Role and Responsibilities

The vice-president administration primary accountabilities are:

Fostering Relationships

  • Building partnerships with business, government, community leaders and the USask community to promote and advance USask's academic mission and contribution to the community.

Leadership

  • Ensuring Administration portfolio activities support the mission and goals of the university, are delivered efficiently and cost-effectively and continually evolve to meet the changing priorities and needs of the university.
  • Providing strategic leadership for Shared Services, and improving administrative support for teaching and research.
  • Fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and effective communications.

Planning and Stewardship

  • Planning, enabling and supporting growth and innovation
  • Stewarding long-term sustainability and championing the university’s broader responsibility to build social infrastructure and optimizing assets and resources for the betterment of its communities
  • Modernizing systems, processes and ways of working to pursue opportunities

Priorities

Integrated sustainable services fostering a culture of stewardship best practice services, innovation, and solution provision

Modernizing systems, structures, processes, and ways of working

Prioritized agreed-upon plan for future physical and digital infrastructure projects

Strategic plan
PARTNERING TO BE THE UNIVERSITY THE WORLD NEEDS

This administration strategic plan provides our portfolio direction to achieving the ambitions, commitments and goals of the University Plan 2025.

Strategic Goal 1
Create a safe, engaging and welcoming environment that inspires learning and discovery.

Strategic Goal 2
Focus relentlessly on our shared commitments.

Strategic Goal 3
Empower all to support and sustain the USask mission for future generations.

Portfolio

The Administration portfolio is the only support centre that delivers services and programming to every USask college, school, support centre, student, faculty and staff member. Our portfolio covers a tremendous range of activities and functions and works together to support the vision and mission of the university in a customer-centric, agile, and cost-effective way.

  • Human Resources, Safety and Wellbeing
    Employee well-being; compensation; leadership development; career progression; labour relations; lead or participate in EDI and Indigenization initiatives; safety programs; community safety and security

  • Financial Operations
    Accounting; banking and treasury; financial reporting; billing; fund administration; grant and contract financial management; tax administration and advising​

  • Information and Communications Technology
    Digital strategy; enterprise architecture; identity and data management; enterprise solutions; research, library and data centre technologies; IT support services; IT security, risk and compliance

  • Procurement
    Strategic sourcing; preferred suppliers; supplier relationship management; contract management; procurement resources and thresholds

  • Institutional Responsibilities
    Payroll; benefits; travel; pension management; collective bargaining (except USFA); utilities; cybersecurity; network and software infrastructure; real estate; risk management framework; regulatory and compliance activities

  • Building and Grounds
    Facility maintenance and repairs; custodial services; preventative maintenance and renewal; capital infrastructure planning and projects; campus space management; core area master planning

  • Ancillary Services
    Student residences; food outlets; retail and course material; parking; sports and recreation infrastructure management; vending; Preston Crossing development

Shared Services

Many of our services and programming are delivered through a shared services model made up of three delivery methods.

  • Transactional/service supports are the main point of contact that deals with the majority of questions and transactions using standard systems, tools and policy, all with an emphasis on continually improving services. These supports include: ConnectionPoint, ICT HelpDesks, financial operations research services, and facilities services.

  • Business partners: Business partners are located/embedded in a college, school, or unit (or a cluster of colleges, schools, or units) and are experts in a specific area of administrative service. These individuals understand the organizational culture of the unit, manage day-to-day relationships, and provide guidance, strategic support and advice to deans, department heads and others in the college, school, or unit (or a cluster of colleges, schools, or units). Business partners also ensure units are aligned operationally with institutional strategy and ensure university supported resources are followed. Business partners include: Strategic Business Advisors (SBAs) and ICT College Coordinators.

  • Centers of expertise provide university-wide policy, governance, strategy, and decision support informed by institutional data. They also design and develop standardized tools and resources for the campus community. Centers of expertise include: Financial Operations, Human Resources, Procurement, etc.

The objective of Shared Services is to:

  • Provide better administrative service to our faculty, staff and students, and to increase the efficiency of this work.
  • Ensure our entire university community, no matter where faculty, staff and students may be located, receives the same quality, efficient service.
  • Alleviate the amount of time faculty spend on administrative tasks to enable focus on research and teaching.

Additional benefits of Shared Services include:

  • Better communication and collaboration by supporting greater integration between central units and colleges, schools, and non-central units.
  • More flexibility and support for additional coverage when needed. Improved productivity and information sharing, as staff work from the same platforms and/or systems.
  • Greater data centralization and compliance, leading to better decision-making support.

About the Vice-President

Greg has been with the University of Saskatchewan for nearly 30 years. Greg received his Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration and Economics in 1988 and Master of Business Administration in 1992 from the University of Saskatchewan. In 1994, he returned to the university as assistant controller of St. Thomas More College, and in 1998 became the controller. He was in this position until 2006 when he became director of operations for the University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing. In 2007, Greg was appointed director of consumer services, and served in this capacity until his appointment as vice-president administration . Greg has held the role of vice-president administration at the University of Saskatchewan since June 1, 2013.

Contact

Peter MacKinnon Building, Room 204
105 Administration Place
Saskatoon SK S7N 5A2

General requests

For meeting, speaking or general scheduling requests, and general information or questions please contact Ashley Jensen.

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