisor of the Student Employment team
tanya_anderson2.jpg	Tanya Andersson, Administrative Program Specialist with Transportation Services with 17 years of service to OSU, has risen to the challenge over the past year. Tanya shows up with a great attitude every day and encourages her colleagues to do their best, despite challenging circumstances. Tanya and her supervisor regularly receive comments from the community members like these: “I appreciate the information Tanya provided today” (engineering student); “Thank you so much, you have no idea how much I appreciate this! (psychology student); and “I found all your wonderful tutorials; they were very helpful!” (Office Specialist in the College of Agricultural Sciences). Tanya’s story is a great example of how DFA employees can demonstrate leadership in any professional role.

Kudos and thank you to everyone featured this quarter’s update! Your work and attitudes are impressive. We appreciate your care and contributions to the OSU community.

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We are excited to welcome Stephen Nelson as OSU’s new Chief Procurement Officer. Stephen brings broad and diverse experience, and a client service mindset into this role that will help move Procurement, Contracts and Materials Management (PCMM) forward and improve upon the already exceptional service they provide to the OSU community. Stephen also has a diversity and equity focus that will help diversify OSU’s vendors and the workforce of those vendors, contributing to the university’s DEI goals.   

Stephen brings 15 years of procurement and contracting experience in both the private and public sectors. He has worked in the semiconductor, plastics manufacturing and natural products fields, where he managed contract manufacturing operations along with procurement and material management functions. In the public sector, Stephen has worked for the cities of Hillsboro and Eugene and Lane County in various roles ranging from tactical procurement to strategic planning and goal setting. 

Stephen holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a finance concentration from the University of Oregon, and a Master’s in Business Administration from NW Christian University (Bushnell), where he was inducted into the Sigma Beta Delta International Honor Society for Business, Management and Administration. Stephen earned certifications from the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM/APICS), the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council, and the Institute for Public Procurement (NIGP) in procurement and operations management. He has served on the boards of ASCM/APICS, the NIGP Columbia Chapter, and currently sits on the board for Oregon Public Purchasing Association. 

Please join me in welcoming Stephen to the Division of Finance and Administration and the OSU community.

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Surplus Property, part of the Materials Management team at PCMM, resumed in-person public sale hours in July, generating additional revenue and welcoming back customers eager to shop in-person. Meanwhile, sales remain strong online, as does the Free Office Supplies Program, which allows OSU departments to acquire office supplies and housewares priced at $5 or less for free, saving OSU funds and natural resources. From the last quarter alone, the program redistributed supplies across the university that would have cost departments $10,000-15,000 to purchase new. Additionally, Surplus contributed school supplies to the OSU Human Services Resource Center (HSRC) to distribute to lower-income students.

Materials Management is hiring student Materials Associates, who play an important role in the overall university mission to advance sustainability by promoting the reuse, recycling and/or proper disposal of a wide variety of materials. See the job posting here.

OSU ranks 26th in the nation in Sierra Club Cool Schools - Sierra Magazine recently published their list of the most sustainable colleges and universities in the United States. Of all 328 schools ranked, Oregon State University is #26! This is the Sierra Club’s 15th year ranking colleges and universities, and OSU has consistently been in the top 25 (or so). OSU received high scores for co-curricular education, research, planning and sustainability administration. OSU was also recently listed on the Princeton Review’s 2022 Guide to Green Colleges. Read more about the awards and recognition here.

In other sustainability news…

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  Native aspen trees planted on campus showcase collaboration between College of Forestry and Landscape Shop – Recently, members of the grounds crew with OSU’s Landscape Shop teamed up with researchers from the College of Forestry to plant a small plot of aspens on the northwest side of George W. Peavy Forest Science Center. These aren’t just any aspens, however. These trees, collected by Distinguished Professor of Forest Biotechnology Steve Strauss and his team, are being monitored and tested for release as a native variety, according to the College of Forestry. The Strauss team has also collaborated with the wholesale tree nursery, J Frank Schmidt & Son for the project. The College of Forestry reports that Strauss and others “used DNA sequencing to show that the aspens in the Willamette Valley, and nearby Washington and British Columbia, belong to a distinctive variety that grows in wet areas in the lowland Pacific. These types of areas were likely to be more abundant prior to the draining and leveling of the Willamette Valley for agriculture.” Landscape Supervisor Bill Coslow is excited to collaborate with the College of Forestry, and to observe the progress with the test planting. Click here to read the full story.

• “Our Work” webpage features Sustainability Office scope – OSU’s Sustainability Office spends time helping to reduce OSU’s carbon emissions, and measuring sustainability indicators across the entire university enterprise. But that’s only part of their work. To better showcase and explain the many different programs, projects and tasks done by the team to advance sustainability at OSU, the Sustainability Office created the new “Our Work” webpage. The webpage centers on what the team of two full time employees and five to six student employees accomplish, in partnership with other units they work with closely, like Campus Recycling, Transportation Services and Community Engagement & Leadership. While overwhelming at times, they love what they do. Subscribe to the Sustainability Office newsletter to receive updates about the great work happening across OSU.

