VPFA

The division’s leadership team has seen some changes over the last few months. It is exciting to welcome fresh perspectives and to see folks move up and on to bigger roles. Please join in congratulating our colleagues:

 

Office of Budget and Resource Planning

Welcome, Toni Doolen - Toni Doolen, dean of the Honors College, is serving as interim associate vice president for budget and resource planning as of May 8, 2023. Toni will continue to serve as dean of the Honors College while a national search for a permanent leader of the Office of Budget and Resource Planning is conducted in the months ahead. Leadership teams in both offices will take on additional day-to-day administrative duties to provide support during this period of transition.

Toni joined OSU in 2001 and has served in a number of roles. She was appointed Honors College Dean in 2012 and has provided valued leadership for several university-wide initiatives. We are fortunate to have Toni’s extraordinary level of leadership excellence contributing to our division.

 

 

 

Congratulations to Nicole Dolan

– Nicole (Nicci) Dolan has been named executive director of budget development and strategic planning. Nicci has served in the Division of Finance and Administration for the past 12 years, including working the past six years in the Office of Budget and Resource Planning. 

Prior to that, Nicci worked in OSU’s Business and Facilities Services (now called UFIO) for six years, and before then was a senior auditor with the Secretary of State Audit’s Division for the State of Oregon for over five years. Nicci earned her Certified Public Accountant license in 2009.  

 

 

 

 

Goodbye to Sherm Bloomer

- Dr. Sherm Bloomer was appointed as the new Chancellor and Dean for OSU-Cascades effective May 1. He served as associate vice president for budget and resource planning and a member of the DFA senior leadership team since 2012. Provost Feser mentioned that in this role, Sherm has been widely praised for his efforts to bring clarity and transparency to the university’s budget process and for his efforts to include faculty, staff, and student voices in the process.

Sherm joined OSU in 1995 as chair of the Department of Geosciences in the College of Science, which is now a part of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, before serving as dean of the College of Science for 11 years. We are grateful for Sherm’s innovative and compassionate leadership in the Division of Finance and Administration.

 

 

 

Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office

Welcome, Tami Aders

– In April, Tami Aders joined OSU as the university’s Executive Director of the Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office effective April 28, 2023. This appointment follows completion of a competitive national search that was launched in February. Tami previously led the Oregon State Lottery's Enterprise Portfolio Management Office for five and a half years. She has over 10 years of experience providing strategic leadership, backed by over 15 years of portfolio, program, and project management experience.

Tami has worked in organizations from an established $12B public trust and sales agency, to a nationally recognized health plan, to a startup third-party administrator. In addition, she has experience managing project portfolio budgets totaling in excess of $100M, managing nationally distributed teams, building out EPMO’s from the ground up, and developing and delivering strategic roadmaps. The university will be well served by Tami’s impressive skill set, depth of experience and success working to advance large projects and manage project portfolios within complex organizations.

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to Danny Hough

– Danny Hough was promoted in March to Associate Director of the EPPMO. His former position of senior project manager was expanded to include additional operational and supervisory responsibilities, including standing in for the Executive Director in their absence and additional operational responsibilities, such as budgeting and supervision. Danny also manages a variety of technical and strategic projects as part of his portfolio in addition to supporting strategic and development efforts within the project management teams at OSU.

Danny joined OSU in 2009 and has served in several funtional technology and managerial roles in the Controller's Unit within the Division of Finance and Administration prior to joining the EPPMO in 2021.  

 

 

 

Goodbye to Heather Riney

– In February, Heather Riney accepted the position of Executive Director for the Administrative Modernization Program (AMP) with University Information and Technology (UIT). AMP will operationalize the integration and simplification of technology systems, data practices, and policies to increase the university’s organizational agility, a key action in SP4.0 and the IT Strategic Plan. In her new role as Executive Director for AMP, Heather will serve as the face of the Administrative Modernization Program, helping to drive the next big step towards business and digital transformation at Oregon State University (OSU). 

Heather served in a variety of roles throughout her career at OSU, most recently as founder and Executive Director of the Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office (EPPMO) and previously serving in several positions within Human Resources.

 

 

 

Transportation Services

Congratulations to Mark Zandonella

– In March, Mark Zandonella was appointed as Interim Director of Transportation Services following the departure of Meredith Williams. Prior to this role, Mark served as the assistant director and was a key leader within Transportation Services with oversight of parking operations, the auxiliary’s budget, personnel, facility maintenance, the Beaver Bus shuttle system and funding allocations for sustainable transportation programs. 

Mark has been with OSU for almost 8 years, and brings with him previous experience managing parking, emergency preparedness, and security in higher education settings and at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. A national search for a new director of transportation services is underway. 

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 reflect work of our team on are big, multi-faceted projects and sometimes they are about more everyday work, but they always involve someone exceeding expectations. (In addition to these external kudos, division employees can use the DFA Hurray! system to share notes of recognition with colleagues.)

We’re sharing the “kudos” stories below as examples of how your division colleagues are putting the DFA guiding principles into action. As you go about your daily work, whatever your specific projects or decision points are, one or more of these principles will be useful to helping you determine the best course of action.

• Generate effective results through structured and inclusive decision-making.
• Convey and confirm intent and respect for all OSU community members through communication and engagement that is responsive, clear and transparent.
• Improve effectiveness and efficiency through process consistency balanced with flexibility.
• Provide for OSU community members’ success through community safety, support for well-being and respect for all.
• Ensure the long-term success of the university through proactive stewardship of resources in alignment with OSU’s strategic plan.
• Balance innovation and compliance through active assessment and management of risk.
• Remove barriers to success and expand access to services through clearly defined and integrated policies, standards and processes.
• Improve the satisfaction of OSU community members through empowering employees with appropriately delegated decision-making authority.

