Durham, NC - As part of Duke's ongoing efforts to manage costs, the university has established a team of faculty and staff to identify opportunities to redesign major processes and services that span the institution in an effort to reduce costs while strengthening support for the academic mission.  

The Duke Administrative Reform Team (DART) will be chaired by Provost Peter Lange and Executive Vice President Tallman Trask III. The group is part of the effort to reduce the university's operating budget as described by President Richard Brodhead in his letter to the Duke community earlier this month.

Lange said that the review of the university's administrative processes was not just to decrease costs but to make Duke a better institution, more able to pursue its mission and achieve its priorities.

"Success in these efforts will help assure that we are stronger, more focused and more strategic as the economy rebounds," he said.

The steering committee will be assisted by an analysis team led by University Controller Tim Walsh and including experts in financial analysis, procurement, organizational design, process improvement, and institutional benchmarking. The work of the steering committee began last week and will continue for the next several months with data gathering and analysis. The Steering Committee has already identified a number of areas and processes for initial review, examples include: audit and compliance; facilities and maintenance strategies; information technology and related support; parking and transportation; and printing, publications and websites.

"It is important to understand that this is not an effort to centralize administrative functions, but rather an opportunity to examine support programs and services to ensure that Duke operates in the most efficient and effective manner," Trask said. "Both centralized and decentralized services have advantages and disadvantages; this process is intended to examine current practices to achieve the right balance."

He added that a number of working groups will likely be created in early May to examine specific activities and services and to make proposals for restructuring and other measures to achieve greater efficiencies where appropriate.

The working groups will include major stakeholders in the areas, including administrators, faculty and students, as appropriate. Lange said that it was essential that the effort be open and interactive.

"We need the help and cooperation of members of the university community in providing information to the analysis team and offering suggestions through the website," he said.

Through the "Enduring a Troubled Economy" website students, faculty, and staff members can provide their input on the following questions:

• What opportunities do you see for process improvement and cost reduction within your organization and elsewhere in the institution?
• Assuming you had the responsibility to reduce Duke's budget by 10%, what would you cut from within your organization and elsewhere in the institution?
• What things that directly impact you are really important for Duke to keep doing to ensure the important work gets done?

For more information about this and Duke's other efforts to manage the downturn in the economy, visit the "Enduring a Troubled Economy" website.

Members of the DART steering committee:

• Peter Lange, Provost (co-chair)
• Tallman Trask III, Executive Vice President (co-chair)
• Kyle Cavanaugh, Vice President for Human Resources
• Kemel Dawkins, Vice President for Campus Services
• Scott Gibson, Executive Vice Dean, Finance and Administration, School of Medicine
• Warren Grill, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chair, University Priorities Committee
• Greg Jones, Dean, Duke Divinity School
• Tom Katsouleas, Dean, Pratt School of Engineering
• Sally Kornbluth, Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and Vice Dean, Basic Sciences
• Hof Milam, Vice President for Finance
• Jim Roberts, Executive Vice Provost
• Lynn Smith-Lovin, Professor of Sociology and Chair, Academic Programs Committee
• Anne Light, Office of the Executive Vice President (coordinator)
• Faculty member to be appointed by the Executive Committee of the Academic Council