Financial and Administrative Operations Assessment

The University is beginning a comprehensive Financial and Administrative Operations Assessment as part of its Administrative Redesign to understand how routine finance, personnel operations and administrative work are currently organized. The goal is to improve and clarify processes, provide more consistent support and establish shared service approaches where appropriate. Over time, this work should make it easier for faculty and staff to navigate administrative processes, allowing them to spend more time on students, research and creative scholarship, and strategic work.

Today, many routine tasks—processing forms, arranging travel, and completing certain HR, finance and other administrative work—are distributed across campus and handled in highly variable ways. This level of dispersion creates inconsistency, limits scalability, leads to coverage gaps and results in uneven workloads. The University will assess current practices, stakeholder needs and service expectations to determine which future model would best support WMU.

In practical terms, this effort starts with understanding what work is being done, where it is performed, how it is experienced by those who rely on it, and where shared services or clearer ownership could improve outcomes. The findings will inform a possible design of a future shared-services model for financial and administrative functions.

Benefits

For the University

• Clear visibility into how finance and administrative work is currently distributed and where process redesign could improve systems, scalability and service quality.
• Clearer decisions about which services should remain within individual units, which could be shared and where standardization could reduce unnecessary variation and risk.
• Stronger alignment between administrative structures and institutional priorities by using data, stakeholder input and service-design principles rather than informal workarounds. 

For colleges and departments

• More consistent support for common administrative work through clearer processes, service definitions and ownership of routine transactions.
• Clearer service expectations over time, including turnaround standards, escalation paths and accountability for common requests.
• Less reliance on one-off practices within individual units, broader shared support, improved service continuity, and reduced disruption when workloads shift or vacancies occur.

For affected teammates

• Clearer expectations around administrative work, how it connects to other functions and where process improvements could ease daily work.
• More consistency in how common services are defined and delivered across units, helping campus partners know what to expect.
• A deliberate approach to service improvement that begins with listening, data collection and service analysis before major design decisions are made. 

Planning approach

Leadership: Dr. Chris Cheatham, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs; Keith Hahn, general counsel; Nicole Kalmbach, director of business operations for student affairs; Erica Martinez, senior director of business operations in academic affairs; Colleen Scarff, associate vice president for business and finance; and Jan Van Der Kley, vice president for business and finance, will serve as the steering committee. Western is partnering with Huron for this 7-month, assessment-oriented and evidence-based effort. 

Timeline and phases

Assessment (5 weeks)

Assess the current state by establishing a quantitative baseline of how work is distributed today. The team will gather stakeholder input from supervisors, divisional leaders, affected employees and campus partners through interviews and focus groups. The goal will be to understand needs, dependencies and service expectations; define which activities are in and out of scope of the effort; and identify where current processes create inconsistency, undue effort or risk.

Design (8 weeks)

Translate findings into a future-state design, including workflow analysis, organizational structure evaluation and determination, service catalog, service-level agreements and key performance indicators.  Map the current organizational chart and job descriptions to the new design.

Implementation (16 weeks)

Implement the new design into operation and focus on stabilizing services over time.

Information Technology Organizational Design

The University is reorganizing its information technology structure as part of Western’s administrative redesign to provide more consistent support and service delivery, strengthen cybersecurity, and make better use of its technology talent and resources. The goal is to align IT more closely with the University’s mission so that the technology underpinning teaching, learning, research, administration and auxiliary operations is reliable, coordinated and sustainable.

Today, IT teammates, systems and support are spread across many units, creating inconsistent service experiences, duplicative technologies, uneven policy adherence and institutional risk. The current technology landscape is opaque and fragmented, hindering strategic prioritization and diminishing our collective buying power. Remaining in this model would keep WMU exposed to higher costs and greater risks while slowing progress on the technologies students, faculty and staff depend on.

The redesign will bring the people who support technology, tools and systems together into a unified IT organization led by Andrew Holmes, chief information officer. Campus can anticipate clearer service standards, a more consistent path for support, better-coordinated decisions about tools and systems, and more strategic and transparent technology priorities and investments. IT staff and campus stakeholders will help shape the service catalog, pilot new partnerships and refine the operating model so these changes work effectively in classrooms, labs, offices and student services.

