VPFA

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 about big, multi-faceted projects, sometimes they are about our more 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. (In addition to these external kudos, division employees can use the DFA Hurray! system to share notes of recognition with colleagues.)

Though we highlight just one principle in each of the kudos stories below, they all reflect how DFA employees can use more than one DFA guiding principle to assess judgments, actions and decisions:

• 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.

j._reeves_3.jpg Jenna Reeves	Jenna Reeves, Classification & Compensation Consultant, along with the University Human Resources recruiting team – This group has received several positive comments from the OSU community, most recently from a college dean who commended the “consistently quick and capable responses” of his HR contacts, especially Jenna. The dean thinks things are going well and he wanted us to know it. Jenna and the HR team are demonstrating how each of us can convey intent and respect for the people we work with when we engage and communicate in ways that are responsive, clear and transparent. Great job, Jenna and team!
blank_headshot.png Carrie Trant	Carrie Trant, Project Manager with UFIO – Carrie led a large building remediation project following significant water damage that impacted classrooms and offices. It was a long and difficult process, and in the end, the dean recognized Carrie for being a “model of patience, good will, persistence, strong communication, and extraordinary competence.” He added that “what could have felt like a disaster that just kept on going was curtailed by your presence…” The dean also gave a shout-out praising Facilities Services team members who responded in a way that gave the college staff confidence in the project’s outcome. In addition to exhibiting great communication skills, Carrie’s example shows how process consistency balanced with flexibility can improve a project’s effectiveness and efficiency. Keep up the great work, Carrie!
firth_img-4136_1.jpg Linda Firth	Linda Firth, Employment Services Supervisor with University Human Resources – For safety reasons, OSU conducts background checks on people who volunteer with extension offices and other university services around Oregon. The Human Resources team has been working to make the process faster and less cumbersome. Linda was thanked recently by a county extension agent for doing an “amazing job” and going above and beyond to make sure background checks were completed quickly, so several volunteers could participate in an important event. Linda gives us an example of how each of us can balance the need for compliance with innovation, by actively assessing and managing risk. Way to go, Linda!
hawkins_image411.jpeg Kevin Hawkins	Kevin Hawkins, Police Sergeant with Department of Public Safety – A psychologist resident at OSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services commended Sergeant Hawkins for being “courteous, respectful, and all-around pleasant to speak with” and described how he worked to establish rapport and relationships with the people he encountered. The writer appreciated how Sergeant Hawkins “displayed behaviors consistent with the ideals of community policing.” Sergeant Hawkins demonstrates how we can support the success of OSU community members when we provide for community safety, well-being and respect for all. Wonderful work, Kevin!
cossel_headshotcroppedjpg1.jpg Jennifer Cossel	Jennifer Cossel, Classification & Compensation Consultant, with University Human Resources – A college director recognized Jennifer for her quick, accurate, expert, and collaborative service as they navigated a recent classification matter. “She acted as an outstanding and patient HR partner in helping us arrive at a position that will make the Reser Center for the Creative Arts thrive. It was some of the best HR experience we’ve ever had.” Jennifer’s work shows how we can remove our partners’ barriers to success and expand access to our services when we clearly define, integrate and communicate business policies, standards and processes. Excellent job, Jennifer!
balck_img_0068.jpg Greg Balck	Greg Balck, Accounts Receivable Manager with University Business Services – A student’s parent took time to recognize Greg Balck for helping them work through an issue with financial aid accounting, saying Greg “alleviated their anxiety and frustration” when they didn’t know where to turn for help. With the issue resolved, the student was able to register and begin classes successfully. This note of thanks shows how we can improve the satisfaction of OSU community members when DFA employees are empowered with appropriately delegated decision-making authority. Nicely done, Greg!
maddy_g_2.jpg Maddy Griffin	Maddy Griffin, Benefits Specialist with University Human Resources – Maddy and her supervisor recently received spontaneous emails of thanks from two newly hired OSU employees. One employee with lots of benefits questions was pleased with how Maddy professionally explained everything so the employee could make this important health care decision, saying “Maddy made me feel so welcome and supported—I truly appreciated it.” Another new hire from Canada said Maddy was very patient in answering all her questions about PEBB. “I appreciate her professionalism and dedication to the work she does.” Maddy demonstrates how to convey and confirm intent and respect for all OSU community members through communication and engagement that is responsive, clear and transparent. Please keep it going, Maddy!
blank_headshot.png Ken Nutefall	Ken Nutefall, Undergrad Student Employment Specialist with University Human Resources – A manager with the 4-H Center recognized Ken Nutefall for outstanding performance as he recruits and onboards student workers, saying he is “supportive, helpful, kind and proficient.” Students have praised Ken (unprompted) for how helpful he was. The manager concluded that Ken “exemplifies and embodies what HR professionals are there to do” and that they could not be happier with Ken’s work. Ken’s example shows what an individual employee, who is empowered with the appropriate decision-making authority, can do to improve the satisfaction of OSU community members. Great work, Ken!
jane_w_1.png Jane Waite	Jane Waite, Senior Associate for Social Justice Learning and Engagement with University Human Resources – An assistant professor of integrative biology wrote in with words of praise for Jane and the insightful ways she leads the university’s Social Justice Education Initiative, which led to deep engagement with the topic. The assistant professor said that while social justice work can be difficult, she “can really feel the good [Jane is] doing for our big, beautiful, diverse community… helping us to be better humans!” Jane’s work reminds us of the need to remove barriers to people’s success and expand access to services by clearly defining and integrating policies, standards and processes. Thank you, Jane, for advancing dialogue and action in our division and across the university.
employmentservicesteampic1.jpg University Human Resources’ Employment Services Team	University Human Resources’ Employment Services Team (Linda Firth, Rachelle Turpin, Minami Holman, Colleen Bova, Vicki Hebert and Jessica Fuller-not pictured) – An OSU community member was one of many people who wrote in with kudos for the Employment Services team after they hosted a Public Service Loan Forgiveness webinar over the summer. She said,  “I just want to give a huge thanks… I have since submitted everything needed and have had $80,000 in student loans forgiven! The information provided was exactly what I needed to hear to clarify my next steps. Thank you again, this is literally life changing.” The Employment Services team processed Public Service Loan Forgiveness forms for over 477 employees in 2022. This is what we mean when we talk about removing barriers to success and expanding access to services through clearly defined and integrated policies, standards and processes—in this case, proactive communication practices played a big part. Way to go, team!

