Message from the Vice President
February 11, 2022
DFA Colleagues,
We are in the midst of winter term and we have already reached the halfway point of fiscal year 2022. The DFA senior leaders and I recently reviewed our progress in achieving the division’s strategic priorities for the year and we were very pleased to see how much progress teams across the division have made in so many areas.
A few highlights: We are on track with implementing the Framework for Success project, with metrics expected to be in place for all units by the end of June. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Planning Workgroup launched and is developing a vision of inclusive excellence and a slate of actions for the DFA. The workgroup anticipates having a plan ready for implementation starting in fall term. Our project management office, now known as the Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office (EPPMO) has expanded to support university-wide projects of strategic importance to the community.
In this quarter’s update, you can read about the many ways DFA units are collaborating with OSU partners to advance our community’s collective goals, including sustainability, safety and modernizing systems and tools. The Completing Reser construction project is now underway following a successful implosion of the westside grandstands (pictured in this GIF created by Abbie Leland). This capital construction project is a great example of how DFA units frequently collaborate with many partners and stakeholders to bring complex projects to fruition.
This update includes several great “kudos” stories about your DFA colleagues, who were recognized by community partners for exceeding expectations. These stories represent what I believe are countless instances of DFA staff members going above and beyond, which aren’t all captured in writing. Keep up the great work and continue finding ways to model our shared values and principles in your day-to-day work. Be sure to check out the last couple of news items, which include updates about some DFA team members and an invitation to attend the Feb. 16 Capital Projects Forum.
Thanks for taking the time to read on about some of the great work happening across the Division of Finance and Administration…
Winter 2022 News from DFA Units
Photos from the DFA Winter Meeting held on December 15, 2021 are now available online.
Feel free to download your photo with Benny or with your colleagues. Please respect the privacy of others and don’t post any photos without permission first. Note: you will be required to enter your ONID username and password to access the files.
Thank you to Abbie Leland for serving as event photographer and capturing these memories to share!
A big thank you goes out to everyone in the division who donated to the OSU food pantry during our Pack the Pantry event in December Together, we were able to contribute an incredible 7,168 items! These items will go a long way in helping OSU students achieve success now and during the rest of the academic year. The Human Services Resource Center (HSRC), which runs the food pantry, expressed gratitude for the variety of items, most of which they rarely receive. The HSRC staff enjoyed opening boxes to see what new goodies they could offer to OSU students.
The division’s senior leaders are also thankful for the leadership and coordination of the Controller’s Unit Food Insecurity Committee (Andrea Norris, Christina Saechao, Curt Black, Ethan Monie, Kelsey Herman and Tamara Gash).
If you have ideas on how to increase student food security, please contact the committee at ControllersUnitFIC@oregonstate.edu.
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.
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Alex Sims
Ben Wessel
Matt Stoye
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Ben Wessel, Senior Director of DFA Information Technology; Matt Stoye, DFA Information Technology Consultant; and Alex Sims, Director of Vendor Payment Strategies were commended by the chief information officer for their collaboration and extra efforts on the OCI Banner Migration project. Our division played a big part in this work since DFA units control many Banner-related processes. This project directly supports the 2023 IT Strategic Plan, meeting two strategic priorities and modernizing the university’s data management approach.
In this situation, Ben, Matt and Alex are demonstrating a commitment to active stewardship of resources toward OSU’s long-term success. They are also working with the entire university IT team to assess and manage risk to balance innovation and compliance needs.
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Waste Watchers student club at Campus Recycling
Rae DeLay |
Andrea Norris, Marketing & Development Coordinator; the Waste Watchers Student Club; and Rae DeLay, Manager of Operations—all part of the Materials Management Team—were recognized for contributing to the success of the President’s Winter Celebration. The director of University Events used input and advice from Andrea and Rae to determine how to make the event safe and fun under COVID-19 pandemic gathering restrictions. By collaborating, they changed the event’s focus to fun craft projects and a give-away of safety supplies for the more than 400 people who attended the event. Andrea Norris and the Waste Watchers group led the upcycling of UHDS t-shirts into tote bags. A student employee from Surplus staffed the mask decoration station. Rae Delay provided additional resources and coordinated the donation of supplies like face masks, hand sanitizer and sanitizer wipes. Student Ambassadors from Counseling and Psychological Services volunteered to distribute supplies and resources to attendees. Andrea, Rae and the other Materials Management team members involved were “able to turn a challenge into a new type of success” according to the events director. In addition to a great example of resource stewardship, the team exhibited clear and transparent communication, conveying respect for OSU community members.
