Administration and Finance strives to provide high quality and responsive service through a knowledgeable, innovative and customer-focused staff who honor diversity and who are part of an organization that is recognized as a rewarding place to work.

We are guided in our work by the values of honest and ethical behavior, diversity, trust earned, freely given and received, cooperative teamwork, high quality, customer driven service, considerate and respectful interactions, open, meaningful communication, creative problem solving approaches, supportive and empowering work environments, knowledgeable, motivated, responsible employees, each employee and her or his unique contribution and an environment that promotes continuous individual and organizational learning.

• provide the highest quality administrative support to faculty, staff, and students to facilitate the institution's efforts to attain academic excellence, enhance public service, and support economic development, through a productive work force with a keen sensitivity to diversity and multicultural issues;
• promote and support an environment where both its customers and employees are treated fairly and respectfully;
• continually promote and foster a commitment to quality customer service that meets or exceeds the needs of a diverse campus community;
• reduce costs through economies of scale, efficiency and by the elimination of redundant activities;
• ensure that our customers receive supplies, services, and equipment of appropriate quality and quantity in a timely manner at the best possible prices;
• provide timely and accurate budget and financial information and services to the University community while maintaining compliance with University, State, and Federal regulations;
• provide accurate analysis and effective guidance for campus financial and physical planning;
• assure effective land and building utilization through a comprehensive program of professional facilities planning and capital development;
• deliver timely, cost-effective, efficient, and reliable facility and support services;
• evaluate and enhance the safety, quality and reliability of the physical environment;
• aesthetically improve all campus facilities and grounds;
• enhance the overall quality of transportation services to students, staff, and the community;
• reduce vehicular traffic on campus in order to minimize pedestrian/vehicular conflict;
• enhance the learning environment for students by providing real world experiences and meaningful opportunities for employment.

• hiring, retaining, developing, and paying employees
• acquiring and paying for materials and equipment, contracts for services, and labor and materials associated with construction
• billing and collecting revenues due the campus
• planning for and coordinating major renovation and construction projects
• maintaining and renovating facilities
• selling and providing goods and services to the campus community
• compliance with federal, state, university and campus policies, procedures and regulations.

    The provision of these activities is guided by the principles of continuous quality improvement as a means of enhancing the responsiveness, adequacy and effectiveness of services provided.

Administration and Finance is hindered by the outdated nature of many of its automated systems. While the core systems may be adequate, the front end subsystems which feed the core systems are not user-friendly, do not generally provide real-time update, are not effectively integrated with other systems, and have not taken full advantage of the advances in technology that have occurred in the recent past.

A&F has not established, maintained, and communicated many of its policies and procedures. This results in over reliance on the individual knowledge of its employees and confusion and uncertainty on the part of customers.

The historical approach to our responsibilities has emphasized control at the expense of service. This has created unnecessary layers of bureaucracy. As we shift our emphasis to quality service and empowerment there is a need to provide managers and supervisors with tools to transform their leadership abilities to meet these new challenges.

Benchmarking is an ongoing process which helps identify, establish, and achieve standards of excellence by allowing us to evaluate and improve our performance in the areas of cost, quality and customer service through comparison with the industry's best practices. We intend to continue to participate in the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) benchmarking survey on an ongoing basis.

Through its initial Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) efforts, Administration and Finance, working with the Sociology Department's Social and Demographic Research Institute, developed 12 survey instruments each representing a major component of A&F. The surveys provided baseline information regarding how customers view our services. We also surveyed our own employees to assess the importance and satisfaction of various aspects of their employment. As part of our ongoing commitment to quality improvement we anticipate conducting similar surveys during the coming year. These will help us assess the success of initiatives we have undertaken.

The campus undergoes many external and internal audits. A major emphasis of these audits is an assessment of financial policies, procedures, and controls which are administered by A & F units.

A key component of our future success lies with the supervisors and managers of our organization. We will continue investing in the development of these leaders through training opportunities, mentoring, reward and recognition, empowerment, and providing appropriate avenues for advancement and growth.

We will continue collaborative efforts with other executive areas to utilize the expertise of other departments, maximize employee development and reward opportunities and integrate service delivery so that users of services which cross executive areas do not perceive any barriers to accessing the service. Some specific examples include participation in the development of a new student information system (SIS), collaborative efforts with the Office of Research Affairs in the Grant Accounting and Management System (GAMS), working with Environmental Health and Safety to streamline the worker's compensation program and reduce claims.

