Alan Murray knows a thing or two about commitment and perseverance.
He met his wife Dorothy when they were in the second grade at Jefferson Elementary School in Bakersfield, California. And as a matter of fact, both Alan and Dorothy?s fathers met in the first grade at the same school a generation earlier.
This sense of commitment and perseverance has led Alan to be an extremely valuable asset to Sonoma State University and to the National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS) as its new president.
NACAS is the largest auxiliary services support organization that provides information and education to professionals in higher education in the country.
"I knew when I met little Dorothy in the second grade that there was a special bond between us. Of course, it took us a dozen more years to figure that out," says Alan with a smile. And Alan?s good judgment (as in the case of Dorothy), and his strong work ethic has led him up the ranks and to his current position as Senior Director, Entrepreneurial Services at Sonoma State University.
As the head of the campus auxiliary services, Alan and his managers provide the University a myriad of services including ? but certainly not limited to ? dining services, retail sales, postal services, off-set printing services, on and off-campus housing services, vending service, concessions, catering, and quick copy services.
These services are provided through a not-for-profit auxiliary connected to SSU, which manages and assumes the risk, called Sonoma State Enterprises, Inc. (SSE). The corporation was formed in 1961 to promote and furnish facilities for the educational development and academic service of the University. The Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from the faculty, staff, students and the community. Alan serves as Vice President/Chief Operating Officer on this Board.
There are three essential purposes of SSE:
1. to operate effective and efficient businesses that function in accordance with the law and which provide quality services and products at a fair price
2. to produce revenue that is dedicated to serve the University
3. to determine how the excess revenue will best serve the University
Alan?s job at Sonoma State University gives him plenty of opportunity for a diverse and exciting day. "As the Senior Director, Entrepreneurial Services, I have responsibility for a $20 million budget, with 63 full-time employees and more than 300 student assistants (we are the largest employer of students at the University). The position provides a tremendous amount of variety. It may require switching from an issue regarding the quality of the food, to an accounts payable issue, to a design question for a new enterprise. You just never know where it will come from next!"
Alan credits his family with understanding his very busy job, which means he may come home certain days with little energy to spare. His wife Dorothy is very supportive and often attends NACAS meetings with him and encourages his participation in the events and activities of the Association.
"I know how much Alan enjoys his job and working with the people in NACAS. The professionalism of the members we?ve met has been evident, and their warmth has gone far beyond what you?d expect. So many people at Sonoma State and NACAS have been understanding of the medical problems our daughter has had. Alan just couldn?t be involved with a more open and supportive group ? and he knows that so well," says Dorothy.
Cheryl, Alan and Dorothy?s 33 year old daughter, was diagnosed with Leukemia five years ago. She then suffered a stroke, had a bone marrow transplant at Stanford, and has been recovering since then. Alan is very proud of Cheryl?s strength of will, which he saw on a daily basis when he took a nine month leave of absence in 1998 so he and Dorothy could help Cheryl return to good health. And Alan credits his colleagues at Sonoma State University and the NACAS group with helping him keep focused and maintain an optimistic outlook.
"People from my university and from NACAS, some I didn?t even know very well, sent me good wishes all through Cheryl?s ordeal. It was very heartwarming to know there were so many people who cared about our family."
The Murray family knows about doing things together. Each and every member graduated from one of the California State University system schools. Their son Derek, now 31, graduated in 1995 from California State University, Sacramento with a B.S. in Accounting. He is now the Controller at Western Air Supply in Sacramento. Dorothy is a Sonoma State alum, having graduated in 1980 with a degree in Business Administration. She has worked at Santa Rosa Junior College as an accounting technician since 1984.
Cheryl completed her B.A. in Business from Sonoma State University in 1993 and was employed as an Accounting Manager for a high tech firm in Santa Clara County (Silicon Valley) prior to her illness. And Alan himself graduated from the same universities his family attended: he earned his B.S. in Personnel Management from Sacramento State University in 1970 and ten years later his M.A. in Management from Sonoma State University.
Alan?s degree in management and personnel has paid off well for those who work for and with him at Sonoma State University. He is well known across the campus for being easy to work with and always finding a positive perspective to problems, say the managers who work for him.
"I have unwavering confidence in my management staff. My style is to choose them well, then empower them to manage their areas of responsibility. I hold them accountable for their actions. If they say they are going to do something, then I know they will do it and do it well." It is important to Alan to have two-way communications with his managers. They have regular individual meetings and also group meetings. The group meetings are quite useful to bounce ideas, thoughts, and concerns off each other and do problem solving.
"Alan is the kind of manager one always hopes to have. He trusts his people with the tasks they are given and he always asks for our opinions and our thoughts, and ? this is the big one ? once we give them, he is open to making changes or taking some risks. This is one of the best teams I?ve been involved with," says Walt Leonard, Director of General Services, "and that?s a credit to how Alan does business."