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Andrea Norris and Rae DeLay from Materials Management received two shout-outs within two weeks, so we know they have been busy! To provide a strong layer of protection during the Omicron surge during winter term, OSU’s coronavirus response included acquiring and making available about 400,000 N95 masks for use by students, faculty and staff in Corvallis and across the State of Oregon. The vice provost for student affairs reported that this effort would not have been successful without the contributions of Rae, Andrea and the Materials Management team. They oversaw the logistics and distribution process, including reopening the Resumption Supply Store and a new online ordering system. Rae’s proactive approach meant that this all happened very quickly and at little cost to the university. Like Andrea and Rae’s first story, this situation is a great demonstration of stewardship, collaboration and clear communication. Both stories illustrate how our division can empower employees to improve stakeholder satisfaction, when the authority to make decisions is appropriately delegated.
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John Simonson, Records Technician for the Department of Public Safety was commended by the DPS dispatch manager for his coordination role in helping the public safety team achieve police department certification from the State of Oregon with an error rate of zero. This accomplishment helps increase the confidence and trust that other law enforcement agencies have in OSU’s newly-formed police department. John’s willingness to put in extra time, his eye for detail and his ability to support the team were recognized as key contributors to a successful outcome for the certification process. John is already looking for ways to improve the process when it is time for recertification. This situation demonstrates the DPS team’s efforts to contribute to community safety and respect for all its members, which is a way of enacting OSU’s core values and enabling the university’s mission. John’s work also demonstrates how process consistency balanced with flexibility can improve teams’ efficiency and effectiveness. |
Andrea Norris
One of OSU’s overarching goals is to create a culture of belonging, collaboration and innovation. To help the Division of Finance and Administration contribute more to this goal, the vice president launched a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Action Planning Workgroup in late November 2021.
Co-chaired by Tom Fenske and Keahi McFadden and administered by Melanie Rose, the workgroup is staffed by people who represent a broad range of DFA’s units and position types. Teresita Alvarez-Cortez from the Office of Institutional Diversity is advising the workgroup. The group’s website includes links to meeting summaries with more details about the team’s activities.
Over the coming months, workgroup members will engage in dialogue with DFA employees and stakeholders to identify the division’s unique DEI needs and develop specific actions DFA units can undertake to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion practices at OSU. The goal is to have a plan (including proposed Framework for Success performance metrics) ready for units to begin implementation in Fall 2022.
At an early meeting, workgroup members talked about the reasons they volunteered to contribute to this effort, including:
- A desire to learn more about DEI issues, and to be part of the effort to create positive change at OSU.
- Excitement to see this effort happening at the division level, and a desire to help create actions that everyone can participate in.
- A sense of value in learning from each other’s experiences, and a desire to share information with co-workers in our departments and units.
- The need to address challenges people have seen and experienced related to lack of resources and support for people of color and/or people for whom English is not their primary language.
The workgroup’s weekly meetings initially focused on shared learning as a team, to give everyone a common understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion concepts, the basics about organizational change management, and how to determine when policies and processes are leading to inequities and disparate impacts on people. Members discussed questions like:
- What problems keep the DFA from living its values?
- What does the division need to know, do or believe to make progress?
- Where is trust and relationship-building most important?
- What would each DFA function and process look like and feel like when equity is embedded?
- Unburdened by resource and time constraints, how would equity be centered in each function and process of the unit?
