Dear UNT System Community,

Today marks the achievement of a significant milestone in the development of shared administrative services within the UNT System. 

For the past three years, our young university system has been engaged in a very focused discussion about how we should handle our growth in times of constrained resources. We have been challenged to serve thousands of additional students in Denton and Fort Worth, with new buildings, research programs and degrees. We’re also adding a new university and law school in Dallas.

To respond to this growth, our goal has been to work smarter rather than simply to add administrative offices and staff. We have looked for the best examples of how other large organizations have taken advantage of technology in the 21st Century to find new and better ways to deliver and coordinate high volume business services.

We’ve concluded that it is possible for us to create more streamlined, efficient business services across all UNT System institutions by sharing functions and staff and eliminating duplications. By identifying the best business processes, leveraging our current investment in PeopleSoft (ERP), and automating manual processes, our goal is to improve service quality and hold down cost increases.

During the last 24 hours, 138 employees in Human Resources, Payroll, Payments, Purchasing and Travel at all System institutions were notified that their positions will become part of a brand new unified System Business Service Center (BSC) on June 1. All positions will transfer to the BSC with no break in service and the same package of benefits.

On Sept. 1, these members of the BSC staff will become employees of the UNT System as they start to build a brand new team with high expectations for innovation, automation, and quality customer service to all campuses and units.

The Business Service Center will locate on or near the UNT campus in Denton as soon as new space is identified.The BSC will be headed by an associate vice chancellor for Business Services, who is currently being recruited through a national search. Co-location of employees will begin after Sept. 1.

Welcome sessions for newly named BSC employees have been scheduled for May 5, to provide more information about the transition timeline and an opportunity for center employees to ask questions. Orientation programs for the center’s staff members will start in early June and will focus on establishing the center’s culture, operating philosophy and performance expectations. Business process improvement activities will begin as soon as operations are successfully underway. 

The Business Service Center will initially provide the following services to all system member institutions:

• Human Resources – benefits administration, employee records, administration of the human resources information system (HRIS), leave administration, staff recruiting services and functional training.
• Payroll – payroll management and processing, tax and payroll reporting.
• Payments – accounts payable processing.
• Purchasing – HUB program coordination, procurement services, purchase order processing and purchasing card administration.
• Travel – travel administration and reimbursement processing.

Information sessions will be scheduled throughout the summer to address questions and explain planned changes in business processes and we welcome your participation in these sessions.

Once fully operational, the BSC will provide workshops highlighting process changes and service enhancements. In addition, a future Business Service Center web site will contain information on our progress and plans for the future.

• Information can also be obtained through the Vice Chancellor for Finance’s blog.
• Questions may be sent to AskBSC@unt.edu.

The creation of this new Business Service Center is intended to reduce costs of operations at all institutions and increase capacity to address the anticipated growth of the UNT System without a corresponding increase in staffing. Through standardization of business service processes and improving our use of existing and available technology solutions, the BSC will continually focus on increased efficiency, cost containment and service quality.

Last fall, an eight member Business Service Center implementation team was formed to recommend the specific services to be provided through the center. During December and January the team worked with departmental staff members to conduct an in-depth review of current services. In February, the team provided the Shared Services Council recommendations for the initial services to be provided by the Business Service Center, and subsequently worked to identify existing positions to begin working in the BSC.

I want to express my special thanks to these eight staff members who led this self-evaluation very fairly and professionally. They were asked to develop a screening methodology to identify candidate services for sharing and then to objectively apply those standards to several hundred detailed functions in Purchasing, Payroll and Human Resources. They were fair and thorough and my thanks go to:

• René Arcand, IT Programmer Analyst II, UNT
• Leonard Bates, Associate Director of HRIS and Records, UNTHSC
• Melinda Lilly, Assistant Director of Academic Resources, UNT
• Ruth Moors, Senior Director of Payroll, UNT
• Connie Ross, Director of Payroll, UNTHSC
• Joey Saxon, Senior Director of Purchasing and Payment Services, UNT
• Orkun Toros, Senior Financial Analyst, UNT System
• Monica Washington, Accountant, UNT Dallas

I realize this administrative change will present challenges, both to our campuses and our employees. To each campus, I pledge that we will work to maintain continuity of services with no reduction or interruption. To the employees who will be asked to join the System staff, change their office location, or have a different supervisor, I also pledge that we will help you be just as successful, productive, and proud of your work as you have been – and to be recognized and appreciated for being part of a highly-visible, successful new unit.

The success of the Business Service Center will require the cooperation of all of UNTS institutions to ensure we provide a service delivery program of the highest quality. I appreciate the continued collaboration of many individuals across the UNT System, and look forward to the progress that will be made as the Business Service Center begins operations.

Sincerely,                                                                                   

Lee F. Jackson

Chancellor, UNT System