President Stephen Jordan’s nationally recognized strategy to “rightsize with technology” during the current recession is well underway as the College is aggressively implementing the initial set of 35 rightsizing projects, according to Robert “Bob” Williams, special program management official for the Rightsizing with Technology initiative.
Often utilized during tough economic times, the goal of rightsizing is to use technology to contain costs while maximizing the quality of services. Rightsizing with Technology projects at Metro State include updating adaptive technology in the Access Center for Disability Accommodations & Adaptive Technology, offering multilingual Web site interfaces, and full system integration between People Admin, Banner and HireRight. The projects also include streamlining student orientation, expanding on-line registration, initiating tutor tracking, and integrating social media and networking for both the alumni and development offices.
“There should be some real return on investments,” says Williams, who has been hired to oversee the initiative, which has been funded by more than $2 million in federal stimulus funds, along with additional funding from College divisions. “Every College division has projects that will benefit faculty, staff and students in the long run. We’re looking forward to achieving our goals and successes.”
Williams brings to his role more than 25 years of experience as a chief information officer, entrepreneur and director of IT and security infrastructure projects. He also brings higher education administrative experience. At the beginning of his career he served as an assistant dean of research at UCLA, where he also received his doctorate. In addition, he served as an associate director of student affairs at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. These experiences provide Williams a well-rounded perspective on Metro State’s strategy to use rightsizing to restructure its process and personnel with the goal of reducing costs to students and improving efficiency and effectiveness.
“The magnitude with which the College is implementing (rightsizing) is new,” says Williams. “It’s innovative to do it at the level the College is doing it. Rather than using the funds to backfill budgets, President Jordan said, ‘Let’s create something for a better experience for students, faculty and staff.’ He is reinvesting in the College and its future.”
Future issues of This Week@Metro will provide updates on the progress of various Rightsizing with Technology initiatives. To learn more about the, contact Williams at gwilli72@mscd.edu or 303-556-2117.
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