A&F has many contact points with the external community ranging from visitor parking to campus planning efforts which affect the greater community, to interaction with state agencies which affect our ability to do our jobs. As with other collaborative efforts, our focus in working with such diverse groups as town governments, state agencies and business communities will be to develop positive relationships enhancing our ability to provide quality, responsive services to the external entity. We look to provide a supportive role in the capital campaign and in the economic development activities of the campus.

Three initiatives will be enhanced to contribute to the learning environment of the University. Within available resources, we will pay increased attention to improvements in the conditions of classrooms, auditoria and laboratories. In addition to providing students general employment opportunities within our divisions, we will continue to develop internships and specific opportunities for real world applications of their studies in such diverse areas as public transit, restaurant and arena management, landscape architecture, and financial services. With technological advances, we will make increasing use of the world wide web to provide information to the campus community.

A&F is committed to supporting a multicultural, diverse community through concrete activities aimed at fostering a climate which respects differences, is focused on staff training, actively supports Affirmative Action, provides activities which celebrate different cultures, assists minority owned businesses through the procurement process, and offers educational opportunities in the community. A&F also has an integral role in increasing campus access for students, employees, and visitors with disabilities. Our units provide the structure for assessing and implementing physical improvements to the campus to meet ADA standards as well as assessing position descriptions to insure that ADA protected groups are not unfairly eliminated from employment opportunities.

As common as the phrase may be, people are our most important resource. Our future rests in recognizing their contribution through development opportunities, benefit enhancement, reward programs and the responsibility and authority to effect the services they provide. Through our supervisory/leadership transformation endeavors, we will enhance training and development opportunities in order to help our employees to reach their fullest potential. Coincident with these efforts is the need to provide support to departmental personnel who will be increasingly empowered to have more authority and responsibility in carrying out many administrative functions.

Units within Administration and Finance will be engaged in many initiatives to further support the campus community. A wide array of planned activities are geared to assist the campus in achieving its overall strategic objectives.

The Retirement Incentive Succession Planning Program (RISPP) has had significant implications for Administration and Finance. By the end of 1997, more than 160 employees , many at the senior level, will avail themselves of the opportunity to retire with enhanced benefits. It is extremely important that for positions which will be refilled, particular attention be given to attracting individuals who are committed to the objectives of providing superior service and support to the campus community.

Major program plans revolve around several themes which cut across divisions within Administration and Finance.

Initiatives within Auxiliary Services include offering a more flexible array of meal plan options and continued improvement in the quality of food offerings within the dining halls. These efforts are guided by customer feedback and an overriding commitment to provide wholesome, nutritious and plentiful foods at convenient times and locations in welcoming dining facilities on campus. We must also develop strategies to enhance retail food outlets, bookstore operations and other auxiliary services. The full implementation of the new All Campus Card will help provide increased customer convenience for verification, purchases and security.

The Physical Plant will continue to focus on maintenance as its primary mission. A fully staffed Customer Service and Work Management Department will be able to provide more streamlined and dedicated attention to service needs, and develop closer relationships between customers and the large, expanse of the physical plant operation. In addition, the Plant is moving toward a zone maintenance concept with maintenance staff physically located at various campus stations in order to provide more responsive and personalized service to an assigned set of customers.

Similarly, the Facilities Planning Division will continue self evaluation by tracking and measuring performance in planning, developing and implementing projects. This entails prompt follow-up to all communications, the development of standard client communication tools, and publication of a customer service guide.

The Executive Area will continue to embrace the overall philosophy of Continuous Quality Improvement while actively participating in campus and university wide reengineering efforts. These efforts are complementary with an overall focus on enhanced customer service.

Many service improvements will take advantage of the latest technology and software capabilities. Streamlined human resources processes include the new classified applicant referral process, expanded decentralized input of time and attendance payroll information and a paperless employee requisitioning process. We will be aggressively pursuing the replacement of the existing financial system with a state of the art, interactive and more user friendly system. A new work management program and automated information system in Facilities Planning will also take advantage of new systems technology.

Auxiliary Services will undertake a major renovation of the Franklin Dining Hall which will greatly enhance the functionality and ambiance of the facility. This will be funded by existing resources within the dining operations. A major liability, however, is the physical condition of the Campus Center/Student Union Complex. The resources required to bring this facility to current standards are beyond the existing financial capabilities of Auxiliary Services. These improvements can only be accomplished through the allocation of campus general operating funds, which may be supplemented by innovated partnerships with private entities.