Next, the workgroup will start to collect input from DFA employees and stakeholders across the university to design an ideal future vision for the DFA and to inform the action plan. Division employees are invited to learn more about the DEI Action Planning Workgroup’s efforts and roadmap, along with other DEI resources and information at the division’s updated website for Inclusive Excellence: https://fa.oregonstate.edu/dfa-inclusive-excellence.
As a reminder, all university employees are encouraged to report bias incidents to the Office of Institutional Diversity so they can be properly addressed. At OSU, a bias incident is defined as “an act directed toward an individual or community based upon actual or perceived background or identity including: age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.” Incidents of bias can have negative impacts on people and our community. Learn more about bias incidents and how to report them here: https://diversity.oregonstate.edu/bias-incident-response.
The DEI Action Planning Workgroup welcomes the input, suggestions and questions of all DFA employees and OSU community members at any point in the development process. Use this link to send the workgroup a message: https://beav.es/wf8
DEI Action Planning Workgroup Members
Following her recent one-year anniversary as OSU’s associate vice president for public safety, Chief Shanon Anderson continues her practice of regular engagements with OSU community members. On Friday, Feb. 18, Chief Anderson will be a speaker at the Safe Ride Programs United Conference, a national gathering of safe ride programs for higher-ed students. Chief Anderson will discuss the ways safe ride programs are important contributors to campus-wide and student safety.
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) continues to make staffing a priority. Police officers and sergeants, public safety officers and dispatchers are being actively recruited and a new administrative lieutenant is anticipated to start later this spring. Recruitments to fully staff officer positions are ongoing.
DPS policies are being developed and published online. The public safety policy manual is a living document where policies are periodically reviewed, updated and added. Chief Anderson and Paul Odenthal, senior associate vice president for administration, are working with OSU leadership to launch a Committee for Transparent and Accountable Policing and Public Safety, which will focus on a future community involvement framework.
The Completing Reser project is transforming Oregon State University’s Reser Stadium into a national best-in-class football facility with year-round programs and facilities for all OSU students, faculty and staff. The first step in the process was the demolition of the aged Westside Grandstands, which was last updated in 1991. Capital Planning & Development led a collaborative effort; stakeholders from across OSU and the Corvallis community contributed to the successful and safe implosion of Reser Stadium’s west side on January 7, 2022.
- University Relations and Marketing helped organize media, coordinated drone coverage and sent notifications to the OSU and Corvallis communities before, during and after the implosion.
- The Department of Public Safety provided oversight of traffic and safety plans leading up to the implosion and helped ensure safety on the day of the implosion. Partnering agencies with DPS included the City of Corvallis Police Department, Corvallis Fire Department, City of Albany Police Department, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The agencies all worked together and coordinated with DPS before and during the event.
- Transportation Services sent multiple notifications to the OSU community regarding the closure of the Reser parking lot for implosion activities. The team assisted with rerouting of transportation routes during the impacted time and with the relocation of cars remaining after the lot closure.
- Emergency Management coordinated emergency services from the Incident Command Center and helped to send out notifications.
- Environmental Health and Safety provided oversight on health and safety measures prior to the implosion. EH&S also distributed KN95 masks to onlookers as needed.
- Insurance and Risk Management Services; Procurement, Contracts and Materials Management; and the Office of General Counsel provided oversight on contractual obligations and insurance coverage requirements from the contractor and their subcontractors. Numerous risk management efforts were taken by contractors and OSU staff to protect the buildings surrounding the stadium and prevent damage to people and property.
- Armin Stuedlein with the School of Civil and Construction Engineering, and Anne Trehu from the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Studies (CEOAS), were able to place seismographs on campus and in the surrounding area to gather information for seismic research related to impacts from the implosion.
- OSU Intercollegiate Athletics coordinated the entire event production leading up to the actual implosion, assisted in coordination of all webcam footage, and assisted in site security for the buildings surrounding the implosion site.
- The College of Veterinary Medicine, CEOAS, the LaSells Stewart Center, the Alumni Center, Centro Cultural César Chávez and Samaritan Health Services served as great partners in their willingness to shut down or delay services on the morning of the implosion for the safety of faculty, staff, students, campus visitors and the community.
