Business Affairs

What is the program’s mission statement or statement of purpose? Why does the program exist?

The Business Affairs division is responsible for the administrative, financial, and operations management of the university. The division provides leadership and service in the areas of budgeting and financial management; environmental health and safety; facilities and sustainability; human resources; information technology; procurement; records management; risk management; and strategic planning. Employees in Business Affairs develop efficient business processes, exhibit integrity in their work, and provide superior customer service.

This program as structured also includes Environmental Health and Safety. The Environmental Health and Safety Department was created to meet Federal and State mandates to provide safety and security to the campus community and visitors who enjoy the programs and experiences which are offered on campus.

How does the program mission align with the university mission?

The Vice President for Business Affairs Office provides leadership in a number of areas required to support a "public comprehensive university." The VPBA Office works to ensure compliance with state requirements on auditing, hiring,  procurement, records management, reporting, and student billing. The Office is responsible for the operations and maintenance of the campus facilities and technology infrastructure required to deliver "superior, accessible … education." The Office is also responsible for budgeting and fiscal management required for the University's financial sustainability. The Office, by overseeing the University's strategic planning process, helps set the overall direction for achieving the University's mission and vision.

The Environmental, Health and Safety program provides for a secure and safe environment for all students and staff. EHS also provides opportunities to extend students' learning experiences and develop a safety-security focus point within their reasoning and professional outlook. Several past graduates have expressed satisfaction with the EIU experience and how contact with the EHS department has developed new application for their chosen field.

Whom does the program serve?

The VPBA Office serves all students, faculty, staff, and external constituents.

The EHS program serves and develops the safety culture of the university. The EHS program serves students, faculty, staff, and public by providing a safe and secure place for their experience.

What are the services provided? How do these services align with the university mission and program mission?

The VPBA Office provides general administrative support for the Business Affairs division. The Office is directly responsible for strategic planning and program analysis, communication and consultation with the campus community, resolution of student billing disputes, and improvement of business processes and campus operations. These responsibilities are necessary for the operation of a "public comprehensive university" and are basic components of administrative, financial, and operations management.

The EHS program provides safety and security for the operation of the department on campus. The two members of the department inspect building for safety and security concerns and provide training to the university community.

Describe the program’s origins (e.g. year established, purpose, expectations).

The VPBA Office would have to research archives to determine when this administrative unit was first formed. Presumably some administrative structure to oversee the University's business operations has existed for many years. Professional organizations for college and university business officers have existed for more than 100 years.

The EHS department started in the mid 1970s with the passage of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 29 CFR 1910 and 1926.

How has the unit changed or adapted over time?

The VPBA Office's areas of responsibility have changed as the University's needs have changed. In the past five years, the VPBA Office has transferred responsibility for contractual matters to the General Counsel Office, downsized the Information Technology Services unit (reducing personnel by about 25%), created the Planning, Budget, and Institutional Research Office (eliminating one director position), and restructured the Human Resources area. The VPBA Office is in the process of expanding the Records Management area and creating a new Building Access Control department.

Most of EHS's focuses in the early years were on workplace safety to protect staff. In the 1980s a full time safety officer was hired to work with occupational safety and fire preventions. In the 1990s, the department took on environmental issues and worker health and safety. In the next decade the EHS department expanded to cover emergency preparedness and security.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program’s history and relevance to university mission.

Provide data, if available, on the numbers of students, faculty, staff, or others served by the program during the past four years. If no data are available, please estimate the numbers served annually.

The VPBA Office does not actively track the numbers directly served, but it does maintain a mail log that could be mined for data. The VPBA Office prepares an annual management letter to President Perry outlining its accomplishments in the prior year and outlining its priorities for the upcoming year.

Each year the EHS department serves the campus and the activities which are hosted by various departments and athletics. The standard enrollment and faculty and staff level would be served by the department. Special events such as concerts, parades, sporting events, dances would be estimated in the hundreds of thousands of visitors during the year.

Does the program offer any co-curricular opportunities for students (e.g., internships, RSO support, service-learning activities)? Please describe.

The VPBA Office itself does not currently offer any co-curricular opportunities for students. The Office provides administrative review of unusual events requested by RSOs and others.

The EHS program has worked with interns developing skills and knowledge for safety, security, and emergency planning. One intern accepted a job at Los Alamos.

Does the program contribute to the delivery of academic programs (e.g., providing professional expertise, serving as adjunct faculty)? Please describe.

VP Weber annually speaks with President Hencken's educational leadership class. VP Weber holds tenure in the Economics Department but does not currently teach any classes.

Safety Officer Hanebrink has provided guest speaker topics to several academic programs. For example, the Historical Administration Program was assigned to develop emergency plans for museums; the classes work with the EHS department to develop a complete emergency plan.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the internal demand for the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., curriculum changes made by another program) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Is the program accredited or approved by a recognized external agency or otherwise certified to meet established professional standards? Provide an executive summary of and link to the program’s most recent accreditation or certification report, if available.