• Discounted registration for the Washington & Oregon Higher Ed Sustainability Conference - A 30% discount on registration is now available for WOHESC, the signature higher education sustainability event in the Pacific Northwest. Held March 2-4, 2022 online and (conditions allowing) in person at South Seattle College, WOHESC is a platform for conversation, workshops and networking opportunities that empower participants to advance environmental and social justice performance. The highest priority for the conference program is to center justice, equity, diversity and inclusion throughout. Register today using this Oregon State University discount code link for 30% off!

Pictured: OSU Sustainability Team in the field

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Together with an updated University Health and Safety Policy, the new Workplace Safety Culture Task Force launched recently by Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) is working to enhance how people contribute to safety across OSU. The task force will advance the university’s goal to foster and strengthen a university-wide culture that values and emphasizes workplace safety and adopts efficient and effective safety and health measures.

One example of EH&S’ partnership is their work with the College of Engineering’s American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Student Club. EH&S collaborates with the “Rocket Club” on the development of standard operating procedures to safely store, handle and transport rocket engines (propellants) off campus for testing and participation in national competitions. Because of the chemicals involved, EH&S also completes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Security Vulnerability Assessment on behalf of the club.

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Two recent OSU building projects were recognized in the Daily Journal of Commerce Oregon’s 2021 TopProjects competition, awarding the most outstanding projects completed last year in the Pacific Northwest. The Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building in Newport, Oregon, was named 2021 Project of the Year and the Peavy Hall Replacement project was awarded first place in the Secondary Education category. Major building projects like these are truly collaborations between the capital planning and project delivery teams, contract specialists at PCMM, college leadership, architects and designers, construction contractors, local government and other stakeholders. Pictured: Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building at Newport

Major capital projects updates shared at October webinar – The second Capital Projects Town Hall Webinar was held in mid-October with more than 100 attendees. Project leaders shared updates about several major university capital projects: the Community Hall Slope project and ongoing path-of-travel accessibility improvements on the Corvallis campus; the completion of a new academic building at OSU-Cascades—Edward J. Ray Hall; the restoration and updating of research-intensive Burt Hall following fire damage; and the renovation of the seawater system serving research facilities at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. The presentation featured a short video highlighting the evolution of the OSU-Cascades campus from a pumice mine and landfill to the home of new classroom buildings.

Arts and Education Complex site preparation – Site preparation recently started for the state-of-the-art Arts and Education Complex at the corner of SW Washington Way and SW 15th Street on the Corvallis campus. Follow the progress by checking out the construction webcam, with bonus views of dramatic sunsets and Marys Peak on clear days.

Construction and renovation updates – Work continues to progress for major projects on campus, including the Fairbanks Hall Renovation,

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Community Hall Slope, Cordley Hall Renewal and North District Utility Plant projects.

• Fairbanks Hall Renovation Project – People returning to campus will notice that the metal annex building has been demolished, and fencing and scaffolding are up around the building. Old fire escapes have been removed from the north and south sides of the building and a new roof is being added. Many walls and flooring inside the building have been removed as work continues to progress on the building’s interior. Originally constructed in 1892, Fairbanks Hall is one of the oldest buildings on the Corvallis campus. The renovation project includes major upgrades, such as a new east porch, a new roof, accessibility upgrades to the building entrance and the installation of an elevator. 
• Community Hall Slope Project – OSU began work for the Community Hall Slope Project in July 2021 to update the area shown in this map image to provide access through this portion of the Corvallis campus for all people. ADA improvements related to the project will also require reconstruction of building entrances to Gladys Valley, the Pharmacy Building and Joyce Collin Furman Hall. There will be an open entrance to each building at all times. Tree removal work in the project area started at the beginning of September, and additional work associated with the project is taking place on the east side of Furman Hall. Fencing is up around the entire project area, and electrical work is in progress before the start of planned excavation work. 
• Cordley Hall Renewal and North District Utility Plant projects – Renovation work being done on the west side of Cordley Hall is progressing on schedule with heavy construction activity. Upcoming work will include crane picks and equipment being placed into the building’s newly renovated westside penthouse. Exterior windows have also been installed. Construction of the North District Utility Plant (NDUP) is in the home stretch. Currently the project is performing functional testing, balancing and commissioning. The NDUP will provide 4,500 tons of cooling to the north campus chilled water loop. This system currently serves the Agricultural & Life Sciences (ALS) Building, Nash Hall, Cordley Hall, Wilkinson Hall and the Burt Hall complex. The new NDUP facility will provide capacity for expansion of this loop to neighboring facilities, and these improvements will be evaluated as major renovations are identified in the area.

Units across the division continue to implement the DFA Framework for Success with the development of unit level metrics.

