Transcript Columbia University

University Enabling Systems for Global Health
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How has your institution scaled up or modified administrative
functions, processes and services to effectively support significant
increases in global funding?
How have administrative functions been coordinated across
organizational unites to address challenges and to solve problems
in supporting global activities?
What specific administrative process at your institution would you
consider “best practices” from which others could learn?
What types of problems , issues, barriers, etc. Have you
encountered at your institution that may require innovative
administrative solutions?
How could the UCGH help all members develop and strengthen
enabling systems? Can the whole be greater than the sum of its
parts?
Global Engagement:
Challenges and Opportunities
University Consortium for Global Health
September 8, 2008
Ann Anderson
Associate Vice President/Controller
University of Washington – Seattle, Washington
Topics (What)
General (legal presence/Overseas Registration)
Finance/Banking (foreign banking, overseas accounting)
Oversight (field office and subcontractors, audits)
Risk (insurance requirements or issues)
Legal (US and country-specific laws, POA, local counsel)
Reporting (internal, US/other government [IRS Form 990!]
Overseas Human Resources (university employees, in-country
personnel, third country nationals, independent contractors)
Why (are these being dealt with)
• Risk (legal, financial, and to relationships)
• Enable and simplify accomplishment
About today’s session
Presentation will
• Address challenges, opportunities & issues to consider;
• Demonstrate how the UW has scaled administrative
functions to effectively respond to global opportunities;
• Outline some potential “best practices” for supporting
global efforts.
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How our Global Support Project came
about…
• UW establishes goal of
being leader in solving
global and environmental
sustainability problems
• Acknowledgement that
administrative processes
were too “siloed” to
support global work
• Significant funding
available for global
health, particularly in
developing countries
Concern from PIs that
UW could scale up fast
enough for this work
Significant
dissatisfaction with
getting cash in the
field
“How do I hire an incountry citizen?”
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How central administration looks to
research faculty…
Global Support Project
Student
Services
PostAward
Purchasing
Financial Services
(Payroll, AP,
Purchasing, etc.)
Human
Resources
Pre-Award
Academic
HR
Real Estate
Legal counsel
Global Support Project
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UW Global Support Project
Project Oversight Structure
Executive Sponsors
Provost
Senior Vice President, Finance and Facilities
Executive Vice Provost
Vice Provosts for:
Research, Student Life, Global Affairs,
Undergrad Academic Affairs, Grad School
Project Advisors
Attorney General’s Office
Environmental Health & Safety
Internal Audit
Risk Management
Project Sponsors
Core Steering Team
-Senior staff from key admin support depts.
-Senior school & college administrators
-Provost’s Office
Faculty Consulting Team
Faculty active in global research
& education
Process
Improvement
Team
e.g., Global
Emergency Mgmt
Rapid Response
Single Point of
Contact
Website/portal
Development
Guiding principles
• Align with global strategies
• Senior leader sponsorship and involvement
• Accept and manage international risk
• Transparency in approach
• Develop multiple process options
• Create infrastructure (virtual and structural)
• Facilitate collaboration
• Establish improvements that can be leveraged for
multiple activities, where possible
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Structural considerations –
Senior sponsorship/advocacy
Individuals who will help:
• Identify/validate institutional risks and opportunities
• Understand/appreciate stakeholder priorities
• Support engagement of key stakeholders
 Principal Investigators (“big hitters” and influential
others)
 Key Deans
– Schools of Medicine/Public Health
 Senior Research Administrators (Schools/Colleges)
 Others (Risk Manager, Legal Counsel, etc.)
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Structural Considerations –
Project Leadership
Need someone who is:
• A change agent (and viewed as such)
• Fearless and a positive provocateur of the
status quo
• Collaborative and open
And who has:
“Enough” span of control (and/or influence) to
bring process owners and customers together
to solve problems
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What’s the organizational capacity to bring
units together to problem solve and create
sustainable solutions?
• Campus culture
Collaborative, transparent
 Willingness/support to question status quo
 Customer, risk, or compliance orientation
- UW Finance and Facilities Mission:
“We help People who Change the World”
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• Resources
Technical expertise to think creatively
 Minimum
- Project Manager and/or facilitation
- Travel (e.g., for administrators to experience first-hand,
the challenges of working internationally)
 Other – legal, logistical, etc.
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• Leadership and administrators willing to engage and follow-
through
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What should a central support unit
consider?
• What are risks of not fixing the
problems?
• Are there process partners
critical to success that should
also be included?
• What resources will be needed
for process improvement,
implementation and ongoing
support (e.g., new roles)?
• What are the change
management implications, both
within and outside the unit?
• How will progress/success be
measured and communicated?
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What’s the departmental administrator’s
role in meeting these challenges?
