1. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS Approved by the Vice President for Business Affairs: December 2, 2005 1  Provide students with a quality educational experience that enables them to complete their educational goals in a timely fashion.  Become an outstanding research institution, emphasizing collaborative partnerships and entrepreneurship.  Enhance UTPA’s engagement with the community to meet challenges and maximize opportunities.  Collaborate with P-12 schools to enlarge the pool of applicants who are personally prepared and academically qualified for higher education.  Infuse Inter-American and global perspectives throughout the University community.  Optimize institutional effectiveness and efficiency consistent with high quality organizational standards. The six UTPA goals addressed by this Outcome Directed Planning map are: UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFARIS

2. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS Approved by the Vice President for Business Affairs: December 2, 2005 2 GOAL: Provide students with a quality educational experience that enables them to complete their educational goals in a timely fashion. Provide a more suitable environment for learning and student life.  Identify opportunities and implement measures to promote a safer and more secure environment.  Improve customer services to stakeholders.  Maintain Business Affairs staff level requirements to keep pace with demands of university growth. Strategies Objectives UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFARIS

3. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS Approved by the Vice President for Business Affairs: December 2, 2005 3 Implement oracle grant accounting module. GOAL: Become an outstanding research institution, emphasizing collaborative partnerships and entrepreneurship. (SLIDE 1) Improve partnership between Grants and Contracts and Office of Sponsored Research Projects to facilitate the dynamic nature of a research institution.  Streamline processes responsive to research needs.  Provide appropriate training to all stakeholders.  Provide MOU support and expertise.  Provide expertise to stakeholders for preparation of budget proposals.  Provide management report for subsequent evaluation of grant approvals and rejections.  Provide technical support required to maintain specialized laboratory related equipment and systems.  Establish risk based after-the- fact compliance monitoring for research to replace up-front authorization controls by Grants & Contracts Accounting. Develop and support skill sets necessary to support the needs of a Research Institution. Strategies Objectives UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFARIS

4. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS Approved by the Vice President for Business Affairs: December 2, 2005 4 Adopt business procedures “best practices”. GOAL: Become an outstanding research institution, emphasizing collaborative partnerships and entrepreneurship. (SLIDE 2) Partner with other divisions to develop joint opportunities with private and government entities.  Identify successful research institutions for comparisons.  Establish benchmarks and adapt.  Establish mechanism for the better communication between traditional grant seeking divisions.  Implement strategies to support and maintain these respective relationships.  Provide resources for the construction of “state of the art” facilities for scientific research.  Promote flexible policies and processes to facilitate faculty research efforts. Provide a campus mentality that facilitates the recruitment/retention of a qualified research faculty. Strategies Objectives UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFARIS

5. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS Approved by the Vice President for Business Affairs: December 2, 2005 5 Objectives Strategies Improve relationship with the City of Edinburg. GOAL: Enhance UTPA’s engagement with the community to meet challenges and maximize opportunities. (SLIDE 1) Improve vendor relations.  Schedule routine meetings with the City of Edinburg planners and document attendance.  Continue to support City of Edinburg community functions such as “Night of Lights” and “Fiesta Edinburg”.  Invite City of Edinburg representatives to Business Affairs holiday gala.  Involve Presidents Office in business affairs relationships with the City of Edinburg.  Increase HUB participation.  Increase vendor awareness of State requirements by having management host training sessions.  Encourage faculty senate and staff senate participation in Business Affairs Directors meetings.  Request membership to other divisions’ regularly-held meetings and for information sharing. Increase Business Affairs outreach with internal divisions for mutual appreciation of respective missions. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFARIS

6. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS Approved by the Vice President for Business Affairs: December 2, 2005 6 Objectives Strategies Secure athletic conference affiliation. GOAL: Enhance UTPA’s engagement with the community to meet challenges and maximize opportunities. (SLIDE 2)  Encourage athletic department to investigate existing and future conference activities.  Continue to support entities that support the other independent Division I Conference (Universities). UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFARIS

7. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS Approved by the Vice President for Business Affairs: December 2, 2005 7 Create an environment for P-12 schools to become collaboratively engaged with UTPA. GOAL: Collaborate with P-12 schools to enlarge the pool of applicants who are personally prepared and academically qualified for higher education.  Provide support to University programs with direct impact on P-12 schools.  Promote more school night at athletic events.  Create an economic model that demonstrates the economic advantages of obtaining an college education. Objectives Strategies UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFARIS

8. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS Approved by the Vice President for Business Affairs: December 2, 2005 8 Expand the university community’s involvement in Inter-American and global issues. GOAL: Infuse Inter-American and global perspectives throughout the University community.  Explore menu variety representing Inter- American and global cuisine.  Identify and act on opportunities for exchange between Business Affairs and traditional Inter-American and Global entities (i.e., Physical Plant sharing with University of Monterrey, Athletics interaction with Mexican schools). Objectives Strategies UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFARIS

9. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS Approved by the Vice President for Business Affairs: December 2, 2005 9 Objectives Strategies Implement Oracle and Banner software. GOAL: Optimize institutional effectiveness and efficiency consistent with high quality organizational standards. (SLIDE1) Increase value added and goodwill value to business practices.  Define criteria for successful implementation of Oracle and Banner.  Ensure adequate resources for successful implementation.  Ensure adequate training for staff members.  Analyze and study and adopt best management practices (best practices).  Streamline processes through Oracle and Banner implementation.  Increase effectiveness and efficiency of business related decisions through departmental management empowerment.  Three-prong approach to improve procurement processes: 1] Workflow automation for SPO’s, 2] explore procurement cards, 3] IProcurement self service.  Develop customer service approach to business related services.  Identify customer needs and provide appropriate training to staff.  Educate customers in the availability and variety of business related functions.  Develop better mechanisms for measuring customer service. Improve customer service. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFARIS

10. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS Approved by the Vice President for Business Affairs: December 2, 2005 10 Objectives Strategies Maximize available resources to support Division goals/objectives. GOAL: Optimize institutional effectiveness and efficiency consistent with high quality organizational standards. (SLIDE 2) Identify and provide staff professional development opportunities.  Communicate the evaluation of resources on Division instead of Departmental level.  Identify and articulate where resource restraints effect the efficiency and effectiveness of organization.  Improve CFPC process for better prioritization of building related projects by incorporating stakeholder input into the prioritization process.  Identify skills no longer needed because of new systems – retrain or redeploy for maximum utilization of employee skills.  Identify and articulate areas where staff development is needed to ensure high quality organizational standards.  Ensure management support for staff training and professional development.  Identify areas and implement compensation increases where required to retain value in training expenditures.  Provide accurate and timely information to stakeholders.  Increase awareness of accounting and internal controls. Provide a financially sound institution. UTPA 2012: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AFFARIS