Resource optimization projects ROSE (Resource Optimization and Service Enhancing) and OARs (Optimizing Academic Resources) are set to save some serious cash for the University of Manitoba.
“ROSE and OARs are progressing well,” said U of M director of Public Affairs John Danakas. “Already there have been a number of achievements. [ . . . ] We’re looking forward to continued progress on with both those projects.”
The ROSE project, a university-led project to review and improve administrative
and academic support services at the U of M, has resulted in close to $2 million in savings.
Upon completion, the project is expected to have saved between $8-15 million per annum and $10-12 million in increased revenues, according to recent updates on the university’s website.
The project, which began in October 2009, was created to deal with the university’s current financial challenges, through the reduction of costs across the university.
“If not more important are the significant service enhancement associated with these changes, which undoubtedly will translate into increased enrolment and more satisfied users and employees,” reads the report.
Vice-president (academic) and provost Joanne Keselman, one of the co-chairs of the ROSE steering committee, said that the project is now at the beginning of the implementation phase, after having developed a model for the changes over the summer months.
Keselman said that although the original motivation of budget reduction still exists, the project has become more valuable in terms of its focus on service enhancement.
Some of the initiatives set to be completed in December included cutting paper costs through e-paystubs, e-phone books and e-monthly reports, which resulted in the elimination of 192,000 paper copies and an estimated reduction of approximately $45,000.
The contracting out of Catering and Conference Services to Aramark is predicted to result in savings of at least $250,000, according to the report.
Another planned initiative includes contracting Xerox to develop a print management strategy, which could save the university $1.8 million.
However, University of Manitoba Students’ Union president Heather Laube said she felt the savings created by the ROSE project have definitely come at a cost to the university community.
Laube felt that the privatization of Catering and Conference Services, formerly known as Special Functions, is one of the most visible issues arising from the ROSE project.
“Not surprisingly, UMSU is now in the position of having to prevent the implementation of room booking fees for student bookings in University Centre,” she said.
“We know that Aramark was instrumental in this, [ . . . ] and while the ROSE project was only indirectly responsible, it was responsible nonetheless,” she said.
The ROSE project was launched alongside OARs, a project which works to identify strategies that will improve the efficiency of the university’s academic resources and optimize their future use.
Under OARs, the strategic enrolment management committee will have its first meeting at the end of the month. The committee will continue to look at ways to enhance student experience across all facets of university life.
From UMSU’s perspective, the OARs project is seen in a more positive light than ROSE.
“We have been fairly successful within the OARs framework at working towards or achieving goals, such as improving exam access policies and vastly improving the language used in several draft policy documents part of OARs,” Laube said.
Nevertheless, Laube said UMSU will be “keeping a close eye” on how the project
proceeds.
According to Keselman, changes will be noticed as the projects move forward over the next six to 12 months.
“I think one of the really big successes of the [ROSE] project overall has been that it has really galvanized the university across all of its administrative units to work more collaboratively together to enhance the delivery of service to faculties and to students,” said Keselman.
