Find answers to some common questions about the Multi-University Collaboration Initiative below.
Why is the Multi-University Collaboration Initiative a priority of the CSU?
The Multi-University Collaboration Initiative is a priority to the CSU because we, like our higher education peers, are facing external constraints that require us to think strategically about current cost structures. We must find ways to ensure we are good stewards of the CSU’s limited resources while continuing to support student success and achieve strategic priorities. Now is the time for the CSU to meaningfully unite in shaping our future as one university. Through this initiative, we expect increased collaboration to save or avoid costs and improve efficiency, streamline and simplify processes, enhance the quality and efficiency of customer service and increase economies of scale.
What is meant by multi-university collaboration? What are some examples?
There are a variety of ways CSUs can collaborate to reduce costs or increase the level of service to students, staff and faculty. This may look like a single university supporting services for one or more other universities. This may also look like a service provided by the Chancellor's Office to all 23 CSUs. Existing examples include Long Beach managing payroll for the Chancellor’s Office and Stanislaus State processing parking citations for other campuses.
How and why did the CSU select benefits administration, information security, and procurement as the initial focus areas for collaboration?
The first step in the CSU’s Multi-University Collaboration Initiative involved identifying 14 opportunities for collaboration through stakeholder engagement activities such as interviews and focus groups with function-specific university staff and Chancellor’s Office individuals, feedback from the university vice presidents of administration and finance and input from subject matter advisors. This helped assess each area’s effort, impact, risks, and readiness.
Through this robust stakeholder engagement, the CSU then narrowed the list to six key areas: payroll, public works procurement, payment processing, benefits administration, procurement, and information security. Following analysis around the current state, alignment with guiding principles, and estimated implementation effort and impact, led to the selection of three initial focus areas for collaboration: benefits administration, information security and procurement. A CSU working group has been established to develop the details of the future state model for each of these three areas.
However, it is important to note that future state design and implementation is expected to continue in other focus areas (e.g., payroll, public works procurement and payment processing) as the Multi-University Collaboration Initiative continues.
What benefits will the CSU see as a result of the Multi-University Collaboration Initiative?
The Multi-University Collaboration Initiative is intended to strategically address cost structures by maximizing resources while still meeting individual university needs. This initiative will enable the CSU to strengthen staff expertise in critical functions, strengthen the quality of customer service, leverage economies of scale, become more efficient and increase career opportunities for staff.
How will decisions be made under this Initiative?
An important element of this work is providing transparency in how decisions will be made as well as establishing clear opportunities to provide input across the 23 universities. Key recommendations will be made by the Initiative’s Executive Steering Committee, which is chaired by project sponsor Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Steve Relyea. The initiative’s Executive Steering Committee is also responsible for defining the vision for multi-university collaboration and, ultimately, for serving as champions throughout the project. Recommendations will eventually go to the university presidents and the chancellor. In addition to the Executive Steering Committee, several advisory groups will be consulted for input into the decision-making processes, including, for example, chief human resources officers, chief information officers, and the university vice presidents of administration and finance.
What are the guiding principles of this engagement, and how were they determined?
The guiding principles for this engagement include:
- Align activities in a collaborative manner that saves costs and improves efficiency.
- Streamline and simplify processes; standardize where practical to reduce duplication and redundancy.
- Enhance the quality and efficiency of customer service as delivered by a skilled workforce.
- Leverage the size of the CSU system and its technology competencies and assets to increase economies of scale.
- Increase opportunities for collaboration across the System while meeting university-specific needs.
Guiding principles were developed through discussions with the Initiative Steering Committee and Chief Administrators/Business Officers (CABO) group.
What is my role in this Initiative? How will this affect me?
You may be contacted by University leadership or the Chancellor's Office, as well as Deloitte, for input or information requests. The purpose of these data requests is not to evaluate the performance of university-level functions such as procurement, information security and benefits, but rather to develop an understanding of desired future state capabilities across the CSU and university-specific considerations that may be relevant to implementation. If you have questions, feedback or collaboration ideas, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out to the CSU Multi-University Collaboration Initiative team by emailing us at
[email protected].
Why did we partner with Deloitte?
We understand how hard everyone across the CSU system is working to support our students, run the CSU's operations, and take on new initiatives. We engaged with Deloitte's Higher Education practice to support the Multi-University Collaboration Initiative to serve as an objective third party to assess the current state across the system, facilitate the prioritization of our opportunities, and provide project management and change management strategies, structures and practices.
Deloitte's Higher Education practice brings a broad range of experience working with institutions and systems like the CSU and will help us develop a solution specifically suited to CSU but informed by similar work of our peers.
Will the results of this initiative impact staff members' jobs at CSU? How will this affect my job?
As it has become clear that there is a pressing need to cut costs while ensuring the long-term sustainability of our university system, workforce adjustments may take place irrespective of the CSU's efforts to explore opportunities for multi-university collaboration. Nevertheless, engaging in multi-university collaboration offers the potential to mitigate the possible risks and consequences associated with these workforce adjustments. We recognize that this may generate concerns and anxiety, and we are dedicated to fostering transparent communication throughout this engagement.
What communications can I expect to hear about this Initiative?
You can stay up to date about the Multi-University Collaboration Initiative through the CSU's public transparency website, which will be updated with key milestone updates and answers to frequently asked questions. Various communication methods will also be used throughout the duration of the Initiative to share upcoming changes, inform you of what to expect, and engage with your questions and/or feedback. During this process, relevant updates will also be shared with specific stakeholder groups such as the CSU Multi-University Collaboration Initiative Steering Committee, university presidents, chief administrative and business officers, associate vice presidents of human resources, chief information security officers and chief information officers. If you would like to learn more, or submit questions or feedback, please reach out to the CSU Multi-University Collaboration Initiative team by visiting the “Contact Us" page or emailing us at [email protected].
For answers to additional questions about the CSU’s Multi-University Collaboration Initiative, please send an email to the Multi-University Collaboration Core Project Management Team at
[email protected].