The number of people catching rides on the Beaver Bus steadily increased through fall 2022, and in January 2023 Beaver Bus ridership reached pre-pandemic, system-wide levels, serving close to 15,000 riders in one month. Due to a national and regional driver shortage, Transportation Services is currently operating the Beaver Bus on a reduced number of routes. OSU contracts bus drivers through a national bus service provider called First Student which is currently recruiting bus drivers for the Corvallis campus. If you know anyone looking for a fun job, please pass on the word!

The Human Resources Service Delivery (HRSD) system has been launched and offers university employees a new and improved human resources experience. All employees will now be served with: 

Streamlined onboarding and offboarding processes for OSU employees and hiring managers.

• New self-service options for all employees, including a virtual agent/chatbot available 24/7, a catalog of HR services, and a central knowledge base with answers to frequently asked questions.
• Fewer manual human resources processes and more consistent workflows, with helpful guidance at each step along the way.

The HRSD project is the leading part of a long-term strategic university initiative to modernize and improve OSU’s HR processes for employees. We appreciate the significant and collaborative contributions to this project made by team members from University Human Resources, Payroll, and University Information & Technology.

HRSD Resource Site

Learn more about HRSD, available FAQs, reference guides, and training resources by visiting the HRSD website: beav.es\hrsd.

Employee Service Portal  

Access the new Employee Service Portal where you can find resources on human resources and payroll topics that matter to you by visiting: https://mysupport.oregonstate.edu.

As you interact with the new processes, we look forward to hearing from you. Your feedback will support University Human Resources’ efforts to continually improve, innovate and modernize processes, systems and services for OSU employees and hiring managers.

Subject-matter experts and participants from University Human Resources, Payroll and DFA IT were integral to the successful development and implementation of the HRSD system. A great deal of thanks goes the many collaborators and stakeholders who provided input and guidance on this exciting project.

University Human Resources is championing OSU to be an employer of choice that attracts, develops and retains excellent and diverse people. That’s why the UHR team has been working to make it easier to recruit and hire highly qualified and diverse job candidates. Check out some of the recent improvements below. You can also register to attend UHR’s Hiring Q&A Workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 28 from 11am-12pm (register here: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwkf-GprDkvHtyA_8YeMdmN8vQopB-jsSm9).

 

New Search Committee Training

Guidance for running a successful job recruitment is now available online, developed in collaboration with the Offices of Institutional Development, and Equal Opportunity & Access. More than 100 people have already completed the optional training, which brings together all the information and tools you need to run a successful job recruitment.

 

New job advertising opportunities

A 6-month pilot with LinkedIn rolled out late January, to assist OSU in attracting top talent and targeting OSU’s jobs to the right people. The program will support sourcing qualified candidates, connecting and engaging more candidates, optimizing talent pipelines, and improving OSU’s hiring strategy. As part of the pilot, LinkedIn will post all of OSU job opportunities on their site. Units with challenging recruitment can work with HR to be featured on OSU’s LinkedIn page. The new "Life" tab on the OSU LinkedIn page highlights what a great place OSU is to work! Spread the word among your LinkedIn network.