The campus parking system has established a long term plan to addressed the deferred maintenance and adaptive needs of the surface lots as well as the Campus Center garage. Failure to address these major liabilities through the proposed staged increases in parking fees will require the diversion of institutional funds from other planned uses.

The campus has embarked on a major capital program to repair and renovate existing facilities as well as construct several major facilities on campus. In order to provide the required staffing for design, architectural and project management activities, the Facilities Planning Division needs to substantially increase its staffing levels and housing requirements.

A major effort is required to address the training and development needs of not only Administration and Finance units, but all departments across campus. Two major emphases of this effort are organizational development as well as specific training to assist staff at all levels of the campus in effectively carrying out the administrative responsibilities supported by Administration and Finance units.

In the area of general organizational development, the Training and Development Unit of the Human Resources Division will play a key role in assisting departments campus-wide to address management and supervisory development needs. This unit plans to expand the newly created Supervisory Leadership Program beyond Administration and Finance to all executive areas. It has played a key leadership and coordinating role with both the university system and Five Colleges in making available useful training programs for Amherst Campus employees. It has also been extremely successful in providing targeted training for individual campus departments on a wide range of issues.

We see as critical the need to provide campus managers with better and more comprehensive information, policy and procedural guidance. This will be particularly important as the campus moves to redesign administrative processes. We plan to offer an orientation program for all newly appointed department heads to give them the basic tools and a more comprehensive understanding of the framework for fulfilling their administrative responsibilities.

We intend to develop labor relations workshops in a proactive effort to help departmental managers avoid and resolve grievances and become more familiar with compliance requirements under existing collective bargaining agreements. The Finance and Budget Division plans to aggressively develop updated manuals and provide policy guidance through targeted workshops for campus managers. Physical Plant and Facilities Planning will continue to codify existing practices to avoid unnecessary confusion and stabilize customer expectations about services provided and funding responsibilities.

The Facilities Planning Division plans to encourage its employees to increase participation in professional organizations as a means of self renewal and to stay current on new developments and initiatives affecting the profession. It is establishing new training programs in project management and other mission critical areas. The need to support the campus facility capital plan requires a hiring program that attracts and retains the highest quality professionals in all pertinent disciplines.

As the institution transforms itself under strategic action, the large centralized administrative bureaucracy created in the past to insure institutional accountability through direct review and hands-on control of transactions will be transformed into an organization whose role will be to provide responsive systems support and policy and procedural guidance. There is a critical need to fundamentally rethink existing policies and procedures with an eye toward how the campus can more efficiently operate within a restructured administrative environment. Roles and responsibilities will be redefined. In this new environment, policies and procedures will need to be drastically reshaped. There will be an increased need for greater and closer collaboration among all entities on campus.

In the area of student services, there needs to be a comprehensive review of the existing tuition and fee structure as well as payment policies. The operating and financial relationships between Auxiliary Services and Student Activities must be similarly rethought. The campus needs to greater clarify the role of student operated businesses and their relationship to other retail operations on campus.

We feel that a travel management program and the creation of a comprehensive fleet management program would provide greater efficiencies and yield cost savings. The campus, however, needs to determine the extent to which it wishes to achieve cost savings where it may infringe on historical personal or departmental flexibility.

Perhaps the most important capital project in the next five to seven years will be the construction of a new power plant. This project provides a unique opportunity for the campus to shape its future in significant ways. Decisions about types of fuels and cogeneration capacity will have long lasting operational and financial consequences for the campus. We will make a major dedication of existing staff resources supplemented by expert consultants to insure that critical decisions are made in the most enlightened manner possible.

In preparation for this major undertaking, the Physical Plant intends to reorganize its utility section and consolidate the power plant and utility engineers into one department. The Utility and Plant Engineering Department would separate the cost of operating campus utilities from the cost of operating campus buildings.

We currently have a number of teams reviewing and redesigning processes. The following chart describes those redesign efforts which have a significant impact on campus operations.

Administration and Finance honors multiculturalism and diversity in the workplace by fostering an environment that actively promotes respect for and understanding of differences. We intend to continue to have management diversity training sessions at which senior level managers are brought together on a periodic basis for focused workshops. The Administration and Finance Council has diversity as an ongoing agenda item and assists in the development of the division wide senior management workshop as well as individual division and departmental efforts. The Apprenticeship Program in the Physical Plant will offer opportunities for advancement in the trades to traditionally underrepresented populations. The Training and Development unit will expand training on valuing diversity in the workplace and understanding the role that social and cultural diversity plays in manager/supervisor interactions. We will continue our commitment to the Labor/Management Workplace Education Program, which addresses diversity issues in its programs and services, and to the Small Business and Minority/Women Owned Purchasing Program administered by the Procurement Department, which identifies and solicits minority/women owned businesses for inclusion in the campus' and MHEC Master Bidder's List. Auxiliary Services, in collaboration with faculty, staff, and students, will continue to provide a focus for expression of the campus' commitment to multiculturalism by offering multicultural activities and ethnic food events in the Campus Center and Dining Halls on a regular basis.

