One of the initiatives from the December 2011 leadership retreat was to evaluate the Division of Business and Finance mission, vision, and value statements that were developed over a decade before. The extended leadership quickly realized that this effort would take much longer than the hour and a half session that was scheduled and therefore created a committee formed ad hoc of division representatives to draft new statements for approval. Several drafts of the mission statement were presented to the extended leadership in March 2012 with the one that appears below being recommended.
The proposed mission statement was then presented to the individual departments that comprise the division during the following months for their approval. In addition, information on values and vision were solicited from all employees that led to the development of the following statements. These statements were approved by the extended leadership one year later at the December 2012 leadership retreat.
The addition of departmental commitment statements were suggested at the 2012 retreat as a way to reinforce the vision.
Values - Who We Are
Professional
Responsive
Integrity
Dedicated
Efficient/Effective
Mission - What We Do
The mission of the Division of Business and Finance is to support a vibrant learning environment by delivering efficient and innovative service-oriented solutions.
Vision - Where We Are Going
The Division of Business and Finance takes great pride in its role to support the institution in its quest to become a "destination university."
Its vision is to be a cohesive organization that is responsive to the needs of the institution through talent development, innovative solutions, and cost effective strategies.
Commitment - How We Get There
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The Department of Auxiliary Enterprises is committed to creating and demonstrating value to the Institution by providing efficient, effective, and convenient support services to the university community through:
- Ensuring that our products and services are relevant, superior, and meet the needs of our students, faculty, and staff;
- Identifying and creating new services and enhancement opportunities with cost-effective and efficient solutions;
- Bidding out services and contracts regularly to ensure that our agreements meet the current needs of our university community at fair prices;
- Providing an environment in all of our locations that is focused on exceptional customer service to all members of our community;
- Operating an upscale University Bookstore stocked with the necessary books, supplies, and electronics to assist students in successfully navigating their courses while providing guidance for book purchases, rentals, and learning tools;
- The bookstore will also offer a wide range of excellent spirit wear to support all university athletics as well as provide in-store and off-site events and outreach;
- Offering safe, comfortable, and reliable transportation through a campus-wide shuttle system;
- Managing on-campus parking and policies in a fair and judicious manner;
- Maintaining a full-service United States Postal Services location to offer university mail services;
- Creating and consistently delivering a “superior dining experience” in all dining locations and functions;
- Maintaining a full service color and black-and-white copying and printing operation that includes large format wall art, signs, and banners at affordable prices;
- Offering students popular products in convenient locations for vending and laundry services, meal plans, student computer/print labs and identification card services;
- Providing efficient centralized material management of staple items through Central Stores, Receiving and Delivery;
- Offering an enjoyable and safe summer camp and conference experience with flexible accommodations, superior dining services, and relevant facilities to meet the needs of our customers; and
- Coordinating a memorable and proficient commencement ceremony to appropriately celebrate student achievement.
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The Office of Budget Services is committed to providing guidance and support to faculty and staff in planning, budgeting, and analysis of resources in accordance with the guidelines instituted by the University System of Georgia. This is to be achieved by:
- Developing continuous process improvement continually improving the processes for budgeting and position management;
- Providing necessary and accurate information for sound decision making
- Processing budget changes and data requests accurately and timely; and
- Providing exceptional customer assistance with budget information and training.
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The Bursar's Office is committed to providing quality service, guidance, and timely information to students and the campus in the assessment and collection of student fees, the disbursement of student refunds, and the management of student financial aid programs. This is to be accomplished by:
- Developing a very knowledgeable, proficient, and informative staff;
- Being proactive in the communication of fee schedules and payment deadlines;
- Delivering prompt and accurate responses to questions involving federal, state, and private funding; and
- Being respectful and courteous in the applications of campus invoicing and fee collection.
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Campus Planning and Facilities (CP&F) is committed to planning, operating, protecting, and sustaining a campus that is befitting a Destination University. This is achieved by:
- Promoting a culture of planning by aligning the campus environment with the strategic mission of the university;
- Establishing clear metrics and performance indicators for facilities operations to continuously improve our effectiveness;
- Conducting all operations in a safe and environmentally responsible manner;
- Enhancing the quality of life in our community by creating a healthy and vibrant campus;
- Ensuring the university’s continued compliance with operational and regulatory requirements;
- Extending the service life of our facilities and reducing the cost of ownership;and
- Developing our people to meet the changing needs of the university community.
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The Center for Business Excellence (CBE) is committed to champion continual improvement throughout the organization utilizing lean six-sigma methodologies, contemporary training, promotion of service excellence, and instilling synergistic endeavors. This is to be achieved by:
- Engendering trust and respect within and among Business and Finance departments;
- Coaching and monitoring business process redesign requirements within the division;
- Organizational assessments, analyses, and timely feedback of the results;
- Determining and developing organizational training requirements and customizing them to talent capabilities; and
- Researching, developing, promoting and implementing group-dynamic programs within the organization.
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The Office of the Controller is committed to providing guidance and support to faculty and staff through the development, implementation and continuous improvement of the business and financial services. This is to be achieved by:
- Assisting faculty and staff in the achievement of their operational needs while ensuring compliance with funding agency requirements;
- Providing timely, accurate, and usable financial information;
- Recruiting, employing, and developing qualified staff; and
- Continually analyzing and improving business processes through innovation, technology, and employee empowerment.
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The Human Resources Department is committed to providing comprehensive and multifaceted Human Resource management that advances the mission of the University of West Georgia and its employees. Our ultimate goal is to offer accessible and reliable resources with a focus on exemplary customer service. This is to be achieved by:
- Creating a culture and an attitude of collaboration by listening to the needs of our employees and partnering to develop prompt and productive solutions;
- Administering timely, useful, and effective guidance to supervisors and employees in all HR functions;
- Providing guidance, education, development, and training in payroll and benefit administration;
- Establishing and maintaining regulations and policies that reflect state and federal law as well as USG and UWG policy and interest; and
- Building steadfast cross-departmental relationships in the Division of Business and Finance to effectively address employee, department, division, and university business needs.
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The Purchasing Services Department is committed to facilitating continual improvement of procurement and contracting services by understanding the needs of all stakeholders and leveraging technology and contracting resources to provide the highest level of efficient and effective delivery of goods and services. This is achieved by:
- Developing and enhancing communication inside and outside the Division;
- Promoting and tracking the professional development of Procurement and Contracting staff;
- Providing training and an intuitive source of information for using Procurement and Contracting tools; and
- Researching, developing, promoting and implementing cost-effective methods of service delivery.
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The University Police are committed to providing a safe campus so that those we serve can teach, learn, research, and grow. This is to be achieved by:
- Recruiting and selecting highly competent personnel with a commitment to integrity and professional policing in a college environment.
- By training those individuals in the most current law enforcement practices and providing opportunities for continuous skill enhancements through educational and professional development programs.
- By utilizing innovative technologies that allows the Department to better monitor the campus and protect those we serve.
- By providing crime awareness programing that not only educates the campus community but also encourages a sense of personal commitment on everyone’s part to make the University of West Georgia a safe and vibrant learning environment.