 

carolyn_warfield_001.png Carolyn Warfield tarron_anderson_trina_young_angela_williamson_linda_firth_lewis_walker_300.jpg Tarron Anderson, Trina Young, Angela Williamson, Linda Firth, Lewis Walker mcdonald2_002.jpg Brittany McDonald	Recruitment Team in University Human Resources (Carolyn Warfield, Tarron Anderson, Stefanie Maerki, Lewis Walker, Trina Young, Brittany McDonald, Tammy Hubert, Linda Firth, Tricia Leman, Angela Williamson)  – A new manager in University Information and Technology shared his gratitude for the University Human Resources staff, particularly the people named above. He talked about all the ways the HR recruitment staff have “led me through it” as he had to learn to deal with some thorny employee turnover issues and complex recruitments. “In five years, if someone asks me how I became a good manager…I’m going to tell them that HR ‘led me through it.’” The UHR recruitment team exemplifies how we can remove people’s barriers to success and expand access to DFA services through clearly defined and integrated policies, standards and processes. Keep up the great work, everyone!
koerner_image1.jpg Jonah Koerner	Jonah Koerner, Fiscal Coordinator 2 with Financial Strategic Services (Controller’s Unit) – Jonah’s supervisor received a note from the business manager in the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics (College of Science). There has been a lot of change among Jonah’s FSS-Science team and the writer noted Jonah’s impactful efforts, saying he is “awesome to work with. His follow up and work ethic have served as a vital component of the support we receive… you should know he is supporting us in a great way!” Jonah’s efforts remind us how we can convey and confirm intent and respect for all OSU community members through communication and engagement that is responsive, clear and transparent. Great job, Jonah!
student_employment_crop.jpg Chris Lewis, Kenneth Nutefall, Angel Silkbaron, Erik Chavez, Brittany McDonald	Student Employment Team in University Human Resources (Chris Lewis, Kenneth Nutefall, Erik Chavez, Kenneth Rossa, Angel Silkbaron)  – A representative from OSU’s Basic Needs Center wrote to commend this “dedicated, capable group of professionals who work hard, answer questions in a delightful and knowledgeable manner, and show that they really care on so many levels.” The writer expressed gratitude for the Student Employment Team’s complete willingness to help. Thanks to the Student Employment Team for demonstrating that we can improve the satisfaction of OSU community members when we empower employees with appropriately delegated decision-making authority.
dfa_picture_kdonahue_1_crop.jpg Kelsey Donahue	Kelsey Donahue, Employee Lifecycle Specialist with University Human Resources— Kelsey received a shout-out from a hiring manager and her colleagues for working across multiple teams (Payroll, UHDS, HRSP, ELR, Recruitment) to promptly process a re-hire. Kelsey took the time needed to connect with the various teams individually during the same day to assist an employee who was in dire need to make sure that their position was reactivated so they could receive payment. This action was not under Kelsey's purview, but it landed in her lap, and she took the responsibility to connect the various depts to resolve the request. Kelsey’s actions demonstrate how we can improve effectiveness and efficiency when we apply flexibility balanced with process consistency.
tammy_hubert_may_2023.jpg Tammy Hubert	Tammy Hubert, HR Help Center Coordinator with University Human Resources – Tammy was recognized by an employee who appreciated her approach in taking the time to educate and guide him as he navigated difficulties with his timesheet. “Instead of taking the easy path of just fixing it for me, now I know how to fish.” Thank you, Tammy, for consistently showing ways that we can remove barriers to people’s success and expand access to services through clearly defined and integrated policies, standards and processes.
robbin_dfa_002.jpg Robbin Sim   ray_headshot_img_5710_002.jpg Bonny Ray	Robbin Sim, Manager of Employee Systems, and Bonny Ray, Director of Benefits and HR Services – Robbin and Bonny were commended by OSU’s vice provost and chief information officer for developing a new “Why OSU” section to be added to job postings. UIT welcomed the language change, with the vice provost saying, “this is good stuff!” and they are updating UIT’s current onboarding packets with this language. In this situation, Robbin and Bonny are balancing innovation and compliance through active assessment and management of risk—the risk of not recruiting diverse people with excellent skills to work at OSU.
bishop_microsoftteams-image_24_002.jpg Zach Bishop	Zach Bishop, Information Technology Consultant with DFA IT—Zach was recognized as an outstanding partner by the Program Manager for Academic Technologies Ed Ostrander for the work he does to support the Benny Buy program. Zach was instrumental in helping lay a foundation for a project (a technology storefront in Benny Buy for Community Network customers). “Zach’s been awesome,” Ostrander said. His engagement, problem-solving, listening skills and can-do demeanor have made it “such a pleasure working with Zach and the support he’s provided has far exceeded our expectations.” Zach’s work is an example of ways DFA employees help ensure the long-term success of the university through proactive stewardship of resources in alignment with OSU’s strategic plan.
morgan_koch_headshot.png Morgan Koch	Morgan Koch, Business Analyst with DFA IT—Morgan was recognized by a UIT infrastructure manager for her work to resolve an issue with SuccessFactors, the Performance Management Pilot system. Employee information was not showing up correctly in the system, making it impossible for the manager to conduct her assessments. Morgan’s “timely assistance is greatly appreciated,” the manager said. “My experience with Morgan was great” thanks to her responsiveness and follow up. Morgan shows that DFA employees can improve the satisfaction of OSU community members when the organization empowers employees with appropriately delegated decision-making authority.
anne_g.png Anne Gillies	Anne Gillies, Director, Search Advocate Program with University Human Resources—Anne was recently commended by two different external-to-OSU participants in the Search Advocate workshop series. One said that “Anne is an absolutely lovely facilitator. Fun, approachable, and incredibly responsive to comments, questions, feedback.” The other person was seeking additional training, saying she “was truly inspired during the cohort that I attended.” Great job, Anne, for showing DFA colleagues how we can convey and confirm intent and respect for all OSU community members through communication and engagement that is responsive, clear and transparent.

