Case study: University of Michigan applies creative solutions to boost student quality of life while facing challenges.

Approaching its 2017 bicentennial, the University of Michigan faced some daunting realities: a 10-year decline in state funding, leadership turnover, across-the-board cuts and cost reallocations. All of this at the same time as the university executes a renewal plan for Student Life facilities.

Despite the challenges, leadership recognized that just as residence halls, dining centers, student unions, meeting facilities, and recreation buildings needed updating, so did the auxiliary teams that managed those organizations. They set out to breathe new life into the way auxiliaries create memorable student experiences.

"We reorganized to stay ahead of economic and institutional changes. We’ve scrutinized our operations and realized new ways to improve productivity, stimulate more revenue, and provide highly valued student services," said Loren Rullman, associate vice president for Student Life at the University of Michigan.

At first, the auxiliary leadership conducted visioning sessions where they raised concerns, shared ideas, and identified opportunities for efficient operations. For the past year, the realigned auxiliaries are strengthening the connection between living and learning. Here are some major developments:

? Student Life’s restructuring brought together staffs from the Housing Planning and Design department, forming a new Auxiliary Capital Projects team. They implemented new models for consistency on projects and created a single point of contact for campus partners -- all while overseeing unprecedented levels of work on 18 residence halls, hundreds of apartments, three unions, and three recreational sports facilities.

? Michigan Dining merged staff from both Residential Dining Services and University Unions Food Service, plus gained a new director. The new team redefined its work culture and role, adding a much deeper emphasis on student engagement, culinary trends, sustainability efforts, and customer service. Management went through intensive training and certification to run seven dining halls and 21 markets and cafes across the Ann Arbor campus. After a successful year of implementation, the work ahead involves a catering reorganization, better financial reporting systems, and driving down operational costs to improve net results.

? Student Life’s Conference and Event Services is in a better position to leverage facility space, prospect sales, improve contracts, and better serve internal and external customers. The unit brought together employees from Housing Conference Services and Unions Event Services. They reassigned people to new positions based on their strengths, and a new sales team was installed to proactively seek business. Enabling technology comes next, as the group builds a new IT model and installs new software to better manage events, venues, customers, and bookings.

? A newly formed Auxiliary Marketing team will soon implement a comprehensive marketing and communications plan across a variety of media and touch points to raise the bar for Student Life. The team’s first objective is to rebrand, or, in some cases, create brands. Once established, they will begin to strategically position them in the marketplace with the development of commercialization plans focusing on both short and long-term goals.

The University of Michigan’s Student Life auxiliary teams are sharing its reorganization story through a case study, available for downloading through this link.