SFS Outreach Expansion

by Kyra Worrell

Process improvement can come in many forms. It can range from shortening the time it takes to do a daily task by switching from paper to email to creating a whole new administrative unit. Student Fiscal Services took the latter approach when the Outreach unit was created in the summer of 2001 The Outreach unit was created as a new way of providing service to students and the UW community. Outreach has continually expanded and improved during these first two years of its existence.

The focus of the Outreach unit is to “reach out”—get information and knowledge out to students and departments before problems can begin. To that goal, Student Fiscal Services Outreach took on the huge task this summer of making contact with the over 6,000 new Undergraduates who came to campus for Fall Quarter, 2003. Outreach developed the presentation “Managing the Maze” to alert new students (and parents of new students) to financial deadlines, such as the tuition due date, and important tips, like how to sign up for direct deposit of your financial aid. “Managing the Maze” emphasizes the ease of electronic and remote transactions so students can focus on their academic and social life. Outreach presented “Managing the Maze” at:

• 44 Freshman Orientations
• 20 Transfer Orientations
• 8 Parent Orientations

Outreach also offered financial planning in the form of their “Money 101” workshop to all of these new students. It was exciting to see students taking time out from the ice cream social and the big football game to come learn about managing their money!

The SFS Outreach expansion didn’t stop with new freshmen and transfer students…. Outreach had a very busy summer! Outreach talked to several groups, ranging in age from junior high (get them while they’re young!) to graduate students and graduate student program coordinators – here’s a sample list:

• African Students Association
• Bridge Program (offered through Upward Bound)
• Chemistry Teaching Assistants / Research Assistants
• Dentistry
• Early Start
• Foundation for International Understanding through Students (“FUITS”)
• Gear Up
• Graduate School
• Keys to Success Fair
• Landscape Architecture
• Marine Affairs
• Medex Northwest Physician Assistant Program
• Minority Science and Engineering Program (MSEP)
• Music Teaching Assistants
• Pierce College (Community College)
• Prosthetics-Orthotics
• Women's Center

Outreach also hosts a Quarterly Advisory Board meeting with the goal of getting important information out to advisors that they can then pass on to students. All of this has contributed to making SFS contacts with students smoother and more productive. Prior to the establishment of the Outreach unit, there was no unified protocol for information sharing with students and departments. The members of this tiny unit – Diane Cooley, the Outreach manager, and Kyra Worrell and Frannie Gladney, both Advisors, -- have worked hard to change the way we provide student services and on building the Outreach program from the ground up. To that end, they were awarded a TOPS Award on November 14, 2003. Outreach is now offering “Managing the Maze” and “Money 101” to new students that will be starting Winter Quarter. They are continually looking at ways to improve the process of getting that information out to students and other members of the UW community. And now that other FM departments are looking to include outreach as part of their strategic plans for the future, SFS Outreach is looking forward to sharing ideas and information and helping other FM departments continue to grow and expand.

.