The Employment Office will continue to maintain contact and visit specific agencies in the Greater Northampton/Springfield/Holyoke area to enhance recruitment of under-utilized populations. The Employee Job Movement Monitoring Database provides on-line access and end-user reporting data which is used by the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Office to produce required reports. Our offices provide the structure for assessing and implementing physical improvements to the campus to meet ADA standards as well as assessing position descriptions to insure that ADA protected groups are not unfairly eliminated from employment opportunities.

A&F is committed to increased diversity through its hiring and promotion practices by actively supporting AA/EO principles. To assist students in gaining employment on campus, Auxiliary Services participates in the New Student Program initiative which provides linkages between Auxiliary Services, Housing, Public Safety, and various minority programs such as CCEBMS, BCP, and ALANA. We continue to encourage attendance at awareness training and workshops on diversity. Special emphasis will be placed on attracting and hiring in units where there is under representation.

The Physical Plant building currently houses the Divisions of Facilities Planning and Physical Plant. The Facilities Planning Division is located in 6,300 square feet of space, about one-half of the space required according to University space standards. This space is environmentally detrimental to both personnel and the archives. The Division is located in several areas of the Physical Plant building, staff is separated from their supervisors, and the archives, library, and other resources are separated from the people who use them. The Division lacks a dedicated conference room and is constantly competing for conference room time with the Physical Plant Division. It also lacks the space necessary to have a design library of building materials and technical information. This lack of a library means that materials are divided up among the professional staff and stored in their already cramped offices. The campus is about to undertake a major facilities capital plan of more than $175 million over the next five years. This ambitious plan will not be achieved without hiring an additional 14 employees in Facilities Planning. This significant increase in staff alone requires the immediate identification of 9,000 square feet of suitable space to house an adequate complement of 47 employees in this organization.

The Physical Plant Division requires at least 600 square feet of additional office space. In addition, a 20,000 square foot heated, pre-engineered building is needed for a consolidated grounds maintenance management facility to provide for vehicle protection, crew dispatch, material/tool storage and administration. Ventilation replacement is required in the basement level of the Physical Plant building to accommodate extensive shop, training, and administrative space realignment.

A critical need in A&F is for a service building to centralize several dispersed units in order to gain efficiencies of operation. A new building or centralized location is desperately needed with sufficient space to allow for existing operations as well as providing additional room for expanded services. A preliminary internal analysis indicates a need for approximately 30,000 square feet to house Printing Services, Mail Services, Campus Distribution Services, and Office and Classroom Supplies. Ideally, the building would be sited in the northern sector of the campus on land proximate to the existing Cold Storage and Transit facilities, although other locations would also be viable.

Training and Development is currently located in temporary space in the Goodell Building. A suitable permanent location needs to be identified for this key campus program.

There is a critical need for more space in the University Store in the Campus Center. The main store needs to be modified in order to enhance accessibility and product display areas. Retail space must be created to allow for expansion of the trade book and retail clothing sections, as well as for the development of a combined media and text retail space. In addition, the University Store's Textbook Department is housed in the Physical Plant Annex Building which is designated as a warehouse. The size and location of the space is adequate, however the air quality is a serious concern. Major HVAC modifications and improvements must be made to provide a healthier working environment.

The present bus garage is adequate with normal upkeep to accommodate the existing bus and van fleet operations. A permanent drivers training area is required. Parking Services is currently housed in temporary trailers; permanent office space for the parking program is essential. The renovation of the "Old Bus Garage" (or other similar location) is needed to provide for a modern Parking Services Center. Such a location would facilitate access to Parking Services and allow for close collaboration with Transit Services with a new fleet operations concept.

The Goodell Building, home to several major Financial Services activities, was recently remodeled and appears to be able to meet the needs of these units for the foreseeable future. There is a continuing need, however, for additional secure storage space for the orderly archiving of official financial documents for the required seven year retention period.

