Survey Measures Progress on Administrative Redesign Efforts Daniel J. Fitzgibbons CHRONICLE STAFF April 7, 2000 Starting next week, a private survey firm will begin querying faculty, staff and students across the University system about various administrative services on their campuses. According to Steve O'Riordan, budget director at the President's Office, the survey is the third yearly assessment of the Administrative Redesign (ARD) Project, an initiative launched in 1995 to overhaul and streamline administrative systems such as purchasing, payroll and personnel processes. "It's a satisfaction survey of various administrative functions," he said. "We want to track general satisfaction over time." The results of the study will be reported to the Board of Trustees, which commissioned the ARD effort. Unlike past years, however, campus employees will be called at work by the survey company. According to O'Riordan the survey sample for the Amherst campus is 250 faculty and staff and 390 students. Participants in the survey, which takes 10-12 minutes to complete, will be asked to provide information about how often various services are used, the importance of those functions and their level of satisfaction with them. Brian Douglas, a graduate assistant at the President's Office, said the survey callers will employ a script to explain why they are contacting employees. Organizers of the survey hope participation will increase by contacting staff and faculty at their worksites instead of at home, said O'Riordan. The surveying is scheduled to begin April 10 and will continue over several weeks.