Awards

1998 Quality & Productivity Awards

Sponsored by Royal Bank and KPMG

Royal Bank, KPMG and Canadian Association of University Business Officers are pleased to announce the following winners of the eleventh annual CAUBO Quality & Productivity Awards Program:

Several changes were introduced for the 1998 edition of the CAUBO program to recognize institutional initiatives to improve the quality and reduce the cost of university services. The evaluation criteria were modified and the applicants were specifically asked to describe how their projects met the requirements. The selection committee wishes to thank all participating institutions for the care with which they prepared their submissions.

The beginning of the second decade of the program was auspicious, with 42 projects in the running from 20 individual institutions and two groups of universities. The regional distribution was uneven with five submissions from the Atlantic Provinces, four from Québec, 20 from Ontario and 13 from the Western Provinces. Ten institutions submitted more than one entry, the University of Calgary distinguishing itself with 7 projects.

This year also marked several firsts for the program: a tie for First Prize, between the École de technologie supérieure and The University of Western Ontario; a multiple winner, The University of Western Ontario also winning a regional prize; and, the decision by the selection committee not to give one of the awards.

Royal Bank and KPMG, in addition to funding the program, assist in the evaluation of the submissions and the selection of the winners. Royal Bank also provides the facilities for the selection process. Sincere thanks are due to our sponsors.

École de technologie supérieure (First Prize - tie)

The project's main high tech feature was the integration of building management technologies (fire alarm, heating and ventilating, lighting, surveillance, video, etc) to the telecommunications network. An Intranet was thus created, giving access to building management data to all users. The persons responsible for building operations have therefore access to all information even from their home. The same goes for professors that have access to library or laboratory resources from inside or outside the building. This system is supported by ATM technology at a speed of 2 times 155 Mb/s.

In providing ETS with a state of the art Intranet at the telecommunications, voice/data wiring and building management system levels, planners have transformed the actual building into a laboratory. The network can be adapted to educational needs and show in real time different telecommunications or building management applications.

The other novel aspect of the project is the reuse of an industrial building, transformed into a state of the art teaching institution at a cost 33 % below the norm established by the Department of Education for new construction. The project was realised at a cost of $80/ sq. ft. ($861 /sq. m.) compared to the $120 /sq. ft. ($1,292/sq. m.) norm for new construction.

The structural capacity of the building will allow for further construction and will meet long term needs since the area can be doubled (available area is presently 609,000 sq. ft. (56,580 sq. m.))

Another important characteristic of the new building is its functionality. First line student services can all be found around the main hall: the reception, security offices, registrar's office, training and employment services, student services, student co-op, library and cafeteria are all adjacent to the main hall.

The basement was converted into a 314-stall underground parking that enables ÉTS to offer parking at half the average price in downtown Montreal to its personnel, its students and visitors.

The University of Western Ontario (First Prize - tie)

The on-line Internet Employment Cafe offers technology-based delivery of Employment Services at Western. Launched in January 1996, the Cafe receives thousands of requests for information each day and is used by students and alumni alike to access job descriptions. The Cafe also offers a variety of interactive features and surveys which have greatly expanded the scope of the audience to include teachers, parents, prospective students, and other general visitors from around the world.

Employers are very receptive to the automated system because it is fast, convenient, and saves time and money. Job descriptions can be submitted, company web pages linked, and videoconference-style information/career days or interviews confirmed right over the internet; thus, international employers may recruit just as effectively as local employers. The result is a significant increase in the number of employers recruiting at Western, up as much as 60% in some employment programs.

The Internet Employment Cafe is now generating new revenue sources and e-business ventures, e.g., the sale of links to employer web pages and Western-exclusive passwords for job description pages. A secure financial transaction system for receiving credit card information for actual on-line sales will be implemented soon.

University of Windsor (Third Prize)

It is self-evident that a university needs to promote an understanding and support for its policies and developments among its faculty and staff. Campus newspapers traditionally have been the management tool to achieve that. Weekly or biweekly campus newspapers also provide offices and programs on a campus with a centralized means of informing others about events, program developments, awards, accomplishments, and other new.

A newspaper, however, requires that a range of content be carried. In effect, activity to include tertiary matters can take up more time and resources than activity to achieve the primary function of promoting the university's policy and developments. Production of newspapers requires editors, writers, photography services, layout and design, printing and distribution. Equipment involves regular upgrad3es in high-powered Macintosh computers with Syquest disks to handle layout. Printing and distribution are the highest costs each year, other than manpower. Production schedules require most information to be processed more than a week in advance, and even important news breaking on the Wednesday deadline does not reach readers for until Friday afternoon or the next Monday.

The University of Windsor eliminated all of the above except for one writer/editor and dramatically increased the effectiveness and timeliness of the delivery of news and information to faculty and staff. Everybody working at the University of Windsor gets the news as soon as they turn on their computer in the morning. One scientist with a baby noted that he enjoys reading the morning news during his turn with the 4 a.m. feeding.

The DailyNews is a brief, broadcast-style report sent to all faculty and staff with e-mail addresses five times a week. In addition, the news is posted on a university web page so those who do not want daily reports collecting on their e-mail can access it easily on the web. Faculty on sabbatical as far away as China get the news every day. Every Monday, the news contains a formatted calendar of public lectures and other events for the week or two ahead.

The DailyNews is printed and posted in offices such as the Bookstore and Physical Plant where staff do not have e-mail. A weekly one-sheet, two-sides summary called Headlines, which contains the calendar of events, is printed by Document Services using a merge file with the names and offices of about 100 people on campus who want to continue getting news on paper.

