Student Administration:What is Next?

Robert B. KvavikAssociate Vice PresidentUniversity of Minnesota

Senior Fellow, EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

CUMRECKeystone, COMay 18, 2005

Copyright Robert Kvavik, 2005. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

“The future is like heaven; everyone exalts it, but no one wants to go there now.” James Arthur Baldwin

“The future is not like it used to be.” Yogi Berra

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Peter Drucker

What is driving change?

• Rising customer expectations and demand for customer convenience and control

• Reduction of administrative costs• Demand for simplicity and transparency in an

increasingly complex environment• Elimination of procedural

controls/simplification of processes• Dynamics of a new labor force (high

expectations, unwillingness to be on trailing edge)

Paths

•Where were we?•Where are we now?•Where are we going?

First Phase: Localized Process Improvement

• Focus on processes within a functional department

• Change processes by simplifying work-steps and rationalize policies; improve form design, altering office layouts.

• Improve hand-offs to other offices• Historical roles and responsibilities are

usually retained

Second Phase: Reengineering

•Focus on processes from end to end

•Change processes by eliminating work-steps and alter policies

•Seek to eliminate hand-offs between offices

•Historical roles and responsibilities change significantly

Third Phase: ERP-enabled Process Improvement

•ERP is catalyst for process change•Redefine end to end process using the

automation and workflow capabilities of the software

•Sometimes accompanied by a rethinking of policy and organizational roles and responsibilities

•Begin to decentralize work to the end customer

Next Phase: Post-ERP Process Improvement

•Emphasis on using the web to promote self-service

•Shift entire responsibility for processing out of some central departments

•Focus on using technology to automatically trigger services

•Need to rethink policies and division of responsibilities between offices still persists

Student process performance

0%

10%

20%30%

40%

50%

60%

70%80%

90%

100%

Recruit StudentsManage Events

Evaluate Applications

Admit Students

Administer Tuition and Fees

Produce Student BilsProcess Payments

Manage ReceivablesProcess Aid ApplicationsDetermine Financial Need

Verify Aid Application

Package Loans

Provide Aid Reports to Lenders

Maintain Course Catalog

Advise StudentsCourse Enrollment

Audit Degree Completion

Maintain Grades

Verify Enrollment Status

Issue Transcripts

Exemplars

Leaders

Satisfied

Adequate

At risk

L o w H i g h

H i g h

Q u a d r a n t 2

H i g h R e s i s t a n c e / L o c a l

R e t u r n : " T o l e r a t e "

Q u a d r a n t 4

H i g h R e s i s t a n c e / H i g h

R e t u r n : " B e t Y o u r C a r e e r "

L o w

Q u a d r a n t 1

L o w R e s i s t a n c e / L o c a l

R e t u r n : " M a k e I t W o r k "

Q u a d r a n t 3

L o w R e s i s t a n c e / H i g h

R e t u r n : " J u s t D o I t "<--- Breadth of Political

Engagement --->

< - - - - S t r a t e g i c I m p a c t - - - - >

Leading Processes

0.00%

2.00%

4.00%

6.00%

8.00%

10.00%

12.00%

14.00%

16.00%

18.00%

20.00%

Course Enrollment Recruit Students Maintain Grades

Purchase Small Dollar ItemsAudit Degree Completion

Advise Students

Evaluate Applications

Admit Students

Produce Student Bills

Track Budgets and Expenditures

Student Payments

Leaders

Paths

Enterprise-wide system (ERP)

Controlled analysis of public data

Open analysis of controlled data

Organizational silos

Collectively owned Unit owned

Collectively owned

Unit owned

Data

Process

Paths1980’s 1990’s 2000’s

Information on schedule

Information on demand

Information in anticipation

Centralized services Decentralized services Confederated services

Information is scarce and is a source of power

Information is plentiful but complex as shadow systems proliferate to support local power

Information is ubiquitous and supports consensual decision-making

One-size-fits-all services mapped to organizations

Phone/web based services mapped to organizations

Tailored services mapped to customer preferences

Culture of compliance, multiple process checks

Post-process notifications and authorizations

Balanced scorecards and accountability

Tailored software Standardized software Software components that can be integrated to yield tailored solutions

Paths

Current• Information is the

basis of power and is rationed carefully

• Rules driven• Process driven

Envisioned• Common and shared

information is the basis of consensual decision-making

• Information driven• Processes embedded

in applications

Paths

Current• Need approvals• Vertical • Silos• Controller• Culture of anecdotes• Culture of

compliance• Specialists

Envisioned• Empowered people• Horizontal• One-stop shopping• Facilitator • Culture of

information• Culture of trust• Generalists

Paths

Current• Locally sub-optimized• Information is captive

and protected• Services mapped to

organizations• Departmental

data/solutions• Hierarchical/specialized

structures

Envisioned• Institutionally aligned• Information is ubiquitous

and shared• Services integrated and

seamless• Enterprise data

warehouse solutions• Open structures and

processes

Future directions

• Continuing efforts to improve services to students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders

• Organizing these services and systems to liberate the consumer from temporal and geographic constraints and from the service provider’s office of origin

Future directions• Exploiting the untapped functionality of

the ERP systems• Extending the usefulness of the ERP

systems with new technologies such as portals, workflow, and others

• Continuing standardization of systems, transactions, and institutional processes

• Establishing institutional performance frameworks and metrics and aligning ERP systems to produce meaningful performance information

Future directions

• Expanding data warehousing and reporting capabilities generally

• Aligning staff and training to the new organizational, technical, and service realities

• Re-thinking the institutional vision, governance structures, and interdependencies

• Reinvention of organizations and processes

Current and future emphases

• Efficiency• Effectiveness• Customer satisfaction• Reduced business risk• Accountability

Tangible and intangible

returns• Reduce, eliminate, or transfer costs: lower

headcount and/or transaction costs, outsource, eliminate duplication and facilities

• Increase revenue: higher yield, new markets and products/services, higher productivity

• Avoid new costs for existing or new services and functions, transfer effort

Efficiency • More efficient relationships between the

university and students- one-stop self service, linked and automated

transactions

• Digitizing and scalability– digitizing the product or services we provide to an

expanding and use-intensive customer base

• Velocity– the value of speed in the delivery of the product or

services we provide: paperless financial aid

Effectiveness

• Planning and planned outcomes with strategic costing of effort

• Reporting and performance (yield)• Rational procedures and policies

Satisfaction• Customer relationship management

(CRM)• Ease of use• Customizing

– customizing the product or service we provide

– students are expecting new ways of learning and doing business with the university

Units that are key to future improvements

Web development servicesInformation management systemsProcesses redesign consultants and

innovators in core business officesFaculty governance

Expanding application of new technologies

An integrated ERP systemPortalsNew applications and functionality (portfolios, CSM, LMS)

Expanded use of reporting

• Student performance reporting: providing feedback data to advisors and administration

• Performance measurement including measures of cost of services

• Data quality and integrity

Student Admissions Portal

'Click' here for Address File for the list

'Click' here for Registration Summary

'Click' here for policy on student records privacy

'Click' here to send e-mail to student

'Click' here to save report to your desktop

Deanna OlsenJonathan OlsenMatthew OlsenTimothyOlsenPamela OlsenJanelle OlsenPaul OlsenShandy OlsenScott OlsenDavid OlsenRachel OlsenThomas OlsenBrian OlsenBruce OlsenAmber OlsenKristin Olsen

New governance and planning structure

User(Students, faculty, staff and alumni)

Questions and comments?

Kvavik@umn.edu