Benefits

For the University

• More consistent IT service delivery across the institution, with defined service levels and a clearer point of accountability.
• Stronger cybersecurity through unified systems, endpoints and data, reducing institutional risk and supporting regulatory and compliance obligations.
• Better use of IT resources through systematic planning, coordinated procurement and reinvestment in infrastructure modernization.

For colleges and departments

• Clearer expectations for how technology requests, priorities and exceptions will be handled through published services, governance and service‑level commitments.
• More predictable and equitable support across units, regardless of budget capacity, with decisions guided by shared standards and academic or business needs.
• Fewer duplicative tools, helping units operate in a more understandable and sustainable technology environment.

For affected teammates

• A people-centered transition in which staff are supported through skills assessment, training, transition planning and clearer career paths in a unified IT organization.
• Greater role clarity and stronger opportunities for professional development, succession planning, and alignment between institutional needs and individual talent and interests.

Planning approach

Leadership: Andrew Holmes, chief information officer, with visible presidential support and sustained partnership from senior leadership.  

The work will be phased and governance-driven, rather than sudden or one-size-fits-all, with advisory groups, clear decision authority, transparent prioritization and campus communication built into the design.

Technology requests will increasingly start with the academic, research or business need. Common tools and processes will become the default, while exceptions will require a documented rationale. This approach is meant to reduce fragmentation while still giving academic and administrative stakeholders a voice in priorities, resource allocation and measuring progress.

During the Discovery and Foundation Phase, some reporting lines may change to strengthen our IT foundation, improve coordination, and address immediate operational or security needs. These changes will position the overall organizational design work for success. Most changes to organizational charts and job descriptions will occur at the conclusion of the spring 2027 semester.

Timeline and phases

Discovery and foundation phase: July 2026 – April 2027

Conduct a Universitywide needs assessment, build governance and partnership structures, establish baselines, and design an initial operating model and service framework. Rapid remediation of critical security and operational gaps will be assessed and closed, and the Help Desk will be modernized.

Implementation Phase: May 2027 – June 2028

Implement the new operating model, organizational chart and job descriptions in phases, sequenced by readiness; execute service-level agreements; publish a full service and support catalog; implement unified security management unit by unit; and consolidate duplicative platforms.

Optimization Phase: July 2028

Measure performance against key performance indicators and assess service-level agreement performance; review and improve governance systems and the service catalog; and mature the model into steady-state operations.

MarCom Organizational Design

As part of Western’s Administrative Redesign, we are reorganizing how marketing and communications are structured, so the University can more effectively express its brand position, compete for enrollment, and make the best use of its talent and resources. We are aligning MarCom with Western’s mission, so our structures match our strengths.

Today, MarCom work is distributed across many offices and colleges, creating fragmented messaging, siloed effort and spending, and an uneven audience experience at the very moment when enrollment competition, marketing and communications disruption and AI-driven digital audience behavior are accelerating. Several listening exercises over the past year have noted that strong people are working within a system that makes it hard to show up as one university. Maintaining the status quo would weaken our competitive position.

The redesign will bring University marketing and communications teammates together as a single, coordinated enterprise guided by a shared strategy, clear brand direction and shared operating expectations, while preserving direct strategic support for colleges and units. In practical terms, this means clearer brand frameworks, stronger enrollment support, crisper and more consistent messages, shared tools and data, and coordinated strategies that advance reputation, alumni and donor engagement, and other institutional priorities. The redesign will shift our marketing and communications enterprise from a heavy reliance on generalists toward more specialized, integrated and evidence-based activations. Every college and unit can tap deeper expertise while still receiving local support. 

Benefits

For the University

• A more enrollment‑driven, distinctive brand with resources better aligned to WMU’s most pressing competitive challenges.  
• Stronger coordination across channels and units, producing clearer messages and better outcomes from existing investments.  
• Greater ability to optimize for modern marketing by integrating planning, execution and measurement across the enterprise.

For colleges and departments

• Broader access to specialized expertise across marketing and communications disciplines instead of relying primarily on isolated, local capacity.  
• Better alignment with brand, enrollment, advancement and University goals, supported by shared planning and service-level agreements (SLAs) that clarify roles on both sides.  
• Clearer expectations for support, escalation and prioritization, reducing ambiguity and helping leaders understand how work will be requested, prioritized and delivered.

For affected teammates

• A people-centered transition with a fair, good-faith opportunity to demonstrate strengths, align to roles and grow in a more modern and discipline-supported environment.  
• Greater role clarity, more precise definitions of success and a stronger professional community through clearer structures and specialization.  
• Better career paths, supported by training, shared tools and colleagues in similar roles across the enterprise. 