Job Elephant is a new service to support hiring units with advertising strategies by placing ads on behalf of university units all billed under one invoice, along with providing feedback on which ads provided the biggest return on investment. Job Elephant will strategize with units on the best places to post job ads on external sites and do the work of multiple postings with just one bill. The service itself is free of charge—units pay only for the ads placed.

Contact your HR Strategic Partner for details on how to access the new advertising services.

 

New digital offer letter process in PeopleAdmin went live on Jan. 18

University HR’s Recruitment Team streamlined the offer letter review process and created a faster, more efficient workflow, allowing for a job candidate to review and digitally accept their offer in the same system from which they applied. Key benefits include:

• Increased response times to offer letter requests
• Simplified/streamlined/secure approval process for the candidate and the department/unit
• Record of the offer that stays with a candidate digitally
• Hiring unit has easy access to the signed offer at any time within the applicant tracking system

Search Committee support people and hiring managers can review, request edits and approve offer letters and then send them directly to the candidate for signing, all within the applicant tracking system. The candidate receives a secure link within the applicant job portal and may review, download and electronically sign the letter. Upon digital acceptance by the candidate, a system-generated email is sent to the search support person and the signed letter will be visible in PeopleAdmin. Instructions are provided if the candidate wishes to negotiate or decline the offer.

All hiring units are impacted by the change. Special thanks go to Robbin Sim, Recruitment Teams and Systems Manager, who led the project, along with Kim Cholewinski, Academic HR Officer, and the HR recruitment team, who were integral in their support of this new process. 

 

New monthly HR meetings with academic/administrative units

As a service enhancement, UHR now offers monthly meetings with unit representatives and key HR functional areas that focus on hiring and supporting employees and units. HR teams work together to address customers concerns in a personalized, responsive, and coordinated manner. UHR has been hosting over twenty meetings each month.

Teams at University Facilities, Infrastructure and Operations build and maintain infrastructure that supports OSU’s people and community. Here are two diverse ways they have recently found to support student success.

 

Pride Center breaks ground and prepares to expand services for LGBTQ+ students

OSU community members and students gathered around the Pride Center’s front porch on Jan. 25 to celebrate the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Center’s planned expansion. The remodel will provide extra space for meetings and events and includes significant accessibility updates.

The renovation will help the Pride Center better serve the approximately 830 students who access its services during the school year.

Pride Center Director Cindy Konrad opened the ceremony with a speech explaining the vision and purpose behind the expansion. Konrad said that the Pride Center at OSU was built out of student activism and that current students were deeply involved with the redesign. “It’s the students who really run what happens in the Center and really steer the ship that is our community,” Konrad said.

Konrad explained that students had reached out to Pride Center leadership and asked that accessible design features be given priority in the remodel. That includes accommodations for neurodivergent individuals as well as those with physical disabilities.

Konrad also introduced Dr. Qwo-Li Driskill, associate professor of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at OSU, who spoke about the Pride Center as a center of community and encouraged those gathered to continue to consider what it means to center queer and transgender students, scholarship and approaches. 

The renovation plan created by UFIO’s Project Delivery team includes additional indoor space to host larger events and a designated quiet room where students can meditate, pray, take a test or meet with counselor. A covered patio addition will create an outdoor gathering area. The kitchen and bathroom will be updated and made more accessible. Improvements will also be made to the ramps outside the building to accommodate students with mobility concerns or physical disabilities. 

PHOTO: Students, faculty and staff breaking ground at the Pride Center

 

nrotc_wood_chips_crop_2.jpg

Facilities Services collaboration sets up ROTC for future success

Facilities Services donated nearly 75 cubic yards of bark chips to improve the Naval ROTC obstacle course and provide a safer environment for critical training exercises. The updated obstacle course will also prepare NROTC to pass their upcoming annual inspection.

NROTC had been planning to rebark the obstacle course themselves. But soaring prices for landscaping materials had delayed the project. Regulations require a certain depth of bark chips under the course elements to prevent injuries during training. The obstacle course is utilized by multiple units including the Army and Air Force ROTC, the Corvallis Marine Corps and the Marine Recruiting Offices in Albany, Salem and Portland.

When Landscape Supervisor Todd Cross heard about the need at NROTC, he saw an opportunity for his department to help. “Our military family is important to us here on campus,” Cross said. “Over the years cadets [known as midshipmen in the Naval ROTC program] have graduated and gone on to do amazing and challenging tasks all over the world. In our shop, we have multiple people whose parents served. We have an employee who worked for over 20 years in the Air Force and we have an employee whose son now serves in the Army. We have even had a recent student worker become a Navy fighter jet pilot.”

With the Washington Way Reconstruction project well underway, the obstacle course will be  relocated after Commencement in June. The fresh layer of wood chips will enable NROTC students to continue using the course safely until it can be moved to its new home near Whyte Track and Field, east of Lorenz Soccer Field and south of SW Western Blvd. 

