Public Accountability at UVic– Measuring Our Performance CAUBO Conference June 21, 2005 Murray Griffith, CMA Executive Director, Financial Services University of Victoria

UVic’s Approach UVic has always had a strong commitment to public accountability Financial statements always included detailed schedules of functional and departmental expenditures With introduction of CICA 4400, financial statements prepared on multi-column deferral basis with full fund accounting schedules and reconciliation of two methods of accounting)

UVic Ranking in Survey YearMad ScoreRanking

Accountability is driven by our Strategic Plan “As the objectives of this plan and the associated action items have tangible outcomes, the Office of Institutional Analysis will be responsible for designing tools to measure our progress toward our goals. Progress will be reported annually to the Senate and the Board of Governors by the President in consultation with the Planning and Priorities Committee. Those reports will include an assessment of our progress on specific objectives. They will also assess the implications of current resource constraints and other environmental variables on our ability to meet our goals.”

How it Developed New President (David Turpin) arrived in 2000 Initiated strategic planning process Anticipated increased accountability by looking to Alberta and Ontario which led the development of our accountability framework In developing framework 90% of the performance measures identified by the Province were anticipated Felt that if passive accountability would be imposed

General Environment Accountability increasing due to : Enron, Worldcom, Sponsorship scandals Sarbanes Oxley Act in US Board members requiring higher levels of accountability Just good management

B.C. Experience Government Reporting Entity requires BC universities to report financial results and budget projections on a quarterly basis to province Requirement for annual service plans (similar to government ministries) Tuition fees in BC have risen leading to increased student interest in university affairs

UVic Reporting Do not provide single comprehensive report Have single webpage linking all reports Prominently linked to main University web page Want information to be sensitive to audience so have different reports for different stakeholders Allows for more timely information

What is Reported  UVic's Statement of Objectives: Strategic Plan, A Vision for the Future Strategic Plan, A Vision for the Future UVic Service Plan submitted to the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education UVic Service Plan  General Reviews UVic Report Research Report Work Plan: Reporting on Strategic Plan Initiatives (2004 version forthcoming)  Academic Programs and Support Academic Programs and Course Offerings: UVic Calendar UVic Calendar Strategic Research Plan Multi-year Enrolment Plan (forthcoming) Study on Access and Affordability 2004 Student Support Services Information Technology  Information Technology Plan Information Technology Plan  Computing Services Computing Services Office of International Affairs  Reporting on Performance Assessment of our programs:  Procedures and Guidelines for Program Review Procedures and Guidelines for Program Review  Program Review Report: an annual report to the Board of Governors and Senate on programs and centres reviewed (forthcoming)  Research Reports Research Reports Assessment of our people:  Annual review of faculty's teaching and research activities Annual review of faculty's teaching and research activities  Teaching evaluations by students Performance Measures Report Student Outcomes Surveys  Financial Planning and Reporting Five-Year Capital Plan Budget Framework (pdf) Budget Framework Student Financial Assistance Plan (pdf) Student Financial Assistance Plan General and Tuition Revenue Funded Expenditures: (pdf) Financial Statements 2003 Report to Donors

What is Reported continued  Campus Planning Campus Plan Five-Year Capital Plan submitted to the Ministry of Advanced Education Five-Year Capital Plan Sustainability Report (pdf) Sustainability Report TDM (Transportation Demand Management) Report (pdf) TDM (Transportation Demand Management) Report  Contributions to the Wider Community Educational: Continuing StudiesContinuing Studies As a social, cultural and athletics resource Economic Impact reports:  Economic Impact of UVic (forthcoming)  Continuing Studies Economic Impact Reports Government and Community Relations  Governance University Act Board of Governors Senate Chancellor UVic Executive  General Information UVic Website About UVic Facts and Figures Student Services Comprehensive overview and analysis of student numbers, education measures, student-faculty ratios, Library, buildings usage, etc.: Institutional Planning and AnalysisInstitutional Planning and Analysis UVic Institutional Planning and Analysis Index of Reports UVic Publications

Future Directions Continue to develop webpage Web communicates directly to stakeholders rather than just reporting exercise for survey Resources allocated to accountability Need to balance program delivery with accountability requirements Does it lead to improvements in service delivery?