University Business Services Annual Report 2022 inubs@lehigh.edu businessservices.lehigh.edu
About UBS University Business Services advances Lehigh’s goals and objectives through our business units and business partners. We deliver forward thinking, customer-centered business services and campus solutions in a fiscally responsible manner. University Business Services provides a portfolio of departments, programs, and strategic initiatives that drive and advance the University's goals and meet the daily needs of students, faculty, and staff. Departments The Lehigh Store (Barnes & Noble College) Child Care Center (Bright Horizons) Mail Center (Swiss Post Solutions) Mountain Hawk Design & Print (Ricoh) Purchasing and University Logistics Real Estate Services Business Partnerships UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Sustainability Trademarks & Licensing Transportation and Parking Services Strategic Initiatives Sustainability LehighLean Connections businessservices.lehigh.edu
UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Our Strategy Our 2023 Goals The most effective strategy for fulfilling our mission and achieving our goals and objectives is to be disciplined about building a cohesive leadership team, clearly articulating our purpose (“reason for being”), holding one another accountable for business results, and communicating effectively with our stakeholders. Sustainability Plan 2030/Climate Action Strategy: Continue implementing the plan and report annually (in July/August) on progress toward these goals. 1 LehighLean Culture and Process Improvement: Implement Lean in UBS; a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste. Lean streamlines day-to-day work activities and processes. 2 Campus Experience: UBS business units will significantly improve the experiences of our customers and key stakeholders. Combining exceptional customer service with quality added-value. 3 Cost Reductions and/or Enhance Revenues: Identify additional revenue opportunities and/or implement cost reductions in the unrestricted budget allocated to UBS. 4 Learn more
A Message from the Assistant Vice President UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 2022 brought us so many great opportunities for making process improvements that benefit our Lehigh community. UBS departments are challenged with collectively submitting 50 process improvements in 2023 - a challenge we’re excited to meet and exceed. The theme of 2021 was reconnecting and engaging with our campus communities. This past year, we narrowed our focus on how we can serve those communities to the best of our ability. We look forward to highlighting our list of 50+ improvements in the next annual report. While our focus has always been on operational excellence, this year has put a spotlight on the importance of quality services, efficient processes, and how both can make a tremendous positive impact for our faculty, staff, and students, while also reducing waste. Through programs like LehighLean and our new Campus Experience training program, we have gained a better understanding of how we can make our services more user-friendly, efficient, and accessible. Understanding the needs of our campus was the first step. We actively listened, not just heard concerns and ideas. We collected feedback through surveys and focus groups, created action plans, and made changes based on data. The feedback we received was instrumental and has helped us create strategies for meeting campus needs. "We can't wait to see what process improvements our departments identify and implement in 2023 to make the campus experience an exceptional one." Mark R. Ironside '25P Assistant Vice President
UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Our UBS Leadership Team Mark Ironside, MBA Jane Altemose Sharon Field Assistant Vice President, UBS President, LU Properties, LLC Director, Transportation & Parking Services Director, Purchasing Services & University Logistics Assistant Director, UBS Erin Kintzer, AIA, MBA Director, Real Estate Services Monika Skuriat Fritz, MBA Audrey McSain Renee Lutz Director, Business Partnerships & Marketing Manager The Lehigh Store Director, Sustainability Peggyann Young Manager The Mail Center Business Partners Doug Snyder Manager MH Design & Print Amy DiNardo Director Child Care Center
UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 A Year in Review
Transportation & Parking UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Mission: To provide safe, dependable, and sustainable transportation and parking-related solutions to the campuses of Lehigh University that add value to every customer interaction and support the University's strategic plan in a fiscally responsible manner. Transported 389,197 passengers. Added two 15 passenger vans on the Campus Connector in the fall of 2022 to create more efficient service. Restructured Transportation Services to include a Chief Mechanic. Upgraded the fuel station. We migrated to the cloud which makes the information and data readily accessible. Reduced bus services during academic breaks. This reduced fuel usage and staff resources while maintaining adequate level of service. What's Next To further evaluate transit and parking services, we are partnering with FHI Studio, a consulting firm specializing in transportation planning and community outreach, to ensure that we are supporting the university community and all aspects of our strategic vision in the long-term. Restructured Parking Services - promoted Assistant Manager to Manager; created enforcement and events coordinator. Implemented T2 Mobile Pay for event parking at Zoellner Arts Center. Sold permits over sales capacities in the faculty/staff zones. Changed all of the short term parking areas on the Mountaintop campus to 4 hour limits.