Following the successful implosion of the stadium’s west side, contractors began work to transform the stadium into a year-round facility with the construction of a new, state-of-the art, interactive Student Welcome Center and a new campus wellness clinic located along the southeast side of the stadium. Check the Reser Stadium webcam to follow along with construction progress.
As a community, Oregon State University employees are committed to acting with the highest levels of integrity, while engaging in ethical conduct and compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The OSU Critical Training Program consists of short eLearning courses covering topics deemed essential for the employee community at OSU, and prepares the employee community to fulfill these commitments.
On Jan. 31, 2022, University Human Resources launched the first recertification process for the OSU Critical Training Program. Recertification is the process of reassigning Critical Trainings for completion on a regular basis to provide a refresh of this important information to employees and, at times, revised and updated Critical Training content.
Many employees have recently received emails from Oregon State University Training with a link to the training programs that, based on your job, you are required to complete. The University HR team has worked to update and streamline training content whenever possible.
To learn more about the OSU Critical Training Program or the recertification process, visit the OSU Critical Training Program FAQ page.
NDUP brings energy efficiency and reliability to campus. Chilled water plants, like the recently-completely North District Utility Plant located on the Corvallis campus, are a forward-thinking approach to producing power and supply water to buildings. These utility plants generate electrically-powered heating and cooling, and distribute hot water.
The NDUP was designed with modern, energy-efficient chillers and cooling towers. This type of design will bring substantial energy savings and reliability to the research that happens at facilities such as Burt Hall, the Agricultural and Life Sciences Building, Nash Hall and Cordley and Withycombe Halls after renovation. The NDUP also replaces failing chillers in several of the buildings it now serves. This creates a more efficient, maintainable and reliable solution when compared to typical building chillers.
The NDUP aids in the university’s path toward carbon neutrality and energy efficiency-focused goals. “This is the first step in a long-range endeavor to switch from distributing natural-gas-generated steam to electrically-heated-water,” said OSU Capital Planner John Gremmels.
Improved storm water protection measures put in place. Improved storm water protection measures have been put in place throughout OSU’s Corvallis campus. The Environmental Health and Safety team is identifying and labeling storm drains on campus, as well as working with campus departments to install sediment catchment fabric traps and, in some cases, oil-sensing devices in areas identified as posing a potential higher risk. These measures will help safeguard and improve storm water quality for the Corvallis campus.
New online sustainability map launched – The Sustainability Office’s new map is an interactive, web-based map showcasing many of the sustainability-related features around OSU’s Corvallis Campus. Items highlighted include OSU’s many Cultural Centers, storm water collection features, energy efficient buildings, electric vehicle chargers, bike fix-it stands and many great programs that make OSU both a more sustainable and pleasant place. Since it’s virtual, the map is open to change and your feedback is welcome. Comments or suggestions can be sent to sustainability@oregonstate.edu.
Sustainability Office achieves another first in measuring sustainability.
OSU space management solution update. OSUSpaces, the university’s new space management software (previously called InVision), will allow OSU to better catalog space. Having more accurate information and data allows the Space Management team to improve space utilization on campus and help units better understand and prioritize the ways they allocate space.
Over 200 building floorplans and 8,000 room assignments have been imported into the new system to date. The software is entering a test phase, with a predicted timeline of February through April 2022, where a group of campus stakeholders will receive access to OSUSpaces and provide feedback to the Space Management team. Following this testing phase, OSUSpaces will be available for all university employees. For questions regarding the OSUSpaces integration or if you are interested in participating in the testing phase, please contact Space Analyst Hailey Muller.
Safety Culture Task Force. The Environmental Health and Safety team collaborated with university partners to form the OSU Workplace Safety Culture Task Force, in alignment with best practice recommendations from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU).
The task force will advance OSU’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.The task force will evaluate current OSU workplace safety programs, policies, procedures, education, training, oversight and will provide recommendations to university leadership by June 2022.