Planning approach

Leadership: Tony Proudfoot, vice president for marketing and strategic communications, with governance support from the President, Cabinet and an executive advisory group. An implementation team and MarCom leadership will support and inform the work.

Planning will be phased, transparent and feedback-driven rather than immediate or one-size-fits-all. The design philosophy is based on clear expectations, stakeholder input, shared planning and service-level agreements, so that colleges and units continue to receive local support within a more coordinated institutional framework. During the planning phases, current reporting lines and responsibilities will remain in place, while we inventory work, gather input and test models before changes take effect in January. 

Timeline and phases

Discovery phase: July – October

Inventory staff roles, current skills, reporting lines, tools, vendors, contracts and spending; conduct stakeholder interviews with deans, department heads and marketing and communications staff; and draft a high-level operating model for feedback.

Planning phase: October – December

Finalize the provisional organizational structure and job descriptions; develop SLAs; map existing roles to future roles; standardize processes and tools; and finalize transition planning, training needs and key performance indicators.

Implementation phase 1: January – June 2027

Implement the provisional organizational chart and job descriptions; begin executing SLAs; begin unifying tools; establish measurement baselines; and identify high-level refinements based on feedback from staff and campus partners.

Implementation phase 2: July 2027

Finalize the organizational chart and job descriptions; continue executing service-level agreements and assess adoption through check-ins with staff and stakeholders, making further adjustments as needed.

Strategic Sourcing and Non-Personnel Spending

As part of Western's Administrative Redesign, the University is taking a more coordinated approach to purchasing, contract management and other non-personnel spending, so WMU can secure better value, reduce avoidable costs and direct more resources to its academic mission. The goal is not simply to buy less but to buy more strategically, aligning spending with teaching, research, creative scholarship and student success.

Today, goods and services are often purchased across the University through separate agreements and varied practices that do not take full advantage of the institution's collective buying power. This initiative will shift us to procurement, contract and payment practices that are managed more consistently and strategically. Over time, the intent is to reduce one-off arrangements, improve contract discipline, tighten P-Card expectations and create better visibility into where non-personnel dollars can be redirected to advance WMU's mission.

Benefits

For the University

• Better value from institutional purchasing by consolidating spend, strengthening vendor management, and improving contract review and negotiation practices.
• Greater ability to reduce avoidable non-personnel spending and redirect resources to core institutional priorities, helping advance our mission.
• Better visibility into University spending patterns, compliance and continuous improvement with stronger reporting, monitoring and key performance indicators.

For colleges and departments

• Easier access over time to streamlined purchasing pathways, preferred vendors and more standardized products and services through strategic sourcing and eProcurement.
• Fewer one-off purchasing arrangements and clearer guidance on contracts, payment methods and sourcing decisions, making routine purchasing easier.
• More predictable expectations for purchasing controls, including tighter P-Card standards and broader use of coordinated buying processes.

For affected teammates

• Clearer, more efficient processes for requesting purchases, managing contracts and selecting appropriate payment methods.
• Better support as eProcurement becomes a core feature of the University's purchasing model, including catalog-based buying and approval workflows.
• Greater consistency across units in how purchasing decisions are made and how compliance expectations are communicated and reinforced.

Planning approach

Leadership: Jan Van Der Kley, vice president for business and finance, and Patrick Kozdron, senior director, supply chain and auxiliary services

This work will proceed through a structured, phased approach rather than an abrupt shift. Three parallel strategies will advance simultaneously: addressing spending over $5,000, reducing avoidable P-Card expenditures, and implementing an eProcurement system to improve visibility, standardization and compliance. The University will develop a more coordinated operating model in which central procurement provides strategic sourcing guidance, manages contracts and vendor relationships, establishes policies and procedures, and works in closer partnership with units as purchasing needs arise.

Timeline and phases

Communication and Operations Shift: July – October 2026

Training and change-management support will be provided; input will be gathered from campus partners; spend will be analyzed by vendor, category and department; P-Card spending patterns will be studied; duplicative spending will be assessed; vendor-management practices will be established; and an action plan will be developed.

Contract and payment practice management: November 2026 – February 2027

Multiple contracts for similar services will be identified; improved contract guidance will be designed to ensure favorable terms; expiring contracts will be inventoried; payment options will be improved; reliance on P-Cards will be reduced; and vendor catalogs will support a managed purchasing environment.

