UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State is in the early stages of a multi-year effort to create a new ecosystem of shared support and services across the University. The effort, which centers on establishing optimized service teams or workstreams in key areas throughout the University, will activate this fall as engagement with campus, college, and administrative and academic unit leaders begins.
“We’re still in the earliest days of this effort and the work ahead will focus on how we can set up these teams in ways that best serve our mission, values and unique interdisciplinary structure while enhancing support and service offerings across the University,” President Neeli Bendapudi said. “As we move ahead, it will take many in our community to help map out a vision and identify areas of opportunity that will meet the needs of our students, faculty and staff.”
Work with these optimized service teams will begin within five functional areas, in addition to a team focused on the design of service delivery at the Commonwealth Campuses. The teams will allow for consistent processes, transparency, improvements and flexibility of service delivery to help the University meet strategic needs and financial goals.
Among the benefits of optimized service teams is an anticipated enhancement in support and services for students, faculty and staff; streamlined business practices and workflows; and creation of clearer career pathways and development opportunities for employees that will assist with both attracting new staff talent and retaining current staff.
“In the coming months we will be taking a look at how this process can allow us to elevate student and employee success,” Bendapudi said. “While there are opportunities for long-term cost savings for this effort, which align with our continued efforts to enhance access and affordability and be a responsible steward of our resources, this effort is grounded in prioritizing initiatives and resources that support the University’s mission, values and strategic goals. This clear focus is what is going to truly position Penn State for the future.”
The identified initial workstreams, which will be co-led by each corresponding functional area’s leadership and an academic senior leader, include:
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Development and Alumni Relations — Rich Bundy, vice president for Development and Alumni Relations, and Clarence Lang, dean of the College of the Liberal Arts.
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Information Technology — Jennifer Stedelin, vice president for information technology and chief information officer, and Andrew Sears, dean of the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
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Facilities — Bill Sitzabee, vice president for facilities management and planning and chief facilities officer, and Kimberly Lawless, dean of the College of Education.
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Safety — Bill Sitzabee, vice president for facilities management and planning and chief facilities officer, and Lee Kump, dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
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Finance — Virginia Teachey, associate vice president for finance; and Craig Newschaffer, dean of the College of Health and Human Development.
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Commonwealth Campuses — Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, and Elizabeth Wright, chancellor of Penn State Hazelton.
Along with Bendapudi, executive sponsors for this work include Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Justin Schwartz, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff Michael Wade Smith, Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Sara Thorndike, and Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses and Executive Chancellor Kelly Austin.
To include staff members in the process, executive sponsors engaged in conversations with leadership from the University Staff Advisory Council (USAC), and workstream leads will continue to work closely with the group throughout the initiative, including through opportunities for staff members to partner with the workstreams.
“A key focus of this effort is supporting our staff members and finding ways we can continue to provide meaningful career and growth opportunities for our employees,” Thorndike said. “We envision this effort will help to establish clearer roles and competencies in these specialized areas that help lead to career pathways with common professional development, training and growth opportunities.”
Each workstream will move forward on an individual timeline and establish unique goals and objectives.
“For employees in these key areas, we know you will have questions about how this may impact you, and while it’s too early in the process to have specific information to share, I am committed to sharing updates as they are available so you can engage in the process,” Bendapudi said.
While current work is focused on the five initial functional areas, along with Commonwealth Campuses, additional areas will be explored in the future as the University learns and develops the program.
“Workstream leads in critical areas are working in collaboration with University leadership and key stakeholders, to understand and prioritize the needs of each unit within Penn State’s structure and mission,” Schwartz said. “This effort will span a number of years and conversations to discuss goals for each of the workstreams are getting off the ground now. In the coming weeks, each workstream is developing a model and plan for their area that carefully aligns with broader institutional goals.”
Some of the areas selected for this effort were previously identified as part of earlier optimization studies as functions or areas where efficiencies could be realized, and, in some cases, have already been engaged in some level of optimization work, which this initiative will help accelerate and finalize.
Workstream leads will also be looking at previous optimization efforts to identify best practices and examine the successes and challenges from those efforts, according to Schwartz.