The Employment Office is in serious need of adequate, permanent space that meets ADA requirements for accessibility by person with disabilities. Full implementation of the redesigned testing program will be delayed until this issue can be resolved. The current applicant testing room is located in a small area at the end of a narrow corridor which can't be negotiated by a wheelchair. If adequate space is not available, the alternative would be to realign the Employment Office staff and refurbish the existing area at a substantial cost.

Our financial records system needs to be replaced. A comprehensive needs assessment should be initiated soon to bring together requirements from all levels of the campus in order to define the structure for a new system. This should lead to the development of specifications for a request for bid, evaluation of proposals and installation of a new system within three years.

The Bursar's Office has been a key active participant in the Student Information Systems project. The successful installation of this system will greatly enhance the level of service the Bursar's Office will be able to provide students and parents.

We are on the way to implementing a "paperless" human resources systems. We expect to have fully operational by July, 1997 a new, fully automated computerized personnel requisitioning process which will provide the platform for other human resources applications. Access to this process will be limited until all buildings are linked via the campus network.

We will begin full roll out of the All Campus Card in the fall semester 1997 with the replacement of all identification cards. Initial applications will include dining hall and residence hall access, library withdrawals, and debit applications in retail outlets on campus. Over the ensuing years, we will further expand applications in order to take full advantage of this technology.

As we begin to position ourselves to meet these challenges, there will be a significant impact on the Facilities Planning Division. Unless additional funds are provided, the resources required to manage repair and construction projects will have to be shifted from routine activities. As a result, we will not be able to provide support for other needs and projects without additional resources. Further, it is essential that adequate space be found to house the required number of employees to support the capital improvement program.

Ongoing Internal Revenue Service tax reviews nationally, as well as within the university, have identified areas requiring attention and resources. In addition to the standard issues of unrelated business income, compensation programs and tax exempt status of bonds, we need to develop a more comprehensive and tighter program to carefully monitor and insure compliance with non-resident alien tax provisions.

Nationwide, threats and acts of aggression and violence in the workplace have increased both in frequency and severity in recent years. The campus must continue and enhance its preventative practices and guidelines in order to respond appropriately to such acts and ensure a safe environment.

Since 1991, OMB Circular A-21 has been revised many times in order to control the growth of indirect costs. These changes, while designed to reduce indirect cost recoveries by colleges and universities, create a significant burden on the proper classification and recording of costs in the University's financial records system and will require new certifications and disclosure statements attesting to compliance with newly developed cost accounting standards (CAS). We must also undertake a systematic review of the University's recharge centers to ensure compliance with CAS and A-21.

The budget reductions of the early 1990's continue to haunt this campus and Administration and Finance. Over that period, we reduced, curtailed, or eliminated services. Through dedication, innovation and hard work we have been able to provide those core services which keep the campus operating. We find ourselves at a critical juncture in many units as leaner staffing levels are increasing the stress on our staff as well as those we serve. The implications of the Retirement Incentive/Succession Planning Program (RISPP) will be fully felt in FY98. A&F will have lost 160 employees, many at senior level management positions. The mandate to refill at less than 50% of the salary savings will present additional challenge to this Executive Area.

A&F staff and units were active participants in phases I and II of administrative redesign. We are equally committed to participate in future efforts at both the university and campus levels. This commitment, however, puts significant strain on staff and their units as they put time and energy into this additional work at the expense of the regular duties.

After years of budget reductions it is time to look at the funding base of our services and make critical decisions regarding where to best invest our limited resources. A&F's readiness to be flexible, make hard resource decisions and respond to opportunities will be critical in managing the financial, resource and budgeting needs of the campus and its divisions.

Facilities Planning is conducting a Facilities Condition Assessment to guide planning. It will combine systematic information and analysis with campus decision making. Eventually, Facilities Planning hopes to develop a Geographical Information System (GIS) which will consolidate all automated facilities information into a relational data base.

A&F will play a significant role in Phase III of the President's Office administrative redesign effort. While it is unclear how this effort will affect the campus and in particular A&F service units over the long term, we expect the time commitment will be substantial.

A&F's commitment to integrating the concepts and principles of continuous quality improvement into its organizational culture and work processes continues to enhance the efforts of each of its divisions in developing efficient and customer oriented services. The successful implementation of CQI will affect not only how we do our work but how other Executive Areas do their work.

There is a need at the University level for the updating and clarification of two policies. Some of the provisions of the University Policy for Management of Non-State Funds are no longer valid. The University Policy and Procedures to Establish Quasi-Endowment Funds needs to be clarified to give campuses guidance in establishing quasi-endowments.