Purchasing & University Logistics UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Mission: Lehigh’s Purchasing and University Logistics is committed to providing timely and effective services to meet the procurement needs of the University community. We focus strongly on improving sustainability at Lehigh through the responsible and efficient use of resources, while helping departments obtain products and services at the lowest total cost while ensuring the best overall value. 137 contracts reviewed. 46 RFPs conducted, resulting in $549,952 of bid generated savings. Transitioned to a new travel agency with 366 flights booked through Collegiate Travel Partners since July implementation. Implementation of new Wells Fargo expense reporting system, with spend at $15,496,124 and 1,687 faculty / staff cardholders and 1,375 student cardholders. What's Next The Lehigh University Supplier Diversity Program is currently in progress and will promote business relationships and contract opportunities with diverse, local and small business suppliers within the Lehigh procurement process. This program will help build upon a strong commitment to work closely with diverse and local businesses to help them grow and prosper. Central Receiving received and delivered 41,339 packages for fiscal year 2022. Courier Services added a 16 ft. box truck for larger palletized deliveries and hazmat related goods. eWaste recycled 11,587 pounds of electronics.
Office of Sustainability UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Mission: We envision an inclusive Lehigh community where sustainability is an integral part of the institutional ethos. Our mission is to advance solutions to support long term sustainable change in Lehigh’s operations, academics, administration and community. We will meet the evolving challenges of a changing world, mitigate the effects of climate change and develop and empower future leaders. Released the Climate Action Strategy in April 2022. The strategy establishes a 'Pathway to Zero' emissions to positively impact Lehigh's bottom line and achieve net carbon neutrality by 2040. Submitted its eighth report to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System (STARS) and received a gold rating for the second year in a row, with a score of 72.75. This is an increase of 10.58%, or 6.96 points, from the previous year. Earned recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation, which named Lehigh as a 2021 Tree Campus Higher Education Institution. What's Next The Office of Sustainability will continue working with campus partners to make progress towards and/or achieve goals outlined in Lehigh's Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030. One such goal includes developing and piloting an early career mentorship program with current Lehigh students interested in sustainability and alums in the sustainability field. Hosted 55 campus events and collaborated with 15+ campus partners to engage the Lehigh University and Southside Bethlehem communities. Increased from 2 FTE to 3 FTE, retained 1 part-time employee, eliminated both graduate assistant positions, and continued to work with 24 work study students. The restructuring included the creation of three new FTE positions and recruiting, hiring, and onboarding two new hires.
What's Next Real Estate Services UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Mission: Provide strategic and comprehensive real estate services that align with and support the University’s strategic plan, master plan, and institutional goals. This includes responsibility for the following activities: Acquisition, Development, Disposition, Leases, Property Management, Joint Ventures & Partnerships. Achieved 100% occupancy of available faculty / staff rental properties for the 4th year in a row. Currently provide housing for 40 graduate / PhD students and 6 faculty / staff members and their families. Launched Stabler Pathways rebranding (formally Stabler Corporate Center). Collaborated with a local marketing firm and community stakeholders to create a new naming structure, logo, and brand awareness campaign. 9 houses in faculty / staff housing portfolio converted off of fossil fuels. On-boarded a full time maintenance staff member to enhance outstanding maintenance service. Real Estate Services is excited to add two more faculty / staff houses. The houses are currently under renovation and will be ready for occupancy in the months early 2023. The department will be adding the position of commercial leasing and property manager to the team as well.
The Mail Center UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Mission: The Mail Center supports the missions of Lehigh University by providing the LU community with timely and accurate handling, distribution, and processing of all incoming and outgoing mail and packages as it relates to student needs. We seek to provide excellent customer service and to utilize staff and resources with ever-improving efficiency. Transitioned the Mail Center to its new location above The Lehigh Store prior to the start of the fall 2022 semester. Worked closely with Lehigh to create a more efficient space for students to get their mail and packages. Created a more welcoming environment with improved signage. Took on the distribution of course materials from The Lehigh Store. Processed a record 16,771 packages at the start of the fall semester (August 17 - September 17). Onboarded work study students to work in the Mail Center. Added a recycling bin for students to place their cardboard upon leaving the Mail Center. What's Next The Self-Service Package Pick-Up launched in March of 2023, giving students another option to get their packages and allowing them to avoid the pick-up line if they choose. Soon to launch will be a self-checkout area where shoppers can purchase products on the go. Evaluated current operations against increased package volume and took immediate action to make improvements. Added additional processing stations and changed how packages were labeled for fast processing. Initiated the software changes needed to implement a new self-service package pick-up shelf. Pilot testing commenced spring 2023. Added drop-off bins so that individuals with pre-paid package labels could quickly drop off their packages for courier pick-up.
Mountain Hawk Design & Print Center UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Mission: Mountain Hawk Design and Print supports the educational objectives of Lehigh University and enhances the institutional image through quality design, printing, and mailing. We strive to produce the highest quality for all projects and to provide Lehigh University and local non-profits with the most reasonable prices available. Increased wide format production speed and capabilities with the addition of EFI 16H hybrid printer and Colex Sharpcut router. Better efficiencies have allowed us to be more flexible with our staffing and workload. Reduced the amount of vinyl products purchased by printing direct to substrates. This reduces costs and improves sustainability. Expanded our product offerings to campus with items like canvas wraps, magnets and acrylic signage. Created working relationships with other colleges in the area by providing wide format printing services. We completed nearly 3,000 print jobs for the year. 463 of those jobs were for Wide Format production, which produced over 16,000 square feet of printed material. What's Next We're excited to launch more customized products like printed boxes, plaques and artwork. We will also look at producing short-run promo items like pens and phone wallets. Finally, we want to take signage to the next level. Our goal is to expand beyond 2 dimensional graphics and create more engaging 3 dimensional signage.
