Building upon momentum, sustaining our future
When the University of Iowa launched the Revenue and Efficiencies Strategic Plan Action and Resource Committee (reSPARC) in early August, we did it knowing that our campus is full of exceptionally talented and committed faculty and staff who have been championing this type of work in their areas for years.
reSPARC allows us to harness the innovation, creativity, and efficiency our employees have applied to their own work to build a framework for transformational change across campus. To do this, we've invited more than 100 faculty, staff, and administrators from across campus to sit at the table and help shape the direction we take as a university. By gathering all of these unique viewpoints and perspectives from across campus, we're able to evaluate ideas, align efforts, and think holistically about changes that will have a positive long-term impact on our university.
The work thusfar has been impressive. reSPARC Work Groups have met more than 50 times since the launch, are establishing processes to gather data and feedback, and are starting to develop guiding principles, subcommittees, and tactic teams that will help them expand this work across campus.
Below you'll find some specific examples of what reSPARC teams have started to work on and their focus for the coming year.
Kevin C. Kregel
Executive vice president and provost
Operational Efficiency
Academic Efficiency
After taking time during an initial meeting to identify opportunities, challenges, and potential collaborations, the Academic Efficiency reSPARC is prioritizing several areas to explore, including ways to improve enrollment operations and management efficiency. Specifically, the group is exploring opportunities to automate transcript evaluation, further develop enrollment forecast modeling, and evaluate support for pre-major pathways.
“There has already been a ton of energy and ideas about how we can make our academic operations more efficient and sustainable. We’re looking at everything from how we manage enrollment and plan courses to how we organize programs, with a focus on finding collaborative solutions that make sense for the university as a whole.”
Cornelia Lang, co-chair of the Academic Efficiencies reSPARC team.
Financial Operations
Over the past several months, the Financial Operations reSPARC team has met with campus business officers and other stakeholders to generate and refine hundreds of ideas for improving university financial processes. The group is prioritizing opportunities that can streamline operations, strengthen shared services, and leverage new technologies such as artificial intelligence to enhance efficiency and decision-making.
Upcoming meetings will focus on identifying the top ideas to advance, as well as coordinating efforts with related teams in HR, Research and Development, and Facilities.
"Now that we have collected ideas from across campus, we will focus in on a few of the most impactful areas to get started on."
Terry Johnson, co-chair of the Financial Operations reSPARC team
Human Resources
The Human Resources reSPARC team has focused its early efforts on identifying ways to simplify and modernize HR processes across campus. Key priorities include streamlining HR transactions through automation, improving integration between systems, and exploring how artificial intelligence can assist with workflow summaries and issue resolution. The team is also reviewing opportunities to simplify the employee experience through a more unified profile and improved Employee Self Service tools.
"We are working closely with other reSPARC groups and campus partners to align efficiency projects and ensure that our efforts are both sustainable and supportive of the university’s workforce."
Cheryl Reardon, co-chair of the Human Resources reSPARC team
Information Technology
The Information Technology reSPARC team has collected more than 100 ideas from across campus to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance digital alignment. From this list, the group has identified 10 priority areas for further exploration, including application development alignment, software licensing, and service alignment. The team is also collaborating closely with other reSPARC groups to ensure technology solutions and infrastructure support shared goals across the institution.
Nearly every efficiency effort on campus depends on effective technology. Our role is to ensure IT resources are strategically positioned to support both our top academic and administrative priorities.
Steve Fleagle, co-chair of the Information Technology reSPARC team
Marketing and Communications
The Marketing and Communications reSPARC team has established five subcommittees—Personnel, Swag and Sponsorships, Social Media, Tools and Subscriptions, and Channels and Products—to guide its work in identifying efficiency opportunities across campus. The subcommittees are beginning to gather data that will help them better understand the current university landscape within each of those marketing and communication areas.
"reSPARC provides us with an opportunity to ensure that our marketing and communication efforts are strategically aligned to maximize impact and support our institutional mission."
Amy Kristof-Brown, co-chair of the Marketing and Communications reSPARC team
Other Opportunities
The Other Opportunities reSPARC team is examining a range of ideas that span personnel, space, operations, and the delivery of co-curricular student support services. Early discussions have focused on identifying where efforts overlap with other reSPARC teams and how cross-campus collaboration can maximize efficiency and impact.
"We have already identified some excellent opportunities to deliver services for our students and employees in a way that both improves the user experience and benefits the university."
Jill Kolesar, co-chair of the Other Opportunities reSPARC team
Revenue Generation
Corporate Sponsorship and Philanthropy
The Corporate Sponsorship and Philanthropy reSPARC team is focused on strengthening how the university coordinates and leverages external partnerships to generate new revenue and expand strategic relationships. Early priorities include reimagining key vendor and partner relationships, conducting a university-wide asset valuation, and developing a clearer understanding of the corporate landscape to identify areas for collaboration and growth.
"We’re looking at how Iowa can take a more strategic, unified approach to corporate engagement. By coordinating efforts and valuing our assets consistently, we can create partnerships that provide greater impact for the university and our corporate collaborators."
Liz Tovar, co-chair of the Corporate Sponsorship and Philanthropy reSPARC team
New Academic Programs
The New Academic Programs reSPARC team has been examining opportunities to develop innovative, mission-aligned academic offerings that generate sustainable revenue and enhance student learning. Early discussions have focused on understanding existing program approval processes and exploring new program types such as microcredentials and reduced-credit degrees. The group is planning to establish subcommittees to focus on efforts in the following areas: microcredentials, online programs, revising existing programs, analysis of program development, and reduced-credit degrees.
"I've been really pleased by the conversations and collaborations that have already developed over the first few months of our reSPARC efforts."
Tanya Uden-Holman, co-chair of the New Academic Programs reSPARC team
Non-Academic Programs
The Non-Academic Programs reSPARC team has focused its early efforts on exploring opportunities for programming that aligns with Iowa's strengths or market demand. An area of opportunity identified by the group is programming for high school students. To establish top priorities in that area, the team is conducting market research to determine potential opportunities for Iowa to expand or grow programming for high school students. The team is also planning to conduct case studies of existing campus programs to evaluate what makes those programs successful.
"By leveraging our expertise, facilities, and partnerships, we can expand the university’s impact while creating new sources of sustainable revenue."
Andre Perry, co-chair of the Non-Academic Programs reSPARC team
Student Mix
The Student Mix reSPARC team is exploring strategies to strengthen the university’s enrollment profile across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. In its recent meetings, the group has generated a wide range of ideas aimed at attracting new audiences, enhancing summer programming, and positioning Iowa as a destination university for undecided students. After brainstorming a range of revenue-generating ideas, the team will now focus on prioritizing ideas based on revenue potential, resource requirements, and mission alignment.
"We're trying to think broadly about what are the distinctive strengths we have as a university and how we can leverage those to attract a broader range of students."
Brent Gage, co-chair of the Student Mix reSPARC team
Student Retention
The Student Retention reSPARC team is focused on advancing initiatives that strengthen student progress toward degree completion and support long-term success. After reviewing several existing student success projects, the team has identified three high-impact areas to prioritize: expanding the curricular analytics/pathways P3 project to remove academic bottlenecks; improving student employment experiences to enhance engagement and persistence; and supporting implementation of recommendations from the Academic Recovery Model (ARM) committee.
"We're really looking at how we can build a sustainable infrastructure for ongoing student success research to inform evidence-based practices that will both drive efficiency and increase revenue."
Mirra Anson, co-chair of the Student Retention reSPARC team
Share your idea
Let us know if you have a revenue generation or operational efficiency idea at provost-office@uiowa.edu.