PHOTO: Facilities Services staff member spreads donated bark chips at the NROTC obstacle course

In January, the division formally closed the Beaver Works Program, which comprised a number of projects and process improvement efforts and was created to address challenges originally identified by an external consultant. 

The DFA partnered with the Office of Audit, Risk and Compliance (then known as Audit Services) in summer 2017 to commission a comprehensive best-practices review of the university’s business operations. The consultant, Baker Tilly International, identified ten challenges to effective business operations and made recommendations for meaningful change. In response, the VPFA created a core project team that included business operations leaders and experts, asking them to create a systems approach framework and engage Division of Finance and Administration units in targeted improvement projects. This multi-year effort—Beaver Works—was overseen by the division’s Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office.

Last year, the Beaver Works team reported on the significant progress and impacts made across the challenge areas through a range of specialized projects and operational solutions. That internal report can be downloaded together with the full Baker Tilly Business Operations Best Practice Review at https://fa.oregonstate.edu/home/business-operations-project.

The collaboration and service of the Beaver Works core project team was key to the program’s success, along with the guidance of Executive Steering Committee members, who provided advice, feedback and leadership throughout the life of the program. This work could not have been completed without the participation of a great number of stakeholders and subject matter experts. Everyone’s input and effort has been valuable and is greatly appreciated.

Though the Beaver Works Program has now ended, the DFA continues to lean on one of the program’s outcomes—the Framework for Success—in our efforts to innovate, streamline and improve the way business is done at OSU, guided by four main strategic priorities in support of OSU’s strategic plan. Over the next several years, we are focusing resources on new and upcoming initiatives, such as the Administrative Modernization Program (in partnership with University Information and Technology); continuously improving the DFA’s services using the Framework for Success; and doing so in an environment that supports inclusive excellence.

One role of departments in the Controller’s Unit is to create responsive systems and procedures that support the success of OSU community members, while achieving competitive advantage for the university. They have been pretty busy lately, with projects like these:

 

Payroll Team maps business ecosystem to prompt innovations

The Payroll team in the Controller’s Unit completed a high-level map of the ecosystem of OSU’s payroll processes. The ecosystem map concept can be used for making sense of complex structures like networks or customer services or communities; and for getting a clear view of relationships, dependencies, and what’s needed in the future. This new payroll business ecosystem map is a graphic representation of the systems, people, and processes involved in the three major payroll stages:

• gathering and validating inputs

• running payroll through to payouts
• accounting and reporting

The map also notes areas with pain points and highly manual steps. The process was initially overwhelming and messy because OSU is a large-scale complex organization, but the team was driven by a desire to really understand the landscape, confidently know all the systems used, and start conversations across the organization. The project team was led by Thomas Arand of the Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office, The mapping team was Emily Ferrin, Morgan Hatch, Kristi Rietz, Melissa Stuart, Jerie Thorson, Traci Yates from Payroll, and Jessica Dalziel from HR-Benefits. The payroll ecosystem map is a living document that will used to develop coming innovations.  

 

New FSS associate director of research administration and accounting hired

In December 2022, Financial Strategic Services in the Controller’s Unit established a new position: associate director for research administration and accounting. Research accounting services are not new to FSS, but the new position was created to better coordinate and enhance support for these activities, both within FSS and in partnership with stakeholders. 

Lisa Silbernagel was selected as the first associate director. She brings almost 20 years of experience working in a variety of research administration roles at OSU, both in the Research Office and Controller’s Unit. Lisa’s background and expertise will allow her to effectively lead the Controller’s Unit through the next stage of realignment. The scope of the new role includes the activities and services previously provided by Business Centers and now distributed among all the FSS units that provide dedicated support to specific stakeholder groups. 

This structure aligns with the objective of the Controller’s Unit reorganization to provide common leadership over major functions. Research administration and accounting services are a large part of the tasks that remain in FSS after moving many of the transactional activities to other functional service centers. Establishing common leadership over FSS research administration and accounting will help provide greater consistency in processes, procedures and service levels. The expertise centered in this role is expected to provide enhanced support for FSS employees and stakeholders, improve communications, and create more efficient operations.

 

Student Affairs Financial Strategic Services team builds cohesion

The Financial Strategic Services for Student Affairs team dedicated some time to building cohesion at a recent meeting. They met with David Ryusaki in the Global Community Kitchen to learn about new foods while emphasizing the importance of building relationships and trust. The group enjoyed practicing as a team in an unfamiliar commercial kitchen setting and learned about ingredients from different cultures, observing that they needed each member to complete a critical task in order to collectively accomplish the overarching goal—a delicious meal. It was great to see busy team members step in to help each other, even as they navigated a few kitchen “curve balls.” The GCK event highlighted the importance of camaraderie, community and belonging among our work teams.