The VPBA Office maintains memberships with the National Association of College and University Business Offices (NACUBO) and the Business Affairs Forum of the Educational Advisory Board (EAB). Neither organization offers accreditation or certification.

State and Federal government agencies may audit the University’s safety and security program at any time. The governmental agencies will not certify or determine if the program has their approval. Inspections consist of determining if a violation or improper management of safety and security issues have been performed.

Is the program required to meet any regulatory or legal requirements? Is the program subject to any special auditing requirements?

The VPBA Office is responsible for working with state auditors, responding to their findings, and ensuring that financial and compliance audits are completed and filed on time. The Office is also responsible for submitting various reports to state agencies and responding to legislative requests for information.

The EHS program must meet state and federal codes for safety and security (e.g., OSHA).

What are the most important outreach or public service activities supported by the program?

The VPBA Office works extensively with many external constituencies, including the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), the Governor's Office on Management and Budget (GOMB), Illinois House and Senate Appropriations Committees, the State University Retirement System (SURS), the State University Civil Service System (SUCSS), City of Charleston officials, and the Charleston Chamber of Commerce. 

EHS's more important public service activities include fire training, hazardous material management, and holding membership on several committee and departments that manage the safety and security of the community, county and region. EHS maintains close relationships with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS), the Coles County Emergency Management Agency, and area fire prevention and police departments.

How do the local community and the region benefit from the program?

The VPBA Office's relationships with state offices help ensure continued state funding and financial sustainability, which in turn has a significant economic impact on the community.

EHS helps enhance emergency response preparation for local community and the region. EHS senior staff serves on many local, state committees and teams. EHS has participated, for close to twenty years, as a member of the Local Emergency Planning Committee and the threat assessments Homeland Security committee. During the years after the 9-11 disaster the EHS shared the department’s experience with the local fire department in hazardous material spill response, which later developed into the local hazardous material response team.

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the external demand for the program.

What are the two or three more important measureable outcomes tracked to assess program quality? Does the program conduct an outcomes assessment, and if so, what has been the impact?

The VPBA Office is responsible for overseeing implementation of the university's strategic plan, and these outcomes are tracked on the strategic planning website. In addition, the VPBA Office prepares an annual management letter which summarizes the outcomes from the prior year and establishes goals for the upcoming year.

EHS tracks the OSHA 300 log for recordable accidents and the number of fire calls and fires on campus. The number of accidents and fires on the campus has been reduced over the years.

What are the two or three most effective best practices that the program has implemented? What benefits have been gained from implementing these best practices?

The VPBA Office implemented best practices for strategic plan development that focused on collaboration, transparency, and wide-spread participation. External consultants have noted that engagements in our process were significantly above average and frequently refer to our strategic planning website as a model of transparency.

The VPBA Office has also emphasized increase use of Banner workflows and paperless, web-based systems to reduce the time it takes to accomplish many business processes. Inventory tracking, graduate student exit interviews, opt-ins for electronic W‑2 forms, scholarship verification, grade change, and flex time approval are now done online using Banner workflows and web-based systems.

The VPBA Office also used energy performance contracts to finance the building of the Renewable Energy Center (REC). The REC was built without additional tax or tuition dollars.

EHS has implemented best practices in the areas of food sanitation, unusual events, fire protection and prevention, and worker safety training. The campus has benefited from reductions in accidents and fire calls and from improved unusual event safety and crowd security and control.

What external recognitions (e.g., awards, accommodations, professional certifications, references in trade publications) have the program and its staff received in the past three years?

In 2013, EIU was one of only seven universities selected by the Education Advisory Board to participate in a major college affordability study.

EIU is now recognized as a “green college” by the Princeton Review and a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. The REC was awarded LEED Platinum status, the highest possible award for environmental and energy design and efficiency.

EIU, thanks in part to the efforts of its EHS program, has received recognition from the Governor’s Office for being the first University in the state to comply the fire sprinkler act, recognition from the Office of the State Fire Marshal for excellence in fire prevention efforts, and the 2013 Cooperate Award from the Illinois Fire Inspectors’ Association.

Is the program active with any regional, national, or international professional organizations?

VP Weber is active in the Central Association of College and University Business Officers (CACUBO), the National Association of College and University Business Offices (NACUBO), and the Business Affairs Forum of the Educational Advisory Board (EAB). He also serves on the State University Civil Service Systems (SUCSS) Administrative Advisory Council, the State University Retirement System (SURS) Administrative Advisory Council, and the IBHE Performance-Based Funding Refinement Committee. In 2010, he served on the State of Illinois Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education Mandates.