The Lehigh Store UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Mission: The Lehigh Store serves the educational resource needs of the campus community while supporting Lehigh’s biggest fans through a thoughtfully curated collection of Lehigh branded general merchandise, products, and services. We shifted our textbook model from books being in the store to students ordering their books on our website and picking them up in the Mail Center. We opened a warehouse to house the new textbook department. There was a complete renovation and renaming/rebranding of the store - from the Lehigh U Bookstore to The Lehigh Store. It was completed in 220 hours and was completed ahead of schedule. Approximately 20 new fixtures were added along with new flooring, paint and wall art. Countless hours were spent on the design and finishes of the new space. A new Tech Store with laptops from HP and Dell as well as an Apple Store was added. We donated $50,000 in scholarships. What's Next In the coming year, Lehigh will embark on a three year pilot program with The Lehigh Store to supply all course materials to students for one fee that will be assessed on the students’ bill. This will drastically reduce the fees students pay for their textbooks while increasing student access to their learning materials on the first day of classes. This past year we successfully grew our First Day courses. Between the Spring and Fall semesters we had 10 courses equaling 55 sections. This impacted 1807 students with savings to the students estimated at $60,000. We attended 40 home athletic events covering football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and wrestling. This year we helped facilitate a new graduation event “Senior Salute”. Students were able to pick up their regalia in the store, as well as order rings. A large-scale graduation celebration event. We hosted an Open House for students in the Fall to celebrate the renovation and rebrand. The event saw at least 600 students come through.
Business Partnerships & Marketing UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Mission: Develop and manage a thriving portfolio of business partnerships (both internal and external) that will add value and enrichment to the student, faculty/staff, alumni, and Lehigh family experience. Developed and implemented a training program for UBS staff that focuses on creating a better customer experience for all of our campus users - students, staff, faculty, parents, alumni and beyond. This shift in our focus is aimed at meeting the University’s goals in improved user experiences and contributes to retention of both students and employees. Rebranded the Lehigh University Bookstore as The Lehigh Store - worked with UCPA to create a logo and visual identity for the store that better matched the newly renovated space. Planned and led all signage implementation and communications for The Lehigh Store changes as well as the Mail Center move. Planned and executed open house event for The Lehigh Store. What's Next New signage for Farrington Square and its businesses is in progress that will further energize this space. New events will make this courtyard a gathering space where all feel welcome and invited. As other community spaces come offline for renovations, Farrington Square will add value to the campus experience in new and exciting ways. Pivoted Grad Fair into a hugely successful Senior Salute event to create a more engaging cap and gown pick-up for senior students. Planned and conducted focus groups with students (undergrad and grad) to determine Transportation and Dining issues at Mountaintop and discuss solutions. Synthesized feedback. Used this feedback, in cooperation with all related departments, to create The Mountaintop Field Guide - a guide to studying and working on Mountaintop campus. Executed second annual Light Up Night in Farrington Square. Reviewed 2,064 licensing artwork submissions.
Bright Horizons Child Care Center UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Mission: The Bright Horizons Family Solutions® mission is to provide innovative solutions that help children, families, employees, and employers work together to be their very best. We're committed to providing the highest-quality child care, education, and work/life solutions in the world. Boosted school-age summer camp by double the enrollment from the first year. This program is new to the center and has only increased in enrollment, activity, and excitement over the last year! Hosted information session with College of Education professors to begin a partnership with students and the childcare center. This was an opportunity for us to welcome student teachers, observers, and really network with the professors to establish ourselves with the college. Participated in a new orientation program for our new teachers that has assisted in staff retention across the board in all age groups. 100 Days of Heart has broken down our intense onboarding training to more achievable, strategic, and welcoming partnerships with new employees. What's Next We are focusing on growing our new team with the Bright Horizons orientation program and establishing a new dynamic culture within the childcare center. We are forming a new team and are ready for a new future. By growing this team, we will be opening to new enrollment and filling each classroom to ultimate capacity. We are excited for what is to come in the upcoming weeks and months! Hosted a lunch and learn in early 2022 for the ERAC group to introduce our program – resulting in at least 2 enrollments. This was a way for us to virtually encourage individuals to come visit the center, ask any questions, and hear about what we provide for their current or future children. Honored teacher Julie Harrington as a Janice Hill Award Winner, a prestigious award for teachers in our company. This came with a monetary award, nominations from her families and colleagues, and a visit from our DVP.
2022
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