Memorial University of Newfoundland (Atlantic Regional Award)

Memorial University of Newfoundland and Newfoundland-based IT provider NewTel Information Solutions (NIS), have signed an MOU which has created a unique team to export IT expertise internationally. In addition to recouping revenue on the university's ongoing investment in computerized administrative systems, this business partnership recognizes Memorial as a leader in the application of educational institutional administrative systems.

As a result of Memorial's efforts, other post-secondary institutions in Canada and in other parts of the world will benefit from the experience gained through Memorial/NIS activities. This could result in savings across the whole post-secondary sector. In addition, the partnership enhances the employment environment of Memorial staff involved in IT generally, and student administration systems in particular.

The Memorial/NIS partnership was recently awarded a contract to conduct a business impact study for the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), located in Ireland. The DIT is currently reviewing their administrative software systems. The Newfoundland team is providing strategic planning, technical, and business-knowledge expertise, and is making recommendations on computerization of financial, human resource and student administration systems at the DIT. DIT has earmarked considerable financial resources (in the tens of millions of Irish pounds) for the implementation of these new systems.

NIS (and its predecessor, Newfoundland and Labrador Computer Services) has provided administrative computing support, in both development and production, to Memorial University for over 20 years. The most recent project, the implementation of a technologically advanced Student Administration System, has created a shared body of knowledge in university administration, and cemented a close working relationship between NIS and Memorial.

The experience gained from these collaborative projects has now yielded the current export opportunity in Ireland. Memorial and NIS signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly participate in commercial ventures related to information systems.

The current contract is an opportunity for the university and NIS to develop further work with other educational institutions in Canada and elsewhere in the world.

The University of Western Ontario (Ontario Regional Award)

Western's Strategic Plan, Leadership in Learning noted that residences play a critical role in the institution's ability to attract excellent students. The Plan also articulated a commitment to "...remove the obstacles faced by traditionally under-represented groups in order to facilitate their access to, and advancement at, Western". This commitment to provide a welcoming environment for students and faculty from all designated groups, including persons with disabilities, soon found practical expression in the Division of Housing and Food Services, where beliefs about the respectful treatment of each member of our community transformed a significant construction project into the realization of a new student facility which integrates students with disabilities into each and every aspect of residence life.

In order to ensure barrier-free principles were prominent throughout the design process, architectural firms submitting proposals were obliged to demonstrate their expertise in this area (the successful firm retained a barrier-free design consulting firm and included that firm as a member of its project team). The winning design was then "field-tested" through construction of a full-scale mock-up of an accessible suite. Dozens of stakeholders (particularly individuals with disabilities) toured the suite to assess the suitability of the suite's interior features (counter and floor finishes, plumbing, kitchen appliances, electrical fixtures, bathrooms, bedrooms, closets, doorways, common areas). Visitors made use of ample supplies of self-stick notepads to record their comments and affix suggestions directly to attractions and deficiencies in the suite. Over one hundred suggestions were subsequently investigated by the design team, and more than fifty of these were introduced into the ultimate design. All aspects of this phase of the project were completed prior to commencement of construction. During construction, members of the University's Barrier-Free Advisory Committee conducted an on-site inspection to evaluate successful implementation of the modifications proposed.

When students moved into Essex Hall in September 1997, they took up residence in a leading-edge facility which had canvassed and involved persons with disabilities in all phases of the design and construction process. A barrier-free building, Essex Hall contains 124 four-bedroom suites, 12 part-time residence staff apartments and one full-time residence staff apartment. Five suites in the building are designed specifically for residents with disabilities, and five others are easily converted. Residents or visitors with disabilities enjoy access to amenities throughout the building.

University of Calgary (Western Regional Award)

Chemistry undergraduate courses include laboratory work which routinely involves hazardous chemicals that are used to demonstrate the various principles of chemistry. Many undergraduates have no previous experience in handling hazardous materials and Universities have a responsibility to ensure that students have appropriate safety training prior to working in a laboratory.

Three years ago Safety Services, in conjunction with the Chemistry Department, developed an undergraduate Laboratory Safety course which more than 2,000 students attended in the first year. The course presentation lasted 90 minutes and consisted of a commercial laboratory safety video, a presentation on WHMIS, and an exam. There was also a section concerning the inherent risk in chemistry laboratories which includes a declaration for the students to sign to confirm that they have read and understood the safety section. Successful candidates were given a certificate and allowed to proceed with their laboratory based chemistry course.

A group of people, including the Safety Services Manager, the Chemistry Department Head, and members of the Chemistry Safety Committee, met to review the course and decided that more appropriate site specific training should be provided. As a result an interactive laboratory safety CD-ROM was initiated.

Safety Services, and members of the Chemistry Department, worked with the University of Calgary's Communications Media Department to develop an outline of the course. Video footage was shot in the chemistry laboratories, with a mixture of professional actors and students. The video footage was then edited with text, still pictures, and skill demonstration questions. The finished CD-ROM went through several draft revisions and a first edition (Beta version) of the CD-ROM was produced.

Last year the CD-ROM based safety course was administered to 2,000 students in the chemistry computer aided learning laboratory. The students completed the safety course at their convenience, and worked at their own pace using any support materials they needed. Once students successfully completed the exam, their names were added to a Chemistry Department database. The students then proceeded with their studies in the laboratory.

The CD-ROM was recently presented at the annual Canadian University and Colleges Safety Association (CUSA) Conference. Members of CUSA are environmental, health, and safety professionals from western Canadian universities and colleges. The feedback was very positive and members expressed their interest in the flexibility and interactive nature of the teaching tool.