In response to a mandate from President Anne Hopkins to look
for ways UNF's operations can become more effective and efficient,
the University community has submitted more than 170 suggestions.
The project, led by Inspector General Scott Bennett, has
involved reviewing the suggestions and working with various
departments to implement a number of changes. Some changes
have already occurred while other changes are still in progress.
In some cases, suggestions have had to wait until more progress
is accomplished in transferring authority from the now-defunct
Board of Regents to the newly-created University Board of
Trustees.
"While we would like to make some changes now, in many cases
the prudent course is to wait until some statewide decisions
are made before we act on the university level," Bennett said.
"We don't want to have to do this twice."
For example, one of the most frequently made suggestions
was changing the University's schedule such as closing over
Christmas and spring break.
"Currently, we do not have the authority to give more holidays
than are allowed for state employees," Bennett said. "This
is set by statute and we would have to be given similar authority
as provided to community colleges," he noted.
One of the most easily implemented changes has been in the
area of energy conservation. An estimated $90,000 to $100,000
is expected to be saved through such things as adjusting the
temperatures in buildings, removing lights in certain areas
and putting computers in sleep mode when not in use (currently
in pilot in certain departments).
Reducing publication costs and mailings also has been a focus
of the project. Bennett said the University is currently working
on two separate issues. "We are drafting a policy that should
reduce the cost of publications currently done off campus
by requiring written estimates from at least three vendors
in most cases," Bennett said. Secondly, Bennett explained
that one of the things being examined is the number of flyers
and other mailings sent internally. "This past year we sent
about 150,000 mailings just to each other on campus," he noted.
Two other areas that were most commonly the subject of suggestions
were travel and payroll.
Bennett said how travel is handled at UNF is being evaluated.
"We hope to streamline this process and make it easier for
the traveler," he said. One of the options being considered
is making it easier for individuals to shop and purchase cheaper
tickets directly online and then seek reimbursement rather
than going through a travel agent. In the area of payroll,
Bennett said many improvements are expected to be incorporated
into the new automated accounting and human resources system
that will be required as part of the educational reorganization
process. One idea has been to eliminate the paper payroll
receipt now distributed to allow employees to get that information
on-line. "This would eliminate the time and money involved
in placing these receipts in envelopes and distributing them
to more than 1,100 employees every two weeks," Bennett said.
In addition to these five major areas, a number of other
suggestions are being considered. They include: •University
Purchasing Card. This will eliminate the necessity for a requisition
and purchase order for many purchases and expedite the purchase
for the department •Electronic Requisition System. While
such a system is operational, it is not being fully utilized
by many departments. A training class has been developed for
those that don't know how or have forgotten how to use the
system and notices have been sent out to remind people that
this is an option. •Centralizing functions. Reviews are
currently underway on how best to centralize some functions
and looking at best practices at other institutions before
making a decision. •Merging offices. Some mergers of
offices are being considered. This is being done with the
expectation of improved service and reduced cost due to the
elimination of duplicative tasks. •Business process changes.
Currently peer and / or consultant reviews.
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