• Ensure local laws and culture
that impact activities have
been considered
• Ensure faculty have identified
needs and limitations of the incountry infrastructure (e.g.,
electricity, IT capability)
• Encourage faculty to help
identify & mitigate risk in their
work (research, teaching or
service), collaborating with
administration decision-makers
where necessary
• Provide active support to think
“outside of the box” and be
willing to change departmental
processes
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We operate through a team approach using
two improvement models
Rapid Response
Teams
Sponsored Process
Improvement Teams
• Field Advances
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Unique job classification
and benefit rates for
specific project
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Emergent needs for training
project in Africa
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Property leasing abroad
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PI concerns about global
hiring and cash
management
• Nonresident Alien Tax
• Reporting
• Global HR
• Sub-contracting
Tip: Try “piloting” out-of-box solutions
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Global Support Project Scope
• Information Technology
• Financial
Connectivity
 Conferencing
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Field Advance Improvements
 Tax
 Currency fluctuations
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• Compliance
• Subcontracts
Expense allowability
 Visa requirements
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Process streamlining
 Advances
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• Legal
UW Program registration
 Local laws and regulations
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• Human Resources
Relevant job classes/codes
 Relevant benefit rates
 Process streamlining
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• Risk and Safety
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Insurance coverage
Current Focus: Global Emergency
Management
Registry
 Risk/safety/incident response process
 Faculty awareness
 Managing “contingency” expenses
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Building a foundation through knowledge
creation & improved processes
Communication & Outreach
• Single points of contact in central offices
• Website/portal
http://www.washington.edu/admin/finmgmt/globalsupport/
• Briefings with Deans
• Faculty Consulting Team
• Global Support Consortium (IvyPlus)
Human Resources
• Guidance for global hiring
• Internal job codes & benefit rates
• Expanded relocation compensation
Information Technology
• Country-specific connectivity information
Legal
(most complex)
• UW non-profit established—to
enable in-country registration
• Identified legal counsel in various
countries
Financial
• New guide for foreign tax issues
• Cash advance improvements
• Tax implications for foreign based
employees (very complex)
Risk and Safety
• Guidance on insurance coverage
while abroad
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Lessons Learned
• Issues are complex;
• Risks can be high, but can be mitigated;
• Compliance and creativity CAN be balanced;
• Best practices may be difficult to identify;
• Situations “on the ground” can change very quickly
• Challenges are not unique to our institution;
• Administrative challenges pale in comparison to
programmatic challenges on the ground;
• Improvement is a journey, not an event…and…you’re
never done!
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Global Support Project:
What customers tell us!
• There’s a change in attitude!
 Question is how (not if)
 We are breaking new ground that will help transform
other UW programs (not “we can’t do this…we’ve
never done it before”)
 We are a team working to make a real difference
(not “why can’t faculty members ever get the rules
straight?”)
 Change is good…and the only constant (not “but we
have always done it this way”)
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What can faculty do to help?
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Get involved
Recognize & value administrative expertise
Share challenges & ideas about solutions
Invest in educating administrators about global
health, including travel to conferences &
international sites
• Be willing to learn about administrative realities
& constraints
• Be patient
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After all, this is what it’s all about!
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The Dawn of a New Day
Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
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For further information, questions:
Ann Anderson
Associate Vice President/Controller
University of Washington – Seattle, Washington
[email protected] – 206-543-4993
UW Global Support Website:
http://www.washington.edu/admin/finmgmt/globalsupport/
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Roseanne Waters
Preparing Students for Global Engagement
Problem: Insufficient preparation for living and working in low
resource environments
Action: Pilot tested a 6-module training program
1. Service ethics in a global context
2. Health and safety training
3. Fundamentals of cross-cultural research
4. Case studies: successful projects
5. Reporting back
6. Student/faculty break-out groups by country/region
Topics (What)
General (legal presence/Overseas Registration)
Finance/Banking (foreign banking, overseas accounting)
Oversight (field office and subcontractors, audits)
Risk (insurance requirements or issues)
Legal (US and country-specific laws, POA, local counsel)
Reporting (internal, US/other government [IRS Form 990!]
Overseas Human Resources (university employees, incountry personnel, third country nationals, independent
contractors)
Why (are these being dealt with)
• Risk (legal, financial, and to relationships)
• Enable and simplify accomplishment
Dick Dunning
Issues
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Who is working internationally
Lack of or inconsistent policies/guidelines/processes
Resources to do all of the work needed
Additional administrative oversight by departmental personnel
Educating field office personnel on policies/procedures,
regulations and laws
• Developing and implementing policies and procedures causes
frustration “I never had to do this before”
Solutions
• Internal support - International Finance Working Group
o Policy/procedures development (Including manual)
o Website for policy/procedure posting
o Currently transitioning to information
dissemination/training
• External support – Ivy Plus
University Enabling Systems for Global Health
•
•
•
•
•
How has your institution scaled up or modified administrative
functions, processes and services to effectively support significant
increases in global funding?
How have administrative functions been coordinated across
organizational unites to address challenges and to solve problems
in supporting global activities?
What specific administrative process at your institution would you
consider “best practices” from which others could learn?
What types of problems , issues, barriers, etc. Have you
encountered at your institution that may require innovative
administrative solutions?
How could the UCGH help all members develop and strengthen
enabling systems? Can the whole be greater than the sum of its
parts?