The following response regarding productivity improvements was provided by California State University, Long Beach
SELF SERVICE INFORMATION KIOSKS/VOICE ADMISSIONS AND FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION
We have joined eight other CSU campuses in the development and implementation of self- serve kiosks for injury and transaction processing. The system provides general information on admissions requirements and financial aid eligibility as well as permitting a student to request financial aid and admissions applications. The system also provides student access to information about admissions and financial aid status via the voice response system. thus eliminating the necessity of students to come to campus for the se services. Moreover, students are allowed to transfer to other services (housing. disbursement office.. testing. etc.) or to a receptionist for personal assistance. This project has increased service hours. decentralized service locations. maintained quality ~ and provided additional service options at reduced staffing levels.
In our 1995 productivity report. this project was in the earl . implementation stage. and as such we were only able to reported a portion of the potential costs savings. At that time. we reported $ 150.000 in savings. Now with the project completed. There are able to realize the full cost savings of $300.000. Accordingly. only $150,0()0 is recorded in this report.
LEAST COST ROUTING
We have continued to enhance our campus PBX telephone switch and its related features such as voice mail. fax mail. automatic call distribution and least cost routing of long distance calls. This has not only y avoided cost increases. but also provides service improvements for students, faculty and staff. The cost savings to the campus have been estimated at $300,000.
ON LINE ARTICULATION
The recent implementation of an on- line articulation system and the completion of general education articulation agreements for the top twenty community college feeder institutions now allows a transfer student to receive their transfer credit evaluation matriculation. Prior to this time, we had a two- year backlog in transfer credit evaluation. The cost savings/avoidance from this initiative has been estimated at $32,000.
MAILING STUDENT FINANCIAL AID CHECKS
The Student Financial Services department has implemented a plan to process and mail student financial checks directly to qualified students. By eliminating the need for a student to wait in line to confirm awards or loans and receive their financial aid checks, the University is able to provide more timely and student- friendly services, while reducing their staffing requirements. The cost savings in personnel has been estimated at $20,000.
ELECTRONIC PURCHASING
Departments now utilize on- line procurement system to submit requisitions to the Purchasing Office.. Elimination of duplicate effort and paper work in the central purchasing and accounting departments has greatly reduced the time for departments to receive their orders, as well as permit a reduction in staff. The cost savings in personnel has been estimated at $25,000.
USE OF THE INTERNET FOR POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT
Both Staff Personnel and the Student Career Development Center have expanded their outreach to future employees and employers through use of the Internet. Additionally, the Student Career Development Center now utilizes a "Fax- Back" data base system which allows potential employers to use a menu- select process for reviewing, selecting and receiving resumes of our graduates. These process have greatly increased service to our clients while maintaining reduced staffing levels. The combined personnel savings and cost avoidance has been estimated at $38,000.
USE OF THE INTERNET IN SPORTS
The Department of Sports. Athletics and Recreation has developed a comprehensive site on the World Wide Web that can be accessed by the general public, including current and prospective students. media. and the campus community. This project provides information about Club Sports and Intramural athletic competition schedules results and statistics, fund raising opportunities, biographies on our athletes and coaches, and ticket information. Through this effort, Long Beach State Athletics has greatly enhanced its accessibility to the general public and campus community. The cost savings to the department in personnel and distribution expenses has been estimated at $45 000.
TOUCH TONE CREDIT CARD PAYMENT/VOICE RESPONSE 3
Students can now use the telephone to determine the outstanding payment balances and to make payments with their credit card using a touch- tone system. The quality of service to our students has been greatly improved by eliminating the need for students to come to campus and wait in
cashiering lines to confirm and make fee payments. The cost savings of $25,000 have been
estimated.
JOINT PROCUREMENT INITIATIVES
This CSU initiative was designed to take advantage of economy of scale purchases through joint procurements between clusters of CSU campuses. Similarly, the Long Beach campus has negotiated select agreements with Microsoft, Apple Corporation/Forty- Niner Shops blanket agreement, and selected implementation of blanket orders for individual, department/college and campus- wide uses. GSA/CMAS contracts involve a wide range of commodity equipment and services including, but not limited to maintenance contracts, office supplies and furniture; EDP equipment, service and software; telecommunications equipment and service; laboratory supplies, and janitorial supplies. The cost savings from these initiatives will be made through campus departments through reduced pricing and cost avoidance. Documented savings to end users in a ninety day period exceeded $150,000.
ACADEMIC PROGRAM
In the instructional program we have an initiative that will require measurement over an extended period of time to ensure that the University is witnessing a genuine change, as distinct from the phenomenon of short- term variance. Working with the Office of Institutional Research, the Division of Academic Affairs is seeking better ways to measure the effectiveness of its programs. Given the successful practice in the Learning Alliance Program in the College of Liberal Arts, we are able to identify the types of classes freshmen are most likely to succeed in when they enter the University under prepared in mathematics, formal written English, or both. By "matching" the incoming student with the proper course need, we have been able to improve retention rates, raise GPAs, and ultimately improve time- to- graduation. Another initiative for which productivity improvements have not yet been costed is in the area of instructional technology. For a number of years now, CSULB has struggled with the disparity between program mix and funding. Today, members of the faculty across most disciplines are engaged in a number of efforts to use classroom technology to compensate for excessively high student- faculty ratios, thus enhancing both access and effectiveness. A prime example is the development of software to reinforce the teaching of composition in English 100 and the reading and written analysis of short stories. A wide range of other examples is evident in the New Media Center. This is a worldwide initiative bringing together the leaders of the corporate and educational community to foster the application of new media combining digitized text, images, sound, and full- motion video, to teaching and
learning in higher education. Our corporate partners included Apple Computers, Eastman Kodak, Adobe, Macromedia, Sony, SuperMac, FWB, and SyQuest.
In summary, the total cost savings/avoidances provided in this report total $785,000 with the potential, in some cases, for increased cost savings in the future.