PHOTO: Lake Larsen and Celene Garcia-Murillo participate in FFS Student Affairs team building activity at the Global Community Kitchen.

Sometimes things change, so the quarterly DFA update now features a policy roundup, summarizing the latest policy notes from division units. Check out the latest:

Recent Fiscal Policy Updates

Fiscal policy 03-150-102 Lease Reporting was revised to comply with GASB 87 (requiring that all qualifying leases are capitalized and referred to as either “lessee” or “lessor” leases, rather than “operating” or “capital” leases) and to provide clear guidelines for valuing, accounting for and reporting lease agreements and transactions.

Fiscal Policies Under Final Review

The following fiscal policies are currently under revision and final drafts will soon be available for university-wide feedback. If you would like to be involved in stakeholder discussions or review process related to either of these policies, please contact the Fiscal Policy Officer:

• OSU Foundation accounting
• Agriculture Research Foundation accounting

Fiscal Policy Resources Coming Soon

The Controller’s Unit Fiscal Policy Office is developing a comprehensive training program related to fiscal policies, including online resources for new policies or major updates, a reorganized website for Frequently Asked Questions and improved guidelines related to the fiscal policy program. Look for more details coming soon.

The Space Management team at UFIO is set to revolutionize how the university tracks and manages more than 10 million square feet of physical space across Oregon with a new platform, OSU Spaces. The project has successfully completed its beta launch and an initial rollout is planned for mid-February.

DFA IT and Space Management are working to finalize the new server version of the program and plan to test it with a group of 200+ campus space liaisons soon after. OSU Spaces will provide a detailed model of every available space at all of OSU’s locations. Each building’s floorplans will be available to approved users who will be able report on important information such as room usage, occupants and type of space. This data will be used to inform the university’s decisions about space usage and improve grant planning and tracking.  

The Division of Finance and Administration IT team recently marked its 18 month anniversary and has made significant progress on supporting DFA units with the rollout of multiple projects. The DFA IT group was formed in 2021 in response to a need for organized IT and digital communication functions within supported units.

The DFA IT business architecture team recently partnered with University Facilities and Infrastructure to reimagine the construction management software e-Builder as a platform with improved processes that deliver better service to stakeholders. UIT’s Technical and Solution Architecture group was deeply involved in the beta launch of OSU Spaces and is making improvements to its functionality. DFA IT’s communication team has been refining strategic communications around campus operations and keeping business partners updated on critical projects. DFA IT has also been an integral part of the HR Service Delivery launch which is the leading edge of the university-wide Enterprise Service Management project (and part of the upcoming Administrative Modernization Project to better serve OSU’s mission).

Any DFA unit needing technical support can direct requests to dfa.tech@oregonstate.edu and the appropriate DFA IT team member will respond to consult with you.

DFA units continue the work to make the Framework for Success and their unit-level metrics dashboards a part of their daily activities, communications and meetings. The Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office collaborates with units to maintain the Framework’s development. The team has heard great feedback about the kinds of conversations the metrics and key activities are stimulating within and among teams and with their leaders. Unit teams continue to actively coordinate with project dashboard team members to keep metric data updated and make dashboard enhancements or improvements.   

The Framework for Success team is making progress on the transition phase with Dr. Calvo-Amodio and his research team in the following areas:  

• Communication system to convey how DFA and the Framework for Success are progressing.
• Communication plan that addresses both short and long-term strategies.
• Governance system to include:
  • The design of an assessment methodology and tools to understand how the Framework for Success is performing and aligning to meet the needs of the division and university.
  • Ongoing maintenance program for the components of the framework and for changes and additions to unit-level dashboards.
• Documentation and research papers on the theoretical foundations the framework was based on; sharing lessons learned on the journey to inform continuous improvements to the Framework for Success.

These developments will help DFA units and the senior leadership team transition to self-managing metrics and other Framework elements as part of our regular work. Over time, unit teams will continue to solve problems, innovate and develop new areas of work, requiring adjustments and refinements to the specifics of what we measure.

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. Read on for status updates:

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

 

 

Business Processes & Systems Projects

 

Non-Student Billing and Receivables Project

Over the past several months, the project team focused on finalizing Phase 1 deliverables, including an envisioned future state and associated system requirements. During fall 2022, the project team created a future state process flow with associated risks, monitoring, and control activities. This was vetted with project stakeholders during live sessions in January 2023 to ensure alignment, as well as offer a forum for questions and feedback. In parallel with creation of the process flow, system requirements were gathered and prioritized. Phase 2 of the project will include targeted vetting of these requirements with additional stakeholders.

