As a result of recommendations from Governor Kasich’s Ohio Task Force on Affordability and Efficiency, the Kent State University Board of Trustees in 2016 completed an efficiency review and submitted its findings and implementation plans to the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
This report articulates an ultimate goal to achieve $36.8 million dollars in savings and opportunities for enhanced student affordability by 2021. Through this evaluation, Kent State University has identified opportunities for shared services in four key areas: Financial Management, Facilities Management, Human Resources and Information Technology.
Vision
To be the premier collaborative service organization that drives operational and service excellence through synergistic partnerships.
Mission
Through collaborative partnerships, deliver the highest level of client-centered services that meet the needs of our stakeholders, while assuring operational effectiveness and efficiency in support of the university’s commitment to organizational stewardship as part of the Strategic Roadmap to a Distinctive Kent State.
Objectives
- Provide exemplary and high-quality customer service to all our clients.
- Engage and empower our employees to develop innovative services and solutions that result in best-in-class outcomes.
- Operate within a governance framework to deliver services that are responsive and improve operational excellence.
- Streamline or reduce operational costs in order to maximize resources to fund the university’s strategic priorities.
- Use data and analytics to help drive decision-making.
- Establish transparency by demonstrating integrity, mutual respect and building trust with stakeholders at all levels of the institution.
- Collaborate and partner with stakeholders across the university so that the transition to shared services is seamless to the client.
- Foster performance accountability through service level agreements, metrics, etc. to measure cost containment, realized savings and operational excellence.
- Establish an ongoing communications plan to ensure awareness, promote the benefits of the shared services initiatives and help manage employee expectations.
- Challenge the status quo though a culture of continuous process improvement.
- Incorporate change management best practices throughout the shared services initiatives.