EHS staff have served on committees and hosted meetings for the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association, American Society of Safety Engineers, University membership of the National Safety Council, Illinois Emergency Management Administration, All Hazard Incident Management Team Association, and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists.

Note any presentations, publications, or offices held in the last three years.

VP Weber has presented on best practices in fiscal management at CACUBO, on strategic planning at the North Central Conference on Summer Sessions (NCCSS), and on the conversion to biomass at CACUBO and the Campus Technology Summit. He recently concluded service on the Tarble Arts Center Advisory Board, including terms as Chair and Vice Chair. In 2011, he concluded service on the NCCSS Executive Board, including terms as President and Past President.

EIU's renewable energy center has been featured in a number of trade publications, including District Energy, HPAC Engineering, Biomass Magazine, and BUILDINGS Magazine.

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the quality of program outcomes.

Note any special benefits (e.g., personnel support, equipment, permanent improvements) that the program has received in the past three years from its grants and other sponsored programs.

None.

How does the program benefit from donor gifts (e.g., scholarships, endowed chairs)? Does donor support provide a significant percentage of the program’s overall funding?

The VPBA Office and the EHS program do not receive any donor gifts.

List two or three key relationships that the program maintains with external constituencies (e.g., community colleges, other universities, government bodies). How do these relationships advance the university mission or otherwise benefit the university?

The VPBA Office maintains relationships with state legislators, state offices (most notably, the Illinois Board of Higher Education), and with city officials. These relationships help provide legislative channels for funding and other university requests and help ensure cooperation between the city and university on projects of interest to both (e.g., pedestrian safety improvements on Fourth and Seventh Streets, steam tunnel work, storm drainage issues).

The EHS program maintains key relationships with local and regional emergency response agencies (e.g., IEMA, MABAS, Charleston police and fire prevention). These relationships strengthen the quality of the emergency response training available to the university (e.g., the June 2012 statewide emergency response exercise held at EIU).

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the resources generated by the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., revenue pass-throughs) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

The non-appropriate funds listed above are administered by the VPBA Office on the behalf of Facilities Planning and Management, the Treasurer's Office, and other units. They do not directly support the VPBA Office operations.

Provide an executive summary of and link to any metrics or benchmarks that the program tracks to measure productivity.

The VPBA Office monitors various productivity metrics within the division (e.g., facilities condition index, savings from cost reduction measures).

The EHS department currently benchmarks accidents, fire calls, and OSHA 300 logs. During the last 20 years, almost all of the benchmarks have shown year-to-year improvements.

What initiatives has the program implemented to enhance staff productivity (e.g., access to training, workflow improvements)? Briefly describe the costs and benefits of these initiatives.

The VPBA Office has worked with the various Business Affairs units to enhance staff productivity. For example, the VPBA Office sponsors an opportunity for two middle-level employees to receive a week-long leadership training offered through CACUBO. The cost is $1,500 plus travel per person. One of the participants commented that it was the best training program he had ever attended, and this investment benefits the university through improved succession planning. Other initiatives that the VPBA Office has spearheaded include Banner workflows (reducing staff time on menial tasks) and the Superior Performance Award for non-negotiated Civil Service employees.

In recent years, the EHS department has offered on-line safety training to all campus employees. The benefit was for the employee department to direct employees to the web based training, forgoing the normal department’s group training required each year.

EHS hosts a central site on its web page for material safety data sheets and chemical safety for departments, faculty, staff, students and visitors to review as needed. The benefit was for the departments to have a central location for MSDS sheets meeting the OSHA 29CFR 1910.1200 requirement of each work place to provide MSDS sheets to the workers.

EHS purchased reusable fire extinguisher training prop for employee-required training by OSHA 29 1910.157. The cost was $250 to conduct training for Housing and Dinning staff only each year. Other departments will use the prop for required training. Estimated saving per year was $2000 with a payback of investment within three years. 

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the productivity of the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., accreditation requirements, curricular changes, program restructuring) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the costs associated with the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., expenditures made centrally or externally, expenditures made on behalf of other units) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Staffing for the main VPBA Office consists of VP Weber and one administrative aide. These employees are charged to Banner organization 130000.

Staffing for the EHS program consists of two safety officers. These employees are charged to 130080. Staffing for this program often includes a student intern.

All other staff listed above work for other programs but are paid from funds managed by the VPBA Office.

The two employees listed under 130060 both provide Banner support. One is part-time and works with the Treasurer's Office (program 310) and Human Resources (program 330). The other works in ITS (program 340).

The employees listed under 230007, Parking Services, work in the Student Affairs division. The VPBA Office has no role other than to manage the funds.

The employees listed under 230008, University Lounge Facilities, are Building Service Workers who work for Facilities Planning and Management (program 350).

How does the program seek to distinguish itself from similar programs at other institutions?