Full implementation: March 2027 – June 2027

An eProcurement system may be selected and implemented; training and campus rollout will begin; monitoring and compliance reporting will begin; and key performance indicators will be tracked to inform continuous improvement.

Strategic Space Utilization Organizational Design

As part of Western's Administrative Redesign, the University is taking a more strategic approach to how classrooms and other spaces are scheduled, invested in and used. The goal is to improve teaching and learning experiences by concentrating activity in higher-performing spaces and reducing investment in persistently underutilized spaces. This approach will help ensure that students and faculty have access to higher-quality environments while enabling us to make better use of our physical resources.

Today, too many classes are being held in rooms that do not match their class size or instructional needs. Federated scheduling practices and the University's large instructional footprint have resulted in underutilized space. Based on a standard higher education utilization target of 70%, WMU may have 50% more classroom space than it needs.  This excess capacity reduces campus vibrancy, increases operating costs and stretches investment across too many rooms of uneven quality. The initiative is intended to shift space decisions from fragmented practices within individual units to more coordinated stewardship that supports the student experience, faculty satisfaction and long-term sustainability.

In practical terms, this effort centers first on instructional classrooms while also informing broader decisions about repurposing, modernization and the future use of underperforming buildings and spaces. It will rely on unified scheduling through 25Live, shared utilization standards, clearer policies for classroom assignment and investment, and a stronger focus on concentrating instruction in high-performing core academic buildings.

Benefits

For the University

• Better use of classroom and facility resources by aligning scheduling, investment and renewal decisions to actual utilization and instructional need.
• Lower operating and capital costs over time through consolidation, repurposing and reduced investment in persistently underused space.
• A more vibrant and concentrated campus experience, with instruction scheduled more intentionally in the highest-performing and most modern buildings.

For colleges and departments

• Better access over time to right-sized, higher-quality classrooms that are more aligned with enrollment, pedagogy and actual course demand.
• More transparent information through utilization reporting and dashboards, helping academic leaders make decisions with a clearer picture of how space is being used.
• Clearer expectations for classroom scheduling, assignment and utilization through shared standards, central scheduling and institutional reporting.

For faculty and students

• A stronger teaching and learning environment through improved classroom quality, better room fit and more concentrated use of modern instructional space.
• Greater clarity for faculty, schedulers and support teams about how rooms are assigned, what standards guide investment and how exceptions will be handled.
• Over time, more predictable planning for instructional space as classroom use, renewal and repurposing decisions are guided by visible standards.

Planning approach

Leadership: Jan Van Der Kley, vice president for business and finance, and Dr. Chris Cheatham, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, will establish the Classroom Utilization Governance Group (CUGG), a standing group that will guide standards, review processes and implementation expectations.  

As with the other redesign efforts, the approach is meant to be phased and governance-informed, using common metrics and clearer decision-making rather than relying primarily on decentralized practices within individual units. For colleges and departments, this approach will create more consistent expectations and fewer purely local workarounds, while still allowing governance processes to shape the standards and review exceptions.

Timeline and phases

Discovery, foundation and standards phase

The provost will establish the CUGG; determine classroom utilization targets; create assignment standards; and establish review criteria and reporting expectations. The process will begin for consolidating evening, Friday and summer courses into fewer academic buildings.

Implementation planning phase

The CUGG will begin its efforts in fall 2026 with responsibility for implementing and then monitoring guidelines for classroom utilization; classroom assignment; room scheduling; evaluating classroom conditions and prioritizing investments. It will also be responsible for subsequent performance monitoring.  

One of the group’s first actions will be scheduling all spring 2027 instructional classes through 25Live, the University's official scheduling system. Changes will be made regarding Friday classes and use of Moore Hall as the University moves toward a Core Campus Classroom Strategy. By the end of the 2026-27 academic year, CUGG will develop a classroom use and condition dashboard to be used in the future management of classrooms.

Execution and continuous improvement planning

Starting in summer I 2027, classroom use of Moore Hall will end; utilization reports will be provided to deans and academic leadership; annual reviews of classroom performance will be conducted; and renewal priorities and governance standards will be established. Over time, this phase will also support strategic renewal of core classrooms, the repurposing of oversized or underused rooms, and broader decisions about lower-performing space elsewhere on campus.