Six professional faculty members who founded an advocacy group for women in the IT field at OSU were  named the winners of the Community Builder award by the President’s Commission on the Status of Women. The announcement was made at the annual Breaking Barriers awards banquet on April 24.

The Women in IT group members are DFA IT Director of Business Architecture Polly Harrell along with five members of UIT, including Director of Academic Technologies Kristina Case, Associate Director of Decision Support Chrysanthemum Hayes, Lead Security Analyst Emily Longman, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer Marjorie McLagan and Educational Technologies Product Manager Weiwei Zhang.

The group currently hosts a Teams channel that all OSU IT employees who identify as femme/female or allies are welcome to join and plans to hold regular meetings and events in the future.

PHOTO: From left – Polly Harrell, Kristina Case, Dr. Jayathi Murthy, Weiwei Zhang, Marjorie McLagan & Emily Longman

Facilities Services resolved an emergency repair to the sewer line at Valley Library in March during the height of winter term finals week. The rapid response resulted in full resolution of the issue by the following day, allowing the library to return to normal operations for students.

General Maintenance Mechanic Mike Krantz responded to a call from Valley Library on March 20 around noon. The initial report was of an unpleasant smell throughout the building and the source was unknown. Upon investigation, Krantz traced the odor to the basement mechanical room and discovered sewage leaking from a broken drain line.

Krantz immediately called back to Facilities Shops for support. Mechanical Supervisor Richard Olsen, Trades & Maintenance Coordinator Kevin Christman and Plumber Brad Leach arrived soon after and the team quickly formed a response plan. Olsen and Leach tracked down the building manager and got the main plumbing system shut off. Christman called a restorative cleaning service and requested an emergency clean-up of the area so that repair work could begin as soon as possible.

Early the next morning, Leach and Krantz arrived at the library to start work on the broken drain line. After replacing the broken pipe section and testing the repair, they were finally able to give the all-clear to the building manager and reopen Valley Library, just in time for another busy day during finals week.

For the Facilities Services team, this is just another typical day on the job. We appreciate the ways they take challenges in stride and maintain their positive, service-focused attitudes. Great job, everyone!

 

 

With support from the Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office, DFA units continue the work to make the DFA Framework for Success a part of their daily activities, communications, and meetings. Units continue to collaborate with Dr. Javier Calvo-Amodio’s researchers to help update their metric data, maintain dashboards, and make enhancements or improvements that provide actionable insights to support the sustainability of DFA culture.

Heather Riney transitioned to her new role as Executive Director of the Administrative Modernization Program and handed the project management baton to new Executive Director of the EPPMO, Tami Aders, who will take on oversight of the current phase of the Framework for Success implementation project, including:  

• Vetting with DFA senior leaders plans for the ongoing care and maintenance of the Framework for Success program, including communication strategies and new roles for ongoing oversight and facilitation.
• Collaborating with DFA IT on resources to develop and maintain unit-level dashboards, transitioning away from the original academic-based dashboard design team.
• Developing a regular communication system to convey how DFA and the Framework for Success are progressing.
• Installing a governance system that allows for assessment of the Framework’s performance and usefulness over time, and a program to regularly review and update Framework components and dashboards.
• Documenting the work  and writing research papers that cover the Framework’s theoretical foundations and analyze lessons learned during the program’s building and implementation.

In winter term, nearly thirty DFA colleagues expressed interest in serving on the new DEI Advancement Committee, which will assist DFA units with implementing the division’s new diversity, equity and inclusion action plan. The many powerful and engaging applications submitted made it clear that there is a lot of enthusiasm for this work in our division.

Earlier this spring, committee co-chairs Christine Atwood and Keahi McFadden worked with the division’s senior leaders to determine the initial makeup of the committee based on several criteria, including people’s expressed strengths, skills and interests, and the need to ensure that members represent the division’s range of employee types, roles and units. Names were removed from applications during the review process to reduce bias.

With such a high level of interest, we were able to plan the first two membership cohorts, staggering them so that some initial members will roll off after the first year. In the meantime, the second cohort will assist the formal committee as a focus group and sounding board, and act as unit ambassadors for DEI work in their DFA units.

Since then, the committee has been organizing itself around the four major areas for action identified in the plan:

• Embed equity and inclusion in everyday work experiences
• Eliminate structural bias in the division
• Establish inclusive and equitable hiring practices
• Foster a welcoming workplace climate that increases a sense of belonging and inclusion

In the coming weeks and months, updates from the committee will be posted on the division’s Inclusive Excellence website, along with ideas for ways everyone can contribute to the DFA’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

 

Round up of unit-level DEI work

There is a lot of DEI-related work already going on within DFA units, and we’re going to start highlighting some of those efforts regularly in the VPFA News Update. When your team has progress to share, drop an email to DFADiversity@oregonstate.edu.

Business Services Team tours Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws cultural center

–  In April, the Business Service team scheduled a tour of the Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws cultural center. Tour guides Cloe and Tanner did a wonderful job of pointing out the resources available to students and many points of interest and meaning within the center. Business Services chose this event because the Student Accounts team provides support to the recent OSU policy change to extend resident tuition rates to all 574 federally recognized tribes who live outside Oregon. Realizing that the team’s shared knowledge in this area was limited, they chose to broaden understanding and appreciation of native cultures by learning more about the Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws and its history and significance. In doing, employees were able to expand personal awareness and shared service skills to support all of the OSU community. The whole group felt welcomed and left with an appreciation for the center and the people that make it a success.   

