'Working smarter, aiming higher' website to facilitate process
A group of faculty and administrators are seeking to save Rutgers money by effecting a long-term cultural change at the university: engaging the entire community in finding ways to make the best use of Rutgers’ resources and take a proactive, long-term approach to expanding revenues.
President Richard L. McCormick established the Committee on Efficiency and Entrepreneurship in September 2006 after New Jersey’s dire fiscal situation forced large cuts to higher education budgets.
A key to maximizing resources is to change the traditional way of thinking at Rutgers from that of a decentralized institution to a unified organization. “There is a long history of efficiencies here at Rutgers,” said Jeff Apfel, outgoing senior vice president for administration and chief financial officer. The committee’s new approach, Apfel said, “is in line with what the president is doing to integrate public perception, curriculum, admissions, and other functions. There are a lot of opportunities for synergy when we think about the university as one place.”
Apfel is leaving Rutgers for a position as chief operating officer of a Boston law firm. The university administration is in the process of identifying a new chair for the efficiency and entrepreneurship committee.
In the spirit of breaking down walls between schools, departments, and other units at the university, the committee will accept ideas from across the university and from any employee.
“Everybody who is a part of Rutgers can give their thoughts and suggestions,” said Jennifer Altman, a senior analyst with the Office of Administration and Finance. “I send every single email that comes through to the appropriate working group.
“It’s not just about finding a cut or savings,” Altman said. “We are trying to develop a sense where if people have an idea about how things can be done better, there is a forum to express and share those ideas, and help drive positive change.”
The steering committee will not necessarily be focusing on small fixes, Apfel said; rather, they will look to enhance administrative systems and business processes so that small ideas can blossom into efficient practices in use across the university.
The committee has already identified areas in which Rutgers can achieve short-term savings. For example, recent efforts to conserve energy will save $30 million over 10 years. A new site license agreement with Microsoft will save departments money–instead of individually paying for site licenses, departments can obtain Microsoft products after the university pays one fee, Apfel said.
Those practices will take shape as major initiatives at Rutgers play out, such as the transformations taking place in undergraduate education or the new Rutgers visual identity system.
The committee not only will be a place to cultivate innovation, but also a forum for coordinating budgetary activities across the administration and various departments.
“There is a relationship between constrained resources and efficiencies, but it’s a question of what drives what,” Apfel said. “Because our resources are constrained, we can maximize opportunity if we look for synergies and ‘win-wins’ out there. If our resources do shrink in the future, we will have fewer resources to go around but we are going to do the job as well or better than we did it before.”