A project plan for Phase 2 is in development, which will involve additional data gathering to inform an IT solution that would complement and enable the envisioned future state of billing and receivables at OSU. The recommendation at this time is that the IT solution will be part of the Administrative Modernization Program (AMP). The project plan will include timeline and resourcing and will be incorporated into the approval and prioritization process for AMP.

For additional information, please visit the project website. 

 

University Financial Management (UFM)

In early January, Vice President Mike Green and Provost Ed Feser announced the rollout of the new UFM Suite of Tools. Financial Strategic Services Partners are providing colleges and departments with additional details about how to use the tools.

They formed a working group in early 2020 to lead the development of better tools to support academic units’ efforts to manage their costs and revenues effectively and strategically. Facilitated by Impact Studio, the project steering team included individuals from the divisions of Finance and Administration and University Information and Technology, with leaders of three colleges participating as partners (Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences; Liberal Arts; and Science).

Over the following two years, the group oversaw the creation of a set of Tableau reports that provide tools and training resources to better support academic decision makers and conducted a feasibility pilot to test and provide initial feedback on the reports (called the “UFM Suite of Tools”). During the pilot, leaders of the colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Engineering, and Forestry joined as partners. More information about the development of the tools can be found at the project website.

The project’s steering team provided guidance and leadership over the life of the project, with the help and insights of many stakeholders and subject-matter experts:

• Sherm Bloomer, Associate Vice President Budget and Resource Planning
• Heidi Sann, Associate Vice President Finance and Controller
• Vijay Thiruvengadam, Chief Data Officer
• Tom Fenske, Director of Financial Strategic Services

 

Smart Access Program 

The Smart Access Program supports several elements of OSU's Strategic Plan 4.0 and the IT Strategic Plan 2023. It enables OSU community members to securely access data and systems wherever they may be. The Smart Access Program is being managed in two parts: the identity system project and the endpoint management project.

Identity Management System Project - Since the Identity system project kick-off in mid-November, the team has made good progress in completing various project tasks and delivering the planned results, including requirements collection and analysis, onsite workshops, online meetings, collection and review of relevant documents about OSU infrastructure and the current identity management ecosystems. The critical requirements of an identity management system have been confirmed. 

In collaboration with the external implementation partner, the OSU project team completed and is currently working on the following: 

• Capturing and confirming functional and technical requirements for the OSU critical applications (AD, ONID LDAP, Google)
• Extracting data from various OSU systems and setting up the development environment with OSU’s implementation partner.  
• Developing training portal and labs for core team trainings.
• Progressing on the design phase; defining the solution for the business and technical requirements. 

Endpoint Management Project – This aspect of the Smart Access Program provides for the management and security of OSU-owned equipment (laptops, desktops, phones) that access OSU data, enabling regular security updates. The Endpoint management project team successfully completed software installation and necessary infrastructure configuration at the end of 2022. The team also determined a training approach for the IT community.

 

Data and Integration Hub Project

The Data and Integration Hub Project is a core foundational project in support of the Administrative Modernization Program (AMP). This project will develop and implement a modern system to support integration of common data between technology systems at OSU, in an agile and virtualized manner. 

This project supports OSU’s strategic plan and UIT’s Technology Strategic Plan as it seeks to integrate and simplify technology systems, data practices and policies. The executive sponsors for the project include Amy McLaughlin, Executive Director of Technology and Solutions Architecture, Shayne Huddleston, Enterprise IT Architect and Vijay Thiruvengadam, Chief Data Officer. The project has been split into three areas of focus: the Data Hub, the Integration Hub, and Data Virtualization. Each subproject will have specific and distinct deliverables.

Currently, the project team is:

• Documenting the current data maps of where data is stored and the integrations between the systems. 
• Documenting current critical business processes and their associated systems for both HR and Finance business units. Both of these efforts will inform the prioritization of the systems for the initial integrations. 
• Developing the technical architecture needed for the Data Hub and Integration Hub.
• Identifying the requirements for tools that may be needed to accomplish these goals and inform any RFPs needed.
• Gathering information to prepare a business process calendar for integrations. 

 

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 Unit. Last year, the VPFA Office also joined the pilot. In order to better align with salary increase decisions, the performance period for professional faculty participating in the pilot has been adjusted moving forward (see website for details). Note that performance period for classified staff participating in the pilot has not changed and remains based on the employee’s merit increase month. Pilot participants will have opportunities to provide feedback through upcoming forums and surveys, as the project team begins to compile a Performance Management Pilot final report and recommendation.

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

During fall 2022, the project team interviewed stakeholders from 19 different OSU units that provide mandatory trainings for employees and volunteers, as well as optional training for employees to better understand the landscape of non-credit trainings across OSU. Learners were also engaged in feedback session to better understand their training journeys, experiences and perspectives. Collectively, these interviews helped inform a current state analysis. Share-out sessions were held by the project team with key project stakeholders to ensure agreement that the current state vision and reported pain and gain points were representative of their feedback and experiences.  