The VPBA Office, under VP Weber's leadership, strives to create efficiencies in the business practices that support the academic mission; to learn and disseminate best practices from other universities; to provide clarity and transparency in the university's financial operations; and to develop productive relationships with state and local leaders in government, business, and education.

Most other universities have a larger staff to manage the same work that the EHS department performs. This EHS department has functioned with one or two employees over the past twenty years. Though some of the normal functions of an EHS department have been assigned to other department or deemed non-essential for the University to maintain.

The EHS department has developed a relationship with the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center (STIC) receiving security and threat information that concern the university. Though my work with the state Incident Management Team, relationships have developed across the state developing a network of first responders including police, fire, and local government officials.

Note any unique and/or essential contributions that the program makes to the university.

The VPBA Office is responsible for developing and implementing the university's strategic plan, ensuring the university's financial sustainability, maintaining the university's emergency response abilities, and overseeing the university's business operations.

The EHS department first recognized that dormitory fires will be a critical concern to the university’s management in the early 1990s and started a culture change towards fire prevention.

The EHS department brought the university up to a level of compliance for incident management and emergency preparedness before mandated requirements.

The EHS department received a grant to install the indoor and outdoor public address system.

The EHS department has opened up the opportunity for EIU’s students to intern in the fields of HR, emergency management, health education, and other related fields of study.

The EHS department has extended the community outreach by serving, supporting, and hosting educational opportunities for the fire and police departments in the university’s service area.

The EHS department has conducted the mandated annual exercise for the university. In 2012 the state level incident exercise was brought to the university, bringing in state funds to conduct the exercise.

Provide any program-specific metrics that help to document program contributions or program quality. Examples of some commonly used program-specific metrics may be found here.

The EHS and the Human Resources departments track the the number of university employees who are injured at work and file worker's compensation claims. Over the last several years, the OSHA 300 log data have shown that the number of EIU employees who are injured at work has declined.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program impact on the university mission.

Provide a link to or listing of the program’s goals and/or strategic plan.

VP Weber established the following FY14 goals for the Business Affairs division.

• Complete the first implementation phase of the university’s strategic plan. The Business Affairs division will continue to make progress on the goals and actions specified in the financial sustainability and emerging technologies sections of the strategic plan. In particular, we will
  • Complete development of the program analysis template and begin its use as a guide for budgeting and resource allocation.
  • Provide support for the university’s enrollment initiatives.
  • Develop a dashboard to make technology budgets and expenditures more transparent.
  • Continue to make targeted technology infrastructure investments.
• Provide support for the university’s reaccreditation process. Linda Holloway is serving as co-chair for the Integrity criterion, and Mike Maurer is serving as co-chair for the Resources, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness criterion. I greatly appreciate their willingness to take these vital but time-consuming roles.
• Complete the Renewable Energy Center project and the CENCERE building. We will continue to press Honeywell and its subcontractors to bring the REC project to a successful closure. Contractors have been selected for the CENCERE building, and construction should be completed by early spring.
• Continue to analyze and improve business practices. We have made substantial progress in this area. For FY14, we will review and improve the processes for Personnel Authorization Requests (PAR) and unique event tracking. I do not believe that the current chargeback structure for Renovations and Alterations benefits the university, and by the end of FY14, I expect analysis to be completed on how to improve that unit’s cost effectiveness and customer service orientation.

What role will the program have in the implementation of the university’s strategic plan (provide link to strategic plan)?

The VPBA Office has general oversight for implementation of the university's strategic plan, and VP Weber convenes the Strategic Planning Implementation Steering Committee on a quarterly basis. In addition, the VPBA Office is responsible for coordinating the implementation of action plans for two of the six planks of the strategic plan: emerging technologies and financial sustainability. The VPBA Office provides implementation updates to the campus through the governance structure and through the strategic planning website, http://www.eiu.edu/strategicsummary/.

In the next two or three years, what best practices, improvements in operations, or other opportunities to advance the university’s mission are likely to be implemented?

The most pressing investment for which the VPBA Office needs financial and operational support from the university is the creation of a campus safety and security unit. In 2014, the Business Affairs division will be presenting a new campus security master plan to the Board of Trustees, and the primary recommendation contained within the plan is to centralize the university's security efforts under a single administrative structure. A campus safety and security unit could include the University Police Department (currently under Student Affairs), Environmental Health and Safety (currently under Business Affairs), Information Technology Security (currently under Business Affairs within Information Technology Services), Records Management (currently under Business Affairs), and Building Access Control (new). The new Building Access Control subunit is needed to manage electronic-lock systems being installed on campus and could also encompass Panther Card operations and brass locksmith operations. At least three FTE positions would be required to create a campus safety and security unit: one position to have overall responsibility for the unit and two positions for the new Building Access Control subunit.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand future opportunities for the program.