 

DFA units conduct implicit bias training – Over the past several months, a number of departments across the division have voluntarily undertaken implicit bias training as part of their efforts to create strong and healthy team environments. According to the National Institute of Health, “implicit bias is a form of bias that occurs automatically and unintentionally, that nevertheless affects judgments, decisions, and behaviors.” When this occurs, implicit bias can pose a barrier to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, according to the research. Facilities Services conducted the first training, facilitated by Tarron Anderson, human resources strategic partner, and Roni Sue, an associate with the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access. The session was such a success that other teams asked for the training, including Procurement, Contracts and Materials Management and Insurance and Risk Management Services, along with the senior associate vice president for administration’s leadership team. More department-level implicit bias trainings are scheduled in the next few months.

 

DFA senior leaders schedule regular DEI trainings – All DFA senior leaders have individual and department goals around advancing diversity, equity and inclusion at OSU. In FY23, the senior leadership team added a group training session during their planning retreats two times per year, most recently completing Linked In Learning workshops Fostering Belonging as a Leader and Addressing Unconscious Bias as a Leader. All OSU employees have access to online trainings through LinkedIn Learning—find out more at the University Human Resources website.

For the 15th year in a row, the OSU Corvallis campus was awarded Tree Campus Higher Education from the Arbor Day Foundation, recognizing OSU’s commitment to a campus full of healthy, maintained and beautiful trees. To celebrate this recognition, Facilities Services and the Centro Cultural César Chávez held a tree planting event on April 27. Students and staff participated in the planting of mimosa and crepe myrtle trees along the east lawn of Centro Cultural César Chávez.

PHOTO: Students assist with planting a tree at Centro Cultural César Chávez

The Sustainability Office offers fun and easy ways for people to get involved in advancing the university’s sustainability goals. Here are some efforts you should know about:

Carbon Offsets for OSU Travel - Looking to advance sustainability in your department? You can offset carbon emissions from your OSU-funded travel.

An offset is an optional added fee to the cost of traveling (air or ground transportation) to fund a separate project that reduces carbon emissions elsewhere, such as a wind farm or forestry project. In some cases, offsets can make the carbon footprint of travel effectively zero. For OSU-funded travel, the Sustainability Office offers assistance to campus units by sourcing high quality offsets and bundling offset purchases. These offsets are affordable -- 1 metric ton of CO2 emissions can cost as little as $10 to offset! They also make a significant impact -- if all OSU-funded travel were offset, total emissions would drop by 14%! Learn more here and fill out the offset request form here.

C3 Earth Week Bingo - The Faculty Senate's Carbon Commitment Committee (C3) is excited to

share Earth Week Bingo! Click here to view the bingo card links and log your progress through this Google Form. Submit by the end of May to receive a certificate! You do not need to complete all actions, but more completion means an increased chance of prizes and greater recognition on your certificate. Play C3 Earth Week Bingo here!

WOHESC Recap - On March 6-8, OSU hosted in Corvallis the Washington & Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference. WOHESC is organized by Pacific Northwest higher education institutions and travels to a different host school each year to inspire change, facilitate action, and promote collaboration around sustainability within the region. Sessions, workshops, and networking empower participants to advance environmental and social justice.  This year’s WOHESC saw 101 speakers and 396 attendees, with 97 attendees from OSU! The conference consisted of 2 Keynotes, 23 breakout sessions, 5 tours, 2 plenaries, and a Sustainability Action Challenge. Attendees had a ton of positive feedback about the event – comments included “[The] Emeritus Art Walk was awesome and inspiring!” and “This year’s Keynotes were amazing!” View the full Event Report here.

Materials Management partners on “Bring It” initiative to reduce single-use cup use

Over the past quarter, UHDS and Materials Management have teamed up to take on further reducing single-use cup usage on campus. UHDS cafes now charge for single-use cups rather than give a discount for reusable mugs with their new “Bring It” Initiative. The charge-over-discount model has proven to significantly increase reusable cup usage in a university, chain, and small business cafe setting according to these studies. No US state university has piloted and published a report on this menu model, so OSU will be the first! Stay tuned for our findings, and email Kaylee.Smith@oregonstate.edu for any questions on data collection! For general questions, contact UHDS here.

 

Materials Management helps the Grads Give Back Gown Share Program continue

Grads Give Back is a grown share program hosted by the Memorial Union, the Valley Library, and Materials Management. This year, we were able to donate around 30 gowns to grads from undergrad to Ph.D., and we are hoping to increase that number by building up our inventory. Post-pandemic, we saw a loss in our built-up inventory, but we are working with the commencement team as well as student volunteers and campus partners to encourage students to donate after commencement outside of Reser, at the Valley Library June 17-18, and year-round at the Memorial Union. To learn more about the program and volunteer, visit: tiny.cc/gradsgive or email Kaylee Smith at kaylee.smith@oregonstate.edu 

 

OSU Eco-Rep Program encourage environmental impact reduction at residence halls

The Eco-Rep program is co-led by Materials Management’s Kaylee Smith and the Sustainability Office’s Lety Cavazos. Their team of 9 residents serve as liaisons for environmental programs at res. halls to measure and reduce recycling contamination, host student composting, educate residents on the Eco2Go program, and encourage energy-use reduction. This year, our EcoReps hail from Bloss, Buxton, Cauthorn, Finley, ILLC, Orchard Court, Sackett, Tebeau and West. So far, they have achieved a high of a 33% reduction in res. hall recycling contamination, diverted 354 lbs of food waste via compost, and achieved a high of 10% reduction in energy usage. Want to learn more about the great work these students are carrying out? Visit their site, follow them on Instagram @osuecoreps, or email Kaylee.Smith@oregonstate.edu!

 

UHDS, Materials Management, and the Sustainability Office Bring Back Eco2Go!