Safety Purchase Assistance Program. Insurance and Risk Management Services and Environmental Health and Safety have collaborated to increase the amount that can be reimbursed to units under the Safety Purchase Assistance Program. The purpose of the Safety Purchase Assistance Program is to assist units with the funding of qualifying items to be used toward safety improvements intended to reduce work-related injuries, illnesses and workers’ compensation claims. Departments may now request funding for up to $7,500 for 90% of their approved safety-related purchases. For more information on the Safety Purchase Assistance Program, program documentation (which includes information on qualifying purchases), or to complete the online application, visit https://ehs.oregonstate.edu/osu-safety-purchase-assistance-program.
The OSUsed Store is offering customer rewards punch cards for 2022. Pick yours up at the cash registers on your next visit to the OSUsed Store and earn punches for money off your purchases throughout this year. More details on the Surplus Property website.
Materials Management and the Sustainability Office are hard at work on four actions to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the work they do, including training opportunities, staff recognition and an inclusion survey. Read more about their priorities and action plan, as well as the steps they followed to develop them, on their new webpage.
After one of OSU’s recycling vendors discontinued accepting hardcover books and plastic film, PCMM came together to research, conduct test runs and partner with a new vendor in Springfield, Oregon. Now, the university can continue to divert these goods that have been generated on campus as well as the local school district and public library away from the landfill. Books are special materials that can be recycled when sorted out separately by departments; see a full list of special recyclables at the Recycling website.
The Insurance & Risk Management Services team is currently working through several insurance-related challenges in this insurance market cycle (which is called a hard market). Some factors that are impacting the current insurance market include: catastrophic natural events such as wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes; increased litigation and large settlement costs; and COVID-19 implications. These market conditions mean that insurers are more cautious about the risk they take on; a great deal of information is required to underwrite a policy, and relationships with insurers become very important.
For Insurance and Risk Management Services, this means starting the renewal process earlier, developing high quality submissions to insurers, and spending additional time to present and review information with insurers. While the bulk of OSU’s insurance policies renew on Jul. 1, nine insurance program renewals occurred on Jan. 1. One of those insurance program renewals is coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program for 14 university buildings. These buildings were selected based on the following criteria: structures with a combined building and content value of $100,000 or more and structures that are in a Special Flood Hazard Area, as designated by FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). Another item is camps and clinics insurance, which is an accident insurance plan typically for minor participants in OSU camps, like a science, sports or music camp.
Though the team just finalized January renewals, the July renewal process has already begun. Insurance and Risk Management Services consults closely with business partners across the university to gather information related to insurance applications. So, if and when you hear from the insurance team, please be timely and thorough in your responses as it truly makes a difference in pricing, terms, conditions, and the coverage OSU can get in this hard insurance market.
The Office of Faculty Affairs and the Employee and Labor Relations team launched the Academic Faculty Resources site in late October, providing an academic faculty resource hub. These pages are part of the Faculty Affairs website and include a general information and resources page, as well as pages dedicated to fixed-term, postdoctoral, tenure-track, and tenured academic faculty members.
UHR Learning & Development is now accepting FYI Friday presentation proposals for Winter and Spring 2022! Does your team have a service, process or system you want to share with the campus community? Consider FYI Friday as your venue! FYI Friday is a weekly program where campus partners are invited to present brief, one-off, awareness- or skill- building topics intended for a wide audience of professional faculty, academic faculty and classified staff. Learn more about the requirements and application process here. Feel free to reach out to hr.training@oregonstate.edu with any questions!
Hiring Tools
Five new dashboards were enabled Monday on the PeopleAdmin home page for those unit liaisons utilizing the Search Support role. This will make it easier to see the status and stats of the postings, candidates, and hires specific to the units they support at a glance. All existing functionality such as the Inbox and Watch List remain the same. Three of the visualizations, My Jobs, My Candidates and My Hiring Stats, also include drill down functionality that will allow the search support person to access a specific posting or application directly from the dashboards and to export data to Excel as needed. Time to Fill and Time to Hire metrics were also added. We’ve already received positive feedback on the new functionality!