In coming months, the project team will work to create an ideal future state process flow with associated system requirements, informed by industry best practices. The future state and requirements will then be vetted with key stakeholders.

 

Academic and Student-related Projects

 

Access OSU

The EPPMO is supporting the Division of Extension and Engagement, Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Institutional Diversity as they partner 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.
• Finalizing a program operation budget.
• Planning an Access OSU Kick-off event for May 2023 at the OSU Portland Center.
• Forming a revised core team and a steering team, with a focus on operationalizing the program.
• Forming a community advisory committee with representation from other partners, K-12 schools, and existing community programs.

 

Student Experience CRM

Oregon State University is committed to improving communication and engagement with our students.  Once implemented, the Student Experience CRM platform 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 colleges and departments. (CRM is an industry acronym for “customer relationship management” software that supports an organization’s interactions with people.)

Recent accomplishments and ongoing efforts include:

• Onboarded an implementation vendor to provide expertise launching the software platform.
• Held a project kick-off meeting in early January.
• Conducted requirements gathering sessions with the implementation partner.
• A team of 18 work group leads are working with the project’s Core Team to support project involvement and perspective (8 work groups with ~65 representatives from across OSU).
• Leads are preparing for specific functionality planned for July 2023 by facilitating work group assignments with the vendor, and conducing review of requirements, developing recommendations for changes and priorities, and participating in user acceptance testing.  
• Four student interns are involved in the project and the project’s business analysts are working to integrate Inclusive GenderMag into the testing process. (Contact DFA IT for more information about utilizing GenderMag in your unit.)

For additional information, please visit the project website. 

 

ADA31 Project

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a federal law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability. In fall 2021, Provost Ed Feser charged an ADA31 Task Force to survey Oregon State University’s policies, programs, facilities and systems in place to support a culture of inclusion and compliance with the ADA and make recommendations. The EPPMO is providing project management services to 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:

• Developing unit-level work plans and orienting units to the quarterly reporting template and process.
• The first quarterly report will be released in April and will capture January 2023 – March 2023 activities. 

For additional information, please visit the ADA 31 website.

 

Managerial Competency Framework

The EPPMO is providing project management services to the Managerial Competency Framework project, a partnership between University Human Resources and Faculty Affairs. OSU’s approach to talent management works to build a systematic approach to talent management that addresses the full employment life cycle. Talent management improvements can help advance OSU’s mission by better attracting, developing and retaining talented academic faculty, professional faculty, staff, public safety personnel and graduate employees. MCF contributes to this approach with a focus on talent development.

The goal of MCF is to create a framework for the competencies OSU expects of managers. The framework considers 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 the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to succeed in a managerial position. The project is expected to conclude by the end academic year 2022-2023. 

 Recent accomplishments and ongoing efforts include: 

• MCF Implementation team formed and Steph Bernell, Associate Dean of the Graduate School was appointed as chair.

• Focused on how to incorporate MCF into the hiring and annual review processes.
• Looking at industry best practices and research-based tools for assessment.
• Investigating options and ideas to drive participation and adoption.

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

 

General Education Implementation

On October 13, 2022, the Faculty Senate voted to approve the new General Education Curriculum proposed by the Baccalaureate Core Reform Committee. Among other things, this action updates a 30-year-old curriculum, 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 both recognizes the value of aligning with the state’s Core Transfer Map—which helps facilitate seamless transfer among Oregon higher education institutions—and creates  a distinctive and high-quality foundation for OSU’s degree offerings.

Recent accomplishments and ongoing efforts include:

• Completed project planning in December 2022.
• Five Core Team Committees were formed, established by the project steering committee and core team, to complete tracks of project work and develop decisions and recommendations. These committees consist of:
  • Learning Outcomes, Criteria, and Rational (LOCR)—Approximately 89 faculty members, representing every OSU college and campus, were selected to serve on volunteer general education curriculum committees to develop learning, outcomes, criteria, and rationale (LOCR). LOCR work is projected to be voted on by Faculty Senate in April 2023. A successful vote is critical for the other project workstreams and project timeline.
  • Policy and Process (Baccalaureate Core)–Is reviewing and developing Baccalaureate Core policies with the Baccalaureate Core Committee so there is a solid foundation of policies by Summer 2023 to effectively begin receiving course proposals for the new curriculum.
  • Pedagogical Support and Development—Is starting to identify the types of trainings and resources that will need to be in place by Summer 2023 to support faculty in the development of new courses for the curriculum.
  • Organizational Change Management—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.
  • Operations—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), community colleges and universities listed in ORS 352.002 to improve academic credit transfer and transfer pathways between Oregon’s public community colleges and universities. The bill directs 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:

• Established a project structure with appropriate committees and governance identified.
• Phase I courses in areas of Math, Writing, Statistics, and Communication approved by the Transfer Council and the HECC to be implemented at institutions for the 2023/24 academic year.
• Regular Core Team meetings to facilitate progress of Operations and Organization Change Management committee work to successfully implement these Phase I courses at OSU.
• The Transfer Council approved CCN Faculty Subcommittees to begin work on Phase II courses in areas of Psychology, Business, Writing, and Math with the goal of these courses being aligned and available for registration at institutions for the 2024/25 academic year.