Eco2Go is a UHDS sustainability program that provides reusable containers for take-out meals around campus. Paused during the pandemic, Eco2Go returned on January 23, 2023! Since the program started nearly a decade ago, Eco2Go has kept over a million disposable containers from entering the landfill. These containers keep OSU's recycling stream contamination low and reduces trash servicing frequency. Materials Management’s outreach team and OSU’s EcoReps are spreading the word, answering their questions, and letting people know that UHDS would like them to scrape out and return their Eco2Gos within 24 hours after using them. Click here for more information about how Eco2Go works, container return locations, and other UHDS sustainability initiatives.

 

Lead changes in Materials Management

Campus Recycling Manager John Deuel retires after 7 years at OSU. After about 7 years at

Oregon State, Recycling Program Manager John Deuel will retire—for the second time in his career. A search will be undereway this summer for a new recycling manager. John oversees much of the recycling operations at OSU as well as the more than 30 student-staff who service the Corvallis campus. He has been a tenacious advocate for sustainability efforts in his role while also investing much of his time serving his greater community’s mission to reduce, reuse, and recycle through the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition and Benton County’s “Talking Trash” group. John served the Corvallis campus and community invaluably during his time here, particularly during the challenges of the COVID pandemic. In retirement, he plans to continue doing what he can to educate and activate community members. John will kick off his retirement with a cross-country trip to the East Coast with his wife and mini Australian shepherd as co-pilots. Contact Kaylee.Smith@oregonstate.edu if you wan to contribute to John’s retirement “Road Trip Contingency Fund.”  

PCMM Welcomes New Surplus Supervisor Ian Hamilton. In January, PCMM welcomed Ian

Hamilton into the new role of Surplus Supervisor for Materials Management (which includes Recycling Services). He will be coordinating the acquisition and disposition of over $1 million worth of Surplus Property annually, tasks previously conducted by the Materials Manager and lead staff. This position will allow Surplus to better tackle the ever-growing demands of the university as it grows and improves its campus. Ian joins OSU from the University of Montana in Missoula. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology, and together with his wife, two dogs, and two cats, Ian is excited to make Corvallis and OSU his new home.

A new program launched by Environmental Health and Safety and Student Health Services is supporting students with medical conditions that require the safe use and disposal of injection needles. The program is designed to provide students with a convenient option for sharps disposal without compromising safety or privacy.

Hazardous Waste Safety Officer Machelle Bamberger said that she used to receive emails several times a year asking where students could safely dispose of needles and the only places she could direct them to were off campus. Recently, she received a request from Director of Clinical Services Helen Lee who expressed interest in setting up an on-campus needle disposal system.

Protecting student privacy was a top priority for EH&S and SHS and the two units determined that placing sharps disposal boxes in shared restrooms would not meet that goal. Used medical sharps cannot be placed in regular trash cans due to the risk of accidental needle sticks for staff and other students. The solution had to address both privacy and safety concerns, while also being convenient and cost-effective.

Lee researched a similar initiative at the University of Illinois and brought it to Bamberger for review. Together, EH&S and SHS developed an on-campus sharps disposal plan for OSU. EH&S will provide students with a small sharps container which may be kept in their room. Full containers will be brought to SHS and exchanged for an empty one. EH&S will pick up the full containers and dispose of them, following all applicable safety regulations. SHS is creating an outreach plan for students to inform them about the program. 

“I always enjoy working with OSU partners to help our students be successful because my only job is to help people be successful here at OSU,” Bamberger said.

The Capital Planning and Development team is responsible for overseeing OSU’s built environment and developing the university’s capital forecast, along with land use planning, project design and development and capital construction. They also handle leasing and real estate, and space management for OSU. You can always find the status of the range of capital and infrastructure projects underway at the project delivery website.

 

Corvallis campus street renewal improvements planned for summer

The Corvallis city council recently approved OSU’s request to assume ownership of three streets within campus boundaries that were previously owned and maintained by the city. The roads in question—SW 16th Street, SW 17th Street and SW A Avenue—will be updated with improved pedestrian and bicyclist facilities, furthering OSU’s climate action plan.

The 16th/17th Street Renewal project is set to begin soon after commencement. The first phase of the project will be to replace the steam line located under 17th St. Then the corridor comprising 16th and 17th Street and A Avenue will be redesigned with wider sidewalks, enhanced lighting and a two-way cycle track, which will be fully separated from vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The project is part of a long-range plan to build a two-way cycle track that will eventually connect SW Western Boulevard with SW Jefferson Way.

The 16th/17th Street Renewal is expected to wrap up by mid- to late-fall 2023 and is one of many transportation improvements planned around the Corvallis campus over the next several years.

 

Owen Hall reconstruction a joint success for Risk, Facilities, Capital Planning & PCMM

Multiple DFA units contributed to the successful reconstruction of Owen Hall after the building experienced serious water damage in 2020. The building has been fully restored and Insurance and Risk Management Services (IRMS) successfully filed the final insurance claims in April.

Christina McKnight, Director of Insurance and Risk Management Services, said the effort required focused collaboration between her department and units across the university. The water intrusion at Owen caused significant property damage that required extensive clean-up and reconstruction.  Facilities Services worked closely with the College of Engineering to mitigate the initial damage and bring in a remediation company. Capital Planning & Development and Procurement, Contracts & Materials Management worked together to secure a contractor, reconstruct the building and add some additional ADA and classroom improvements.

IRMS handled the property insurance claim, which required careful coordination between all the involved DFA units and the College of Engineering to ensure that the claim was properly documented and included all the damage and expenses. McKnight said that her department has successfully navigated the claims process and expects that the university will receive full reimbursement.

 

jefferson_way_striping_project_400.jpg

Jefferson Way restriping project improves safety in campus core

University Land Use Planning recently redesigned the street striping and marking patterns to clarify the pedestrian and bicyclist priority zone that begins at the intersection of SW Jefferson Way and Benton Place. The project was completed in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety and Project Delivery.