Giving recognition for accomplishments is important to Alan. He encourages his managers to also give recognition to their staff. This might take the form of a special recognition dinner, verbal praise, tokens of appreciation, public acknowledgement or any other creative way the managers utilize. And it may cost some dollars, but Alan feels that will come back to the University through loyalty and expertise.
"If staff members know how much they are appreciated, and how much they contribute to the campus, they feel more motivated to do well. We are lucky at Sonoma to have very skilled employees, from the students who work for us to the managers who are in charge," says Alan.
Throughout the year, many very large special events take place at Sonoma State University such as Commencement, the summer Green Music Festival, and student Move-In Day. Taking part in these events is very important to Alan. He feels it gives him an opportunity to celebrate student accomplishments and to share with parents the excitement and apprehension of their students as they are going away from home or beginning their lives after graduation.
"On Move-In Day, for example, I?ve seen very young, very frightened first time freshmen take that step in leaving mom and dad to become the adult they are destined to be. I?ll see those same students over the 4 or 5 years they are here blossom and grow and become leaders. It?s that type of experience that makes what we all do at a college or university worth every difficult moment we may experience on a day-to-day basis," says Alan.
While it may be difficult for most students to appreciate the bookstore or a food venue as adding to their college experience, Alan and his managers know how important those services can be. Without an appropriate campus life which includes the areas of housing, food, and getting that letter from home through mail services, the lives of students at Sonoma State wouldn?t be nearly as enjoyable.
Those areas that Alan manages are:
Retail Services
A $4.5 million dollar operation, the bookstore carries textbooks, clothing, electronics, computers, office supplies, art supplies, gifts and cards, and many other college-related items.
Housing Services
SSU currently houses 1,100 students in traditional suites (no kitchens) and 900 students in apartments (with kitchens). Phase I of the University?s housing expansion program is in progress. It will provide another 650 bed spaces, apartment style (4 bedroom, 4 bathroom). It is expected that about half of them will be ready for the Fall 2003 semester and the remainder available for Fall 2004.
In addition, Phase II of the expansion program will add another 650 bed spaces with an expected opening in the academic year 2005/06. Once completed, the University will house more than 40 percent of the students on campus. The goal, which is in sight, is to be able to guarantee housing for the entire freshman and sophomore classes.
Dining Services
This includes all dining venues on campus - Residential Dining, University Club (faculty & staff), University Commons (grill, salads, wraps), Pub (made to order deli), Toast (a grab-and-go concession), Charlie Brown?s Caf? (coffee, lunch items, salads, smoothies), Ameci?s Pizza and Pasta, University Catering and concessions. There are operations open 7 days a week with service starting at 7 a.m. and ending at midnight.
The catering operation ranges from coffee service, to a BBQ for 3,000, to a 5-course high-end dinner. Providing service to these events relies heavily on student employment. The University is very proud of the students? contributions.
General Services
General Services omprises mail services, receiving, US Contract Postal outlet, a reprographics center, graphic design, quick copy center and the copier program. Over the years, the design staff in Reprographics has won numerous awards, including a recent first place in the brochure category at the International IPMA annual competition.
Alan thoroughly enjoys all aspects of his job at Sonoma, but remembers fondly his time spent at the California State University systemwide office in the early 1970s as a Personnel Analyst. There, he analyzed classification actions and conducted occupational studies for all two dozen campuses. He was a member of a small group of professional staff who were engaged in a program of reviewing and evaluating the personnel management programs of each campus in the CSU system. "I enjoyed that type of work quite a bit.
What we did made a considerable difference to how people?s jobs were classified on the various campuses. But I think I like working more closely with people, on a more personal basis, one-on-one as I do now at Sonoma," he says.
Alan also spent two years in the State of Washington, at Central Washington State College, working on personnel management issues. His current managers benefit from Alan?s teaching experience as well. He holds a lifetime California State Teacher?s credential to teach business and economics at the junior college level and has also taught time management, personnel management and supervisory management.
Professionally, Alan is very active in NACAS. Prior to becoming President, he served as a Regional Director, President of the Western Region, and held a National Membership Committee assignment. In 1991, Alan served as the General Conference Chair of the National Association of Purchasing Management?s International meeting held in San Francisco and had been extensively involved with the Purchasing Management Association of Northern California.
In addition, he has been affiliated with the National Association of Educational Buyers, the Western Association of College and University Business Officers, and the Society for Human Resource Management.
On a personal note, Alan is very active in his church, recently finishing two terms as the congregation President, finds time for gardening, travel, and reading, but finds particular pleasure in any activity that includes his family.
Alan?s involvement with NACAS has spanned almost a decade where he has been called upon (and has himself called on others) for advice and information.
He?s looking forward to this next year as President of NACAS and has several goals in mind:
1. Development of a strategic plan for membership growth
2. Research the feasibility of creating an auxiliary services professional certification program
3. Establish a mechanism to strengthen and enhance the regional/national relationship
"My experience with the people of NACAS has shown me what an outstanding group of caring and talented people there are at the colleges and universities throughout the USA, Canada and abroad. I look forward to working with the Association and its members to promote these good people and their work," says Alan.