I get benefits! You get benefits! We all get benefits! The benefits team hosted virtual Benefits Fairs and in person Open Enrollment help sessions in Corvallis, Newport and Bend. They also hosted two flu shot clinics on the Corvallis campus serving over 1000 people. The Benefits Team is headed to Hatfield on March 8, 2022 to provide benefits presentations and consultations to employees in Newport.
Check out UHR's new Work Life and Wellness Newsletter. The February version is located here: https://hr.oregonstate.edu/sites/hr.oregonstate.edu/files/2022-01/february_work_life.pdf
The Office of Leasing and Strategic Real Property Management supported OSU’s Marine Studies Initiative (MSI) by facilitating and completing the closing of a property gift acquisition in Port Orford, Curry County. The 0.13 acre parcel gift includes three buildings, and was donated by Port Orford Ocean Resource Team, which was a locally-based non-governmental organization. Prior to the donation, OSU’s Port Orford Field Station operated there as part of the MSI mission to serve as a hub supporting student learning, scientific research, community priorities, and economic opportunities. The operation of the Port Orford Field Station now continues under OSU’s ownership of the building.
Even when property is donated like this, due diligence is required, which the Real Property Management Office completed in anticipation of OSU taking ownership. They worked through important items such as deed restriction language, environmental, property inspection and geotechnical assessment, survey and title review, pro forma, and a tsunami evacuation plan. Once under OSU ownership, the Real Property Management Office also completed document preparation for a lease with Port Orford Sustainable Seafood to use a portion of the site collaboratively, which also contributes to OSU’s strategic goals and research agenda. The property transaction was closed and recorded on December 22, 2021.
The Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office is part of the Division of Finance and Administration. It oversees a portfolio of university-wide programs and projects, where each program is a set of interrelated projects that work together to advance the university's strategic priorities, in alignment with industry best practices. The EPPMO is managing a broad portfolio of projects across the university, including these:
DFA Framework for Success
Unit Level Metrics. DFA units continue to work through the 8-step implementation approach to develop performance metrics. The development process includes a team meeting with Vice President Mike Green and their unit’s senior leader to discuss the experience with metrics and ask questions.
After taking a deeper dive with Dr. Calvo-Amodio, Heather Riney and the research team, units are paired up with a member of the EPPMO’s “dashboard team” to build out the visualization of their metrics in graphic form using the Tableau platform. The first group of unit teams to complete the metrics implementation process—including development of dashboards—will celebrate their successes at the end of February! All DFA units are expected to complete the 8-step implementation process by June 30, 2022.
Updates to Framework Elements. Mike Green, Paul Odenthal, Dr. Calvo-Amodio, 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. The purpose of these conversations included an opportunity to ask 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 has synthesized the feedback and are currently working through suggested modifications with the DFA Senior Leadership Team. The modifications to the Framework will be shared with the participants and our DFA units in early 2022.
Beaver Works
Business Analytics.
• Position Management
• Budget Reports
• Enrollment Management
This set of information represents the essential data that university leaders need to better manage forecasting, budgets and spending, hiring and enrollment. The selected reports are being made available as Tableau dashboards for ease of use, with self-serve training resources provided.
Initially being referred to as the University Financial Management Suite, the package of tools 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 currently in progress through March 2022. Over sixty professional faculty members across six colleges (CAS, CEOAS, CLA, COE, COF, COS) and several central administration units (Enrollment, DFA, HR, and UIT) are participating in the feasibility pilot to test and provide feedback for functionality and navigation of the UFM Suite tools and training materials. Participants are involved in several ways, including, focus groups, surveys, DataLab drop-ins, and feedback mechanisms located throughout the UFM Suite website.
The feasibility pilot schedule is provided below; it does not currently include the development of a bottom-up forecasting tool. More information on this project can be found on the Impact Studio website (https://impactstudio.oregonstate.edu/node/4/#ufm) or on the Beaver Works website (https://fa.oregonstate.edu/business-operations-project/milestones-and-updates).