The revised markings are intended to support the university’s efforts to close the campus core to private vehicle traffic and provide greater safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in high-traffic zones.

The Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office is part of the Division of Finance and Administration. It oversees a portfolio of programs and projects across the university that support the university's strategic plan.

This update covers the array of projects related to business processes and systems, students and faculty, and research operations being managed by the EPPMO:  

• Business processes and systems projects
• Academic and student-related projects
• Research-related projects

 

Business Processes & Systems Projects

 

Data & Integration Hub Project

The Data and Integration Hub Project (DIHub) is a core foundational project for the Administrative Modernization Program (AMP). It will develop and implement a modern system to support the integration of common data between technology systems at OSU.

The project has been divided into three subprojects: the Data Hub, the Integration Hub, and Data Virtualization. Each subproject will have specific and distinct deliverables.

The project team is mapping current data storage systems, designing the technical architecture, conducting security reviews, and working with a vendor to analyze existing capabilities and needs.   

 

Non-Student Billing and Receivables Project

The Division of Finance & Administration and University Information Technology are co-sponsoring a multi-year project to support billing and receivables at OSU. Many colleges and units across OSU send invoices and collect fees related to events and operations. The goal of the Non-Student Billing and Receivables project is to standardize, simplify and modernize non-student billing and receivable operations across OSU, with specific objectives around improving the customer experience, reducing costs, increasing revenue realization, improving internal controls/risk management, and enhancing decision-making.

In March, the project team finalized phase 1 of the project, with a final report that included current state and future state process maps and defined the business requirements for a future Non-Student Billing and Receivable software platform. 

The project team completed the phase 2 roadmap and has started building a framework for assessing current processes and how they align with best practices, while also working to identify training needs. These activities are planned to be complete by March 2024: 

• Assessing billing units and aligning best practices
• Identifying training needs
• Reviewing user requirements with stakeholders
• Evaluating units’ transition readiness

For additional information, please visit the project website. 

 

Non-Credit Learning Management System (LMS) Project

The Non-Credit Learning Management System project is working to centralize compliance-related trainings for both employees and volunteers across OSU to increase accessibility. Additionally, this project will address the need for a tracking system for completing required trainings.

The project team completed phase 1 of the project in April, which focused on information gathering related to mandatory training for employees and volunteers, as well as professional development training for employees. The team successfully delivered current and future state process journey maps and a preliminary business requirements document.  

Phase 2 of the project is now underway, focusing on professional and continuing education trainings. This phase of the project is sponsored by the associate provost for Extended Campus, the vice provost for Extension and Engagement, the associate vice president and chief human resources officer, and the vice provost for information and technology.

The project team is currently working to identify stakeholders and complete current state engagement planning. Current state engagement with stakeholders is anticipated to be complete by July 2023, as part of the overall Phase 2 effort anticipated to be complete by November 2023.

At the end of Phase 2, information gathered across both phases will be evaluated with sponsors to determine the next steps that align with OSU’s strategic vision.

 

Smart Access Program 

The Smart Access program enables a foundational capability to provide appropriate access to data and systems to secure OSU's digital assets wherever they may be, in alignment with OSU's IT Strategic Roadmap. The Smart Access Program is being managed in two parts: the Identity Management System project and the Endpoint Management project.

The Identity Project, focused on updating OSU infrastructure and identity management ecosystems, has reached significant milestones over the past quarter, and it is on track to go live by late June. The project team has started engaging with business units to ensure alignment with operational needs.

• Completed the Requirements and Design phase on time and transitioned to System Configuration and Development.
• Over 30 different test scenarios that covered the identity lifecycle and user acceptance were conducted.

The Endpoint Management Project of the Smart Access Program will enable IT professionals to secure and manage devices to ensure they are properly patched and updated regularly. The project will also implement common tools across IT units at the university. The Smart Access Program is on track. The IT team underwent comprehensive training on Microsoft Intune, which aided in determining the implementation strategy and optimal use of this tool.

As part of efforts to improve macOS fleet management, the project team started macOS upgrade, with plans communicated to users in late March. This upgrade will enhance system performance and security, contributing to an overall more robust and reliable macOS fleet. The project team also continues to investigate a strategy for Linux Microsoft Defender for Endpoint as part of OSU’s ongoing commitment to broaden system management capabilities across different operating systems.

 

Performance Management Pilot Project 

The Performance Management Pilot project is redesigning the professional faculty performance evaluation process and system for the OSU IT and Controller’s units, to inform the university’s future approach. The Performance Management Pilot project team has begun to close out the pilot and operationalize the current process for OSU IT and the Controller’s Units until a university wide system and process can be implemented. The project team collected feedback on the performance management system and process independently, and based on a review with project sponsors, decided to modify areas of both the SuccessFactors platform and the performance management process.

A resource library, FAQs, session recordings, and schedule for upcoming training offerings for the pilot can be found on the Performance Management Pilot website.

 

Enterprise Service Management Program – Human Resources Service Delivery (HRSD)

The HRSD project is the leading project of a long-term strategic university initiative that will modernize and improve the faculty, staff, and student experience of administrative processes. University Human Resources (UHR) and Payroll have partnered with University Information & Technology to offer OSU this  new, easier and more efficient HR experience. With the platform launched in early February, the team’s recent focus has been to ensure a stable platform, implement fixes and make enhancements in response to user needs. The project team is in the process of handing off operations and formally closing out this phase of the project.

An HRSD website with resources, FAQs, and training videos is available at https://beav.es/hrsd.

 

ADA31 Project

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability. In 2021, the provost charged an ADA31 Task Force to survey Oregon State University’s (OSU) policies, programs, and systems in place to support a culture of inclusion and compliance with the ADA and make recommendations for improvements. The EPPMO is providing project management services to the ADA31 Initiative by supporting the initiation, planning, coordination, monitoring and reporting of efforts assigned to campus units involved in the initiative.

