VPFA CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSESSMENT
As part of long-range strategic planning, the VPFA leadership team is working to improve the problem-solving capabilities of VPFA units and their delivery of services to campus. In 2017, divisional leadership began collaborating with the Community Service Center (CSC) to learn about the current customer perceptions of problem-solving abilities and service delivery of all the units in the portfolio. In fall 2017, the CSC facilitated a robust online survey investigating customer interactions with all 28 of the units in the Finance and Administration portfolio. To learn more about the survey and its findings, see here.
FINANCIAL REPORTS
Budget and Resource Planning: Some of our most sought-after financial reports (e.g., budget and expenditure reports by fiscal year) can be found on the budget and resource planning website.
Business Affairs: Quarterly and annual audited financial reports provided to the UO board of trustees are housed on our business affairs website.
Institutional Research: Our institutional research website is home to a number of financial reports (revenue and expenditures, vendor spending) as well as salary reports.
CHILDCARE CONSULTANT REPORT
In summer 2017, the Vice President for Finance and Administration, with support from the Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, engaged an external consultant, Mills Consulting Group, to (1) provide the University with information for potential ways in which the institution could expand childcare services for the UO community; and (2) provide considerations for enhancing the Vivian Olum Child Development Center. Linda Mills, from Mills Consulting Group, was on-site in fall 2017 to visit the existing university-affiliated centers, make observations, and engage stakeholders.
The University received the consultant's report* in April 2018 and has since analyzed its findings and identified a series of next steps to take related to the recommendations.
Next Steps Regarding Potential Childcare Service Expansion
We launched a parent support task force in spring 2018. The task force was charged with evaluating specific potential new resources and/or services for employees with childcare needs, and with making recommendations to the provost and VPFA for resources and services that are (1) responsive to the needs of UO parents, (2) cost-effective, and (3) can be reasonably implemented within 6-12 months. The task force is comprised of a variety of campus stakeholders, including faculty, officers of administration, and classified staff. Through its work, the task force will also engage members of other groups on campus focused on childcare and family-focused services and programs, such as the Campus Family Alliance and a related work group convened in 2016.
Questions about the task force can be directed to Melanie Muenzer, Associate Vice President for Academic Initiatives, or Kaia Rogers, Director of HR Programs and Services.
Next Steps for the Vivian Olum Child Development Center
Kassy Fisher, Associate Vice President for Campus Services, and Sara Bowman, interim director of the center, February - August, 2018, in consultation with center staff, analyzed the report’s 20 center-specific findings and recommendations. Many of the findings confirmed concerns already identified and some of the support actions already being taken, such as improving administrative communication with parents and staff. The report also provides useful suggestions for enhancing center operations and the valuable service the center offers to UO families.
A number of immediate actions were identified, some of which were already underway. These include:
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Making beneficial updates to the handbooks and enrollment forms;
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Reviewing new staff orientation and onboarding processes and materials;
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Enhancing training for teachers and student staff related to the infant sleep policy;
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Enhancing training for supervisors related to communication, team building, and direct supervision;
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Evaluating classroom staffing configurations; and
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Gathering feedback and input from staff regarding current leadership and operations.
There are other findings to implement but that require time to plan, collaborate, and gather input from members of the center community. These include:
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Implementing a security system for the front entry;
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Linking curriculum planning to established standards;
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Developing a formal assessment tool through which center employees can regularly evaluate the program;
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Identifying appropriate technology improvements; and
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Developing a long-range strategic/business plan.
Kassy Fisher and Sara Bowman held drop-in hours on Monday, April 30, 2018, 7:30-9:00 AM and 4:30-5:45 PM, and Tuesday, May 1, 2018, 4:30-5:45 PM, for parents who wished to discuss any of the findings, recommendations, and next steps.
*NOTE: Readers may notice that the appendix includes a handful of redactions. These redactions have been made consistent with university’s obligation to not publish statements that evaluate the performance of individual OAs and faculty members. For more information, see the Faculty Records policy.