Non-Student Accounts Receivable Project. Oregon State University’s existing non-student accounts receivable system was identified as an area of need based on business operations review findings. A business case has been developed, informed by the Beaver Works core project team’s operational excellence expectations, along with information previously collected. The project lead, Dwight Brimley, and its business owner, Lissa Perrone, are working alongside dedicated project management resources from the Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office to compile project resources and finalize the project charter. The team has been working with sponsors Heidi Sann and Amy McLaughlin (UIT) to align scope with university strategic goals. A project kickoff meeting is anticipated to happen in late February or early March.
Performance Management Pilot Project
The Performance Management Pilot project team continues to advance the goal of piloting a redesigned performance management process and system for the OSU IT and Controller’s units as part of OSU’s development of talent management tools. The Performance Management Pilot is currently live; employees are being added to the system based on their evaluation cycle.
The project team is currently focused on:
• Developing a multi-rater feedback process for a subset of professional faculty
• Incorporating feedback received from pilot users
• Releasing a user experience and feedback survey
• Hosting monthly Getting Started and Drop-in Support sessions
A resource library, FAQs, session recordings, and schedule for upcoming trainings for the pilot can be found on the Performance Management Pilot Website at https://beav.es/pmpilot.
Non-Credit Learning Management System (LMS) Project
The Non-Credit Learning Management System project is in the planning process with Executive Sponsors Cathy Hasenpflug (University Human Resources), Andrea Ballinger (University Information & Technology) and Dr. Ivory Lyles (Extension and Engagement). The group is starting a project to design a user experience for non-credit learning that includes a Learning Management System to track people’s progress. The project team is working with sponsors to identify and align the scope of the project with the university’s strategic vision, while developing a project charter and identifying core project team members. The core project team will incorporate requirements for tracking learners and completion of courses for OSU and non-OSU ID learners during the request-for-proposal process. A project team kick off is anticipated in February 2022.
Enterprise Service Management Program
OSU is focused on creating a modern student and employee experience through a new Enterprise Service Management (ESM) platform. This technology platform will enable OSU to simplify access to information, resources, and training that faculty, students, and employees need, using personalization and automation to create seamless, intuitive online experiences. The ESM is expected to improve overall performance and realize cost savings by aligning services and eliminating duplicative work efforts.
A diverse project team has come together to begin the process of obtaining and implementing an ESM platform over the coming months. Some of the group’s recent accomplishments and ongoing efforts include:
• Conclusion of the RFP process; a platform and implementation partner have been identified (award pending).
• A communication roadshow is underway to connect with various audiences in the OSU community.
• An implementation roadmap is being developed with considerations to resources and priorities across OSU.
• Information gathering, process mapping, and planning continues across HR and OSU IT.
Smart Access Program
The Smart Access program supports several elements of the OSU IT Strategic Plan 2023 and OSU’s Strategic Plan 4.0. The project enables a foundational capability to provide secure and appropriate access to data and systems to secure OSU’s digital assets wherever they may be. It also provides a strategy for allowing OSU community members to live digitally-vibrant lives.
The first element of Smart Access is to make security and organizational improvements to the Active Directory system, to allow for the implementation of a single online identity for each user. Next, the team will focus on establishing single access for OSU community members and for people from outside the university who need to interact with OSU digital assets. Establishing a system of single identity is the basis of a Zero Trust Architecture and satisfies a major objective of the OSU IT Strategic Plan 2023.
The second element of Smart Access is establishing a single, logically consistent control plane that enables automated and efficient access to OSU Digital Assets and services. The control plane consistently and efficiently applies business decisions regarding access for the entire OSU community. The control plane may not be a single technology or system, but it must implement consistent governance decisions for the entire institution.
The third element of Smart Access is understanding and cataloging OSU IT and digital assets. Cataloged assets will be used enable the connection between a single identity, the control plane and the needed digital assets/services. Examples of digital assets include devices (servers, workstations, mobile, IoT), applications, roles of users (Student, Faculty, Collaborator, System Admin, etc.), and data.
This project launched January 2022 with the first goal of finishing the development of the RFP for the identity system procurement by the end of February.