Recent accomplishments and ongoing efforts include:

• Developed unit-level work plans and established a reporting template and process.
• Released the first quarterly report for activities completed between January 2023 – March 2023 activities.

For additional information, please visit the ADA 31 website.

 

Managerial Competency Framework (MCF)

The EPPMO is providing project management services to assist OSU in building a systematic approach to better attracting, developing, and retaining talented academic faculty, professional faculty, staff, public safety personnel and graduate employees in support of the university’s mission. The MCF project contributes to this approach by emphasizing talent development among OSU’s managers.

The framework of managerial competencies reflects the multi-faceted dimensions of academic, student, and administrative functions while emphasizing the OSU commitment to inclusive excellence. MCF allows each unit to determine the emphasis, scope, weight and breadth of knowledge, skills, and abilities. The project is expected to conclude at the end of this academic year.  

 Recent accomplishments and ongoing efforts include:

• Collaboration with business research faculty with expertise in psychology and organizational behavior to evaluate the components of the five MCF competencies.

• Consideration of a badging program to incentivize employees to engage with the MCF trainings.
• Consultation with the Office of Institutional Diversity to ensure that OSU’s commitment to advancing DEI is incorporated within the framework.

 For additional information, please visit the Managerial Competencies Framework website.    

 

 

Academic and Student-related Projects

 

General Education Implementation

In October 2022, the Faculty Senate voted to approve the new General Education Curriculum proposed by the Baccalaureate Core Reform Committee. This action updated a 30-year-old academic curriculum by reducing its size and improving its legibility for all students, introducing a new course category to support students’ transition to OSU, adding a sequence of touchpoints to incorporate career-readiness, and expanding instruction fostering understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This curriculum recognizes both the value of aligning with the state’s Core Transfer Map—which facilitates seamless transfer among Oregon higher education institutions—and creating a distinctive and high-quality foundation for OSU’s degree offerings.

 Recent accomplishments and ongoing efforts include:

• The Faculty Senate voted to adopt all 13 Learning Outcomes, Criteria, and Rationale (LOCR) proposed by LOCR Workgroups on April 13, 2023. Approximately 89 faculty members, with representation from every OSU college and campus, made up the LOCR Workgroups. The successful vote was critical for the other project workstreams and project timeline.
• The Organizational Change Management (OCM) committee continues to provide open and transparent updates to stakeholders and is collaborating with OSU University Relations and Marketing to develop a name, branding, and messaging for the new curriculum.
• The Policy & Process committee continues to focus on reviewing and developing policies with the Baccalaureate Core Committee so that by summer 2023 the foundation is in place to effectively begin receiving course proposals for the new curriculum.
• The Policy & Process committee has developed an installation plan with the Baccalaureate Core Committee to facilitate an orderly and transparent onboarding of new general education courses across OSU Colleges for the summer 2025 launch.
• The Pedagogical Support and Development committee is working to hire and organize resources to ensure that required training for (re)development and/or teaching of general education courses is available for faculty starting in fall 2023.
• Launch date for new general education curriculum is scheduled and on track for summer 2025.

 

Common Course Numbering

In 2021, the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 233 requiring the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) and schools to improve the pathways for students transferring between public community colleges and universities. The bill directed the HECC to establish a 15-member Transfer Council with representation from Oregon’s public universities, community colleges, and from secondary education.

 Recent accomplishments and ongoing efforts include:

• Transfer Council and HECC approved Phase I courses in areas of Math, Writing, Statistics, and Communication have been successfully implemented in OSU systems and will be reflected in the OSU Catalog for the 2023/24 academic year when published on June 17.
• The Organizational Change Management (OCM) committee continues to provide open and transparent updates and trainings for stakeholders to ensure preparation for advising and registration related to these CCN courses.

Phase II Transfer Council Faculty Subcommittees are currently in their fourth month of meetings across the state to align courses in areas of Math, English, Psychology, and Business. Faculty subcommittees are expected to provide proposals for Transfer Council and HECC consideration in Summer 2023.

 

Access OSU

The Division of Extension and Engagement, Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Institutional Diversity are partnering on a project to increase family and student access to information about attending college. The project would also help prospective students develop early relationships with OSU and its student support services through programs designed to build trust among communities of color, specifically African American/Black, Native/Indigenous/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latinx communities.

Ongoing efforts for Access OSU include:

• Continuing messaging and developing partnerships with OSU programs and community.
• Access OSU Kick-off event is scheduled for Aug. 10, 2023, at the OSU Portland Center.
• Asset mapping of internal partners and programs is underway.
• A community advisory committee is being formed with representation from other partners, K-12 schools, and existing community programs.
• Program operation budget has been approved.
• Preparing recruitment effort for Access OSU support staff.

 

Beaver Hub (Student Experience CRM)

Oregon State University is preparing to launch the Beaver Hub in June 2023. Once implemented, the “hub” will support the university’s efforts to communicate and engage with current students in a coordinated and personalized manner and will support collaborations centered on student care and support across college and departments.

Recent accomplishments and ongoing efforts include:

• Completed requirements gathering, user acceptance testing, and hosted process session discussions with staff and students.
• Drafting a university Communications Policy to prepare for new communication tools.
• Onboarding 50+ Change Champions to assist with peer training and post-go-live support.
• Conducting Gender Mag Inclusivity testing with staff and student representatives.
• Preparing to onboard ~800 users in June 2023.

For additional information, please visit the project website.