Based on the work and learnings of the initial teams going through implementation, an 8-step implementation approach has been created for the remaining DFA units. All teams went through step 1 in the summer of 2020 when they worked with Dr. Calvo, Heather Riney and the research team in working sessions to identify which key performance indicators and division metrics they could tie to unit level key activities and metrics within the framework. DFA units will work through the 8-step process in a phased approach, with anticipated completion for all DFA units by June 30, 2021. Heather will be reaching out to identified unit leads to provide additional information, resources and timing to start the process with their teams. A project team from DFA IT is exploring how to display the data collected with the help of Tableau, which is powerful data visualization software.

In addition, Mike Green, Paul Odenthal, Dr. Calvo, Heather Riney and Melanie Rose spent the summer and early fall meeting with senior leaders across the university to share the objectives, and work of the DFA Framework for Success. These conversations included an opportunity to ask university senior leaders questions like:

• Do you see any significant gaps in our principles, key activities and metrics?
• Are they directionally correct from your perspective?
• Do the metrics capture what you feel signifies good service from DFA units?
• Do the metrics address things that are important to your college/department?

The group is compiling the feedback received to inform updates and considerations for the framework moving forward. A report will be shared with the participants and DFA units in early 2022. 

Beaver Works is a portfolio of business operation improvement projects intended to clarify and streamline a wide range of business policies, processes and systems to improve understanding, efficiency and access. Here is an update of the current areas of focus in this multi-year effort:

Travel Redesign Project – Concur Travel & Expense has now been live for one full quarter. A high priority has been on issuing credit cards to OSU employees to help reduce out of pocket expenses while conducting OSU business. With over 1,500 credit cards issued to date, we are well on our way. The Travel & Expense Office team has also continued their efforts on training and outreach. A new scheduling tool is now available on the Travel & Expense Office Website, which allows employees the ability to schedule short one-on-one meetings with the support team. This is a good way to get help right when you need it. 

The team is also working to ensure the new travel agency, Corporate Travel Planners (CTP), is providing a high level of customer service and supporting the university community’s needs. The consolidation of resources and expertise as part of the DFA IT reorganization project has given DFA the capacity to successfully support Concur. Next up is work to improve the group travel booking process, as well as improving options for booking travel for official guests, volunteers, recruits or other non-employees of the university. 

Business Analytics – The University Financial Management (UFM) Working Group has been developing the most-needed eight tools in the following three areas:

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• Position Management
• Budget Reports
• Enrollment Management

This set of information represents the essential data that leaders need for effective forecasting, and to budget and manage spending, hiring and enrollment. The selected reports are being made available as Tableau Dashboards for ease of use, with self-serve training resources provided.

Currently called the University Financial Management Suite, these reports will provide a reliable, consistent set of data for university-wide and college-level reporting while also supporting analysis of underlying detail for improved decision-making.

A UFM Suite Feasibility Pilot is scheduled to run December 2021 through March 2022, with the participation of six colleges (CAS, CEOAS, CLA, COE, COF, COS) and four central administration units (EM, DFA, HR, and UIT). They will test and provide feedback for functionality and navigation of the UFM Suite tableau dashboards and training materials for Position Management, Report Budgets, and Enrollment Management. More information on this project can be found on the Impact Studio website or at the Beaver Works page.

New! Non-Student Accounts Receivable – Oregon State University’s existing non-student accounts receivable system was identified as an area of need for business operations improvements. The Beaver Works core project team recently drafted an initial operational excellence document to inform development of a project. The project sponsor for this work is Heidi Sann, Associate Vice President for Finance & Controller, and the co-business owners are Lissa Perrone in Business Affairs and Dwight Brimley in the AABC. The Controller’s Unit team is working with the Project Portfolio Management Office (PPMO) on a business case, and the project will receive dedicated project management resources.  

DFA units are collaborating across the university to create a modern student and employee experience through a new Enterprise Service Management (ESM) platform. A new ESM system will enable OSU to simplify access to information, resources, and training that faculty, students, and employees need from University IT, the Division of Finance and Administration and other departments. The system uses personalization and automation to create seamless, intuitive online experiences. It requires university units to align services and eliminate duplicative work, so OSU can unlock efficiencies and realize cost savings, while improving performance and offering a seamless user experience.

The project team is beginning the process of obtaining and implementing an ESM platform over the coming months. Here are a few of the recent accomplishments and ongoing efforts:

• The Request For Proposal (RFP) process is in the final stages and is planned to be completed in December 2021.
• The project team is conducting outreach with various stakeholder groups across the OSU community.
• The project team has identified wide-audience/high-impact processes and completed journey mapping and stakeholder engagement efforts for a subset of the processes identified. Efforts continue in this area and, where appropriate, these processes will be included in phase one of implementation.
• The organizational structure for the program has been developed and project teams have been tasked with process designs, implementation planning, governance, and change management. Additional project teams will be formed closer to the early implementation stages.