 

Research-related Projects

 

PacWave

The PacWave South project 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. Construction of PacWave South is currently underway, and the site should be operational by 2024, with grid-connected testing anticipated in 2025. Construction on the shoreside Utility Connection and Monitoring Facility that connects the project to the power grid will begin in winter 2023. It was recently concluded that the OSU Research Office will have primary responsibility for contracting with PacWave clients. The PCMM office will continue to have a major role in procurement related contracts supporting PacWave.

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.
• Facilitated discussion of options for Marine Support Vessels and client evaluation for onboarding.

 

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 Paul Odenthal, senior associate vice president for administration, together with Tom DeLuca, College of Forestry Dean, 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 is working in alignment with College of Forestry, administrative leadership and experts to coordinate connections, collaboration and working groups that help move the project forward and meet the objectives and deliverable outlined in the ESRF Research Proposal, including: 

• Assist in development, drafting, and feedback process for a term sheet that will inform an anticipated future contract between OSU and the ESRF Board.
• Facilitate a risk assessment with supporting tracking documents and an executive brief.
• Provide background and content research, convene experts, and develop documents that explore ownership models for the ESRF.
• Make connections between the research team and university experts to support, inform and gather data on the financial assessment and viability models.
• Educate, support, and provide project management tools, resources, and templates to the college project team members.
• Participate in statewide meetings including advisory committee meetings to assist in the tracking, notes, and outcomes.
• Plan and facilitate project team meetings.

Funding available for students to attend WOHESC Sustainability Conference!—

UFIO’s Sustainability Office, ASOSU Sustainability Council, and the student Community Engagement & Leadership team are excited to offer OSU students an opportunity to attend the 2023 Washington Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC) taking place March 6-8, 2023 at the OSU Corvallis Campus. Up to 90 students will be funded to participate! All OSU students are eligible to request registration funding for this social change leadership and professional development experience. Funding will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis to students who commit to attending and fully complete this registration form by February 17, 2023.

 

Access Human Resources forums and workshops—University Human Resources has created a new Operational Excellence website that includes registration links, documents, previous forum recordings, and other operational and calendar items; the current HR/Payroll Forum Website will migrate to the new page soon.

 

Workplace Safety Task Force releases recommendations; survey coming soon—Last year, Provost Ed Feser, VP Green, and VP Tumer charged a committee to develop recommendations to help strengthen a university-wide culture that values and emphasizes workplace safety. The recently released Workplace Safety Task Force Report details 11 recommendations that align with best practices. Paul Odenthal and Tom Doyle, director of environmental health and safety, along with OSU faculty who have implemented strong safety programs within their units detailed the next steps in a Workplace Safety Task Force Recommendation webinar held in early February. OSU has partnered with the National Safety Council to benchmark safety initiatives with other organizations using a survey that will be distributed to university employees in February 2023. Employee responses are critical to improving OSU’s programs. The survey is anonymous, and you are encouraged to share opinions and ideas freely.

 

Daily Barometer highlights OSU’s sustainable transportation strategy—Check out this article by Haley Stark: https://dailybaro.orangemedianetwork.com/18350/daily-barometer-news/2030-sustainable-transportation-strategy-combats-commuter-grievances-at-osu/

 

New Hiring Support Resources for hiring managers and search committees—University Human Resources has new tools to assist departments and units with recruiting and sourcing. Training for Search Committees is now available online, with content developed in collaboration with the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access and the Office of Institutional Diversity. New Advertising & Sourcing Tools that partner with LinkedIn, SeekOut, and JobElephant make promoting your position easier. Contact your Human Resources Strategic Partner for details on accessing advertising tools. Attend HR’s Hiring Q&A on Tuesday, Feb. 28 from 11am-12pm.

 

Save the Date: DFA ALL Spring Meeting - Wednesday, May 17, 2023. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Includes in-person lunch and hybrid attendance options. Join Vice President for Finance & Administration Mike Green and the division’s senior leaders for updates from across the division and acknowledgment of the hard work and dedication of DFA employees. There will be prizes, good conversation, lunch and the opportunity to reconnect with your colleagues. Plan to donate non-perishable food item(s) to support the Basic Needs Center. Everyone who donates will receive additional tickets for prize giveaways. Register here by May 11: https://fa.oregonstate.edu/annual-meeting