Access OSU
In the realm of student success, a project has been initiated to increase family and student access to information about entering and attending college. The project will also help students develop early relationships with OSU’s student support services through programs designed to build trust between communities of color in our region—specifically African American/Black; Native/Indigenous/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latinx communities—and OSU’s Division of Extension and Engagement, Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Institutional Diversity.
The project team is currently being formed and project initiation and planning is underway. Look for more information on this exciting project soon!
Christina McKnight named PURMIT Chair.
Libby Ramirez to serve as interim director of capital project delivery.
Libby will continue her work as university architect and director of capital resources while serving in this interim role, as UFIO works to hire a permanent director of capital project delivery. As director of capital resources, Libby oversees Space Management and University Land Use Planning while providing expertise in facilities planning and design, space programming, space allocation and capital project planning. During her career at OSU since 2015, Libby has overseen the construction of the OSU Portland Center, the Forest Science Complex, and the recent implosion of the west side of Reser Stadium as part of the Completing Reser Stadium project.
DFA IT welcomes new staff members. Theresa Braun, Scott Campbell, Morgan Koch and Samantha Martin moved in January from University Human Resources to join the Business Architecture group of DFA Information Technology. Focused on supporting the front-end system and user interfaces, Business Architecture is a key part of the consolidated IT solutions team for DFA.
Two new leaders join University Human Resources
Mike Mandzuk will serve as Director Compensation and HR Data Analytics, reporting to the chief human resources officer. Mike replaces
Tracey Yee, who retired last year. Mike joined OSU from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where he enjoyed a 21-year career, most recently as Executive Director of Compensation and Employee Records. He served in increasingly responsible leadership roles across compensation and classification, compensation analysis and program design, HR Information Systems, HR records, data and reporting, and HR system implementations. Mike is working from the Corvallis campus as he leads the university’s Classification & Compensation and HR Data teams. He holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Houston and an M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.
Jason Perkiser will serve as the new Associate Director of Employee and Labor Relations, reporting to Heather Horn. Jason comes to OSU by way of Wisconsin, where he has most recently been the Employment and Labor Relations Specialist for the Milwaukee Public Schools. Jason has worked in both the private and public sectors and brings significant labor and employment law experience to this position. He holds a B.S. in History from Northern Illinois University and a J.D. from Marquette University Law School. In the short term, Jason will be working remotely until his family transitions to Corvallis.
Brittany McDonald has been appointed to a temporary position as Interim Associate Director HR Operations. While serving in this role, she will continue to supervise the Student Employment Team. The Interim Associate Director position has a systems focus and will be responsible for the oversight and management of processes and systems used to deliver exceptional customer service. The position will also take a lead role in the optimization of current ticket system functionality to support immediate needs while leading efforts on behalf of HR operations to adopt and implement an enterprise-wide service methodology and system. Brittany’s prior experience with development and implementation of the Benny Hire system will be a great help as we work on the new service delivery platform. Please join us in congratulating Brittany!
Washington & Oregon Higher Ed Sustainability Conference goes all virtual. WOHESC, the signature higher education sustainability event in the Pacific Northwest will now be all virtual and with this change the conference becomes even more cost effective, at $35 for the whole event with an OSU specific discount code! Held March 2-4 online, WOHESC is a platform for conversation, workshops, and networking opportunities that empower participants to advance environmental and social justice performance. March 2 features a Student Sustainability Action Challenge Workshop with main conference sessions March 3 and 4. OSU’s sponsorship of WOHESC, funded by the Sustainability Office, provides several conference passes; if you are unable to access WOHESC through other funding sources, please contact brandon.trelstad@oregonstate.edu for assistance.
Capital Projects Forum Feb. 16.
New! DFA Events and Meetings Webpage. Check out the new DFA Events & Meetings webpage: https://fa.oregonstate.edu/dfa-events-and-meetings. Stay current with division-wide meetings and information sessions, and access videos of past events.
Thank you for everything you do to help each member of the OSU community excel.
Sincerely,
Mike
Questions or suggestions?
Contact the VPFA Office for information, assistance, requests for signature on documents and to make an appointment with Mike.
Division of Finance & Administration—Ensuring success every day!