Frequently Asked Questions

In the face of budgetary challenges, a 37% enrollment decline, and funding reductions expected from state funding sources, the Campus Efficiency Initiative is part of Sonoma State’s ongoing efforts to find efficiencies in administrative tasks that allow us to focus our resources on sustaining our academic and student support mission. This work seeks creative opportunities to improve the quality of services and meet the mission of the University. The Office of the Chancellor is aligned with our efforts and has agreed to fund an engagement with Deloitte to bring in outside experts to help identify any additional opportunities and develop a framework to further our campus efficiency. This initiative complements our continued work to finalize the Academic Master Plan. Faculty, staff, and student voices have been critical inputs in understanding a path forward in our analysis of Academic Affairs, and we look forward to incorporating your input as we shift our focus to mission-enabling administrative work at Sonoma State. Building on the momentum of the CSU Multi-University Collaboration Initiative, we will assess key administrative functions across the university and identify opportunities to improve services for SSU stakeholders while saving on costs. We seek to create a stronger, more effective, and more efficient administrative operating model that supports SSU’s mission and may serve as a toolkit for implementation across other similarly positioned CSU institutions.

Executive Sponsors have identified four core goals for this exploratory work: 1) Assess key administrative functions across campus, 2) Identify opportunities to improve service effectiveness, 3) Identify cost reduction opportunities, and 4) Develop a framework for campus efficiency.

Exploring creative opportunities to improve our day-to-day work will require a holistic approach to understanding administrative tasks today. IT, Finance, HR, ORSP, and OPHD will serve as gateways for this university-wide assessment, providing University leaders with an initial lens through which to identify administrative efficiencies. Additional functional areas may be revisited in the future.

An important element of this work is providing transparency in how this initiative is governed as well as how decisions will be made, while establishing clear opportunities to provide input across the five functions (IT, Finance, HR, ORSP, OPHD). Key recommendations for the Campus Efficiency Initiative will be made by the Steering Committee, which is chaired by the project’s three sponsors—Dr. Emily Cutrer (President), Dr. Karen Moranski (Provost / Vice President for Academic Affairs), and Monir Ahmed (CFO / Vice President for Administration & Finance), with a focus on what is best for SSU students and mission and, ultimately, for serving as champions throughout the project. In addition to the Steering Committee, several Subject Matter Experts will be consulted for input into the decision-making processes.

Campus efficiency means working smarter, not harder – changing how work is done in service of Sonoma State’s mission. There are a variety of ways that Sonoma State can collaborate to reduce costs or increase the level of service to students, staff, and faculty. This may look like partnering with a peer CSU campus to support services for one or more other universities. This may also look like a service provided by the Chancellor's Office to Sonoma State.

You may be contacted by University leadership, as well as Deloitte, for input or information requests. The purpose of these requests is to understand what is needed for our continued success and any considerations that you may want to surface. If you have questions, feedback, or collaboration ideas, we would love to hear from you. Please share your questions or feedback with the Campus Efficiency Initiative team using the "Submit a Question or Feedback" button at the top of this page.

As it has become clear that there is a pressing need to continue to cut costs while ensuring the long-term sustainability of our university, workforce adjustments may take place irrespective of Sonoma State’s efforts to explore opportunities for multi-university collaboration or support from the Chancellor’s Office. Nevertheless, engaging in collaborative efficiency initiatives offers the potential to mitigate the potential 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.

We understand how hard everyone across campus is working to support our students, run Sonoma State’s operations, and take on new initiatives. We engaged with Deloitte's Higher Education practice to support the Campus Efficiency Initiative to serve as a third party to assess the current state, provide an outside perspective of what other universities are doing, and offer project management and change management strategies, structures, and practices. Deloitte’s Higher Education practice brings a broad range of experience working with institutions like Sonoma State and will help us develop a solution specifically suited to our institutional culture and context but informed by similar work of our peers.