 

 

Research-related Projects

 

Elliott State Research Forest

In December 2018, Oregon’s State Land Board requested that OSU and the Oregon Department of State Lands explore the potential transformation of the Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) into a state research forest managed by OSU and its College of Forestry. Led by the senior associate vice president for administration, this exploratory work has been ongoing since early 2019 and has included the engagement of advisory committees at the state and college level, along with input from a broad range of stakeholders.

The EPPMO team closed out its early-stage management this project in April and handed the remaining work over to the College of Forestry ESRF team. EPPMO’s engagement with ESRF focused on working in alignment with College of Forestry, administrative leadership, and experts to coordinate connections, collaboration and working groups that helped move the project forward and meet the objectives and deliverable outlined in the ESRF Research Proposal. Specifically, these activities included: 

• Assisted in development, drafting, and feedback process for a term sheet that will inform an anticipated future contract between OSU and the ESRF Board.
• Facilitated risk assessment with supporting tracking documents and an executive brief.
• Provided background and content research, convene experts, and develop documents that explore ownership models for the ESRF.
• Made connections between the research team and university experts to support, inform and gather data on the financial assessment and viability models.
• Educated, supported, and provided project management tools, resources, and templates to the college project team members.
• Participated in statewide meetings including advisory committee meetings to assist in the tracking, notes, and outcomes.
• Planned and facilitated project team meetings.

 

PacWave

PacWave South is a state-of-the-art, pre-permitted, accredited, grid-connected, wave energy test facility. It is currently under development in partnership with the US Department of Energy, the State of Oregon, OSU, and local stakeholders. The open-ocean test site will consist of four berths, which will occupy two square nautical miles of ocean with a 12-mile-long cable route to shore. After nearly 10 years of working through the regulatory process, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued OSU a license to build and operate the PacWave South test facility in March 2021.

Manufacturing of over 80km (about 49.71 mi) in cable is underway with cable deployment expected summer 2024 and grid-connected testing is anticipated in 2025. Construction on the Utility Connection and Monitoring Facility started in late winter 2023. OSU’s Research Office is the primary contact for contracting with PacWave clients and has started work on a template for a baseline agreement. They partnered with Insurance and Risk Management Services to provide the PacWave team with initial information on OSU’s expectations for contracting, bonding and insurance requirements for future PacWave clients. This information was shared with Department of Energy sponsors in early April 2023.

The EPPMO team provides the following support for PacWave South:

• Project support and coordination with OSU leadership
• Support in evaluating potential business models and contracting support for clients
• Coordination with PCMM and Research Office to determine OSU’s lead for contracting
• Facilitated discussion of options for Marine Support Vessels and client evaluation for onboarding

Coming Soon

Register now for June 6 DFA All Staff Info Forum: OSU’s Administrative Modernization Program –  https://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cHHKa5IAGqY1nZI – Join Andrea Ballinger, vice president and chief information officer, Heather Riney, executive director of AMP, and Dr. Sasi Pillay, vice president for information technology at University of Nevada, Reno, and me for an informative and engaging discussion regarding the new Administrative Modernization Program (AMP) and how it will advance administrative processes at OSU. This informative session is designed specifically for all staff within the Division of Finance and Administration to provide a preview of AMP and the opportunity for an open dialogue with the program leads. This is a Zoom meeting—all attendees will be remote.

 

FYI Friday!  –  University Human Resources hosts regular FYI Fridays. Agendas consist of a variety of campus partners presenting brief, one-off, awareness-or foundational skill-building topics of interest to a wide audience. Click here for more information and to register to attend an FYI Fridays presentation. Upcoming presentations include:

• June 2nd, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, First Aid Kits
• June 9th, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, Leveraging LinkedIn Learning
• October 13th, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, Food Insecurity on Campus

 

In-Person New Employee Orientation – University HR welcomes new faculty and staff on Monday, September 13th for an in-person New Employee Orientation. Participants will learn about their terms of employment, OSU benefits and retirement options, and work/life programs, and learn about the services provided by the Equal Opportunity & Access, University Ombuds, and Insurance Risk Management teams. Enroll in this exclusive in-person New Employee Orientation here! No cost to attend, but register soon -- space is limited.

 

OSU Surplus’s “Campus Moves” Program Back!

-- Need help to move the items in your space at OSU? OSU Surplus’s “Campus Moves” Program is back! They offer affordable, in-house moving help for spaces with two occupants or fewer. Surplus supplies staff and equipment to help you move your desk, a file cabinet, chair, boxes, bookshelf, and more, to another campus location or to the OSU Surplus property. Please visit our site to learn more about the process or call OSU Surplus at (541) 737-7347.

 

Get caught up

OSU Architect & Director of Capital Resources Featured in National Article – Libby Ramirez’s recently featured article in the Daily Journal of Commerce  is now available to online readers. Ramirez and other experts explained how they evaluate project proposals and what makes a winning proposal stand out from the crowd.  “I want to hear what's exciting about our project and what first intrigued you. When someone says they have been dying for this project to be posted for years, that's the kind of thing we appreciate,” Ramirez said in the article.

 

Capital Project Update Highlights Progress on Campus Infrastructure – Division of Finance and Administration leaders hosted a virtual forum on May 4 to update the OSU community on a slate of capital projects that are currently in progress. The forum included updates on the Washington Way Improvement Project, ADA improvements at Washington Way and SW 17th St. and the new Welcome and Health Centers at Reser Stadium. A recording of the forum is available here.

 

Retirement Expo Highlighted 13 Providers—In April, University Human Resources sponsored a retirement expo. Both virtual and in-person sessions were offered throughout the day that provided retirement planning education to OSU employees in all life stages. Over 200 employees attended with 13 vendors available for consultation in the MU Horizon room. Some of the topics included Managing Unexpected Expenses, Medicare 101, PERS Health Plans, PERS Retirement Plans, Taking the First Step to Investing, Retirement Strategies and Social Security. A similar event is being planned for next year.