Regents Approve Plan for Payroll Consolidation
Atlanta — June 11, 2008
The governing body of the University System of Georgia (USG) approved today a new “shared services” strategy that will provide administrators throughout the System’s 35 public colleges and universities with a new model to handle key business operations.
The shared services concept is a result of the Board of Regents strategic plan and is designed to unify and consolidate the System’s separate and unconnected business functions throughout its colleges and universities. The concept supports the Board of Regents strategic goal of having the USG operate more efficiently while providing greater risk management of the state’s assets and dollars.
“The Board’s approval today creates a framework that will maximize efficiency and effectiveness in a large and complex organization with more than 38,0000 employees and an annual budget of $6.1 billion,” said interim vice chancellor for Fiscal Affairs Usha Ramachandran. “Our current model has us providing service to our customers through hundreds of separate and unconnected databases. That is not the model used by other large enterprises, nor is it the model our funding partners in the governor’s office and the General Assembly expect us to continue to utilize in the 21st century.”
The first phase of the shared services strategy is to consolidate payrolls across the institutions. System officials will accomplish this through a partnership with ADP, a national provider of transaction processing and information-based business solutions for payroll. ADP will provide the USG with a consolidated HR/Payroll system that will facilitate paperless processing of time sheets, and benefits enrollment for employees. Planning and development of the new system gets underway in July 2008, and ADP officials project the new system will be in operation by July 2009.
Shortly after the inception of the shared services concept, a shared services implementation team was created that includes chief business officers from several institutions: David Heflin (Clayton State University), Natalie Higley (Bainbridge College), Randy Hinds (Kennesaw State University), Edward Jolley (Savannah State University), Cody King (Georgia Southwestern State University), Frank McConnell (North Georgia College and State University), Jerry Rackliffe (Georgia State University), and Levy Youmans (Macon State College). As shared services is implemented the team will be supported by staff from the institutions.
The key advantages of a Shared Services Center include: the achievement of economies of scale, the identification and elimination of redundant activities, the ability to incorporate best practices quickly; superior customer service, and an improved work environment and career ladder for administrative support employees.
Visit the Shared Services website: http://www.usg.edu/sharedservices/