ACUP A Hot Time In Cajun Country

Hosted by LSU, ACUP 2002 was not only a great source of technical information and networking opportunities, it was a lot of Southern fun.

by Bob Neubauer

With Louisiana State University as its host, ACUP 2002 was destined to be a hot affair. And true to expectations, LSU cooked up a conference spiced with just the right mix of education and fun.

Drawing an impressive 171 participants from 123 institutions down to bayou country, the Association of College and University Printers' 38th annual conference was a smashing success. The event was organized by Mike Loyd, LSU's director of Procurement Auxiliary Services, and IPG's 1999 Manager of the Year.

Fresh from hosting the SUPDMC conference a year and a half ago, Loyd had everything down to a science. As a result, ACUP 2002 superbly satisfied the three crucial conference requirements established by its 37 predecessors: it was educational, offered ample networking opportunities and was a lot of fun.

Conference sessions had a heavy focus on both technology and in-plant survival with pertinent, up-to-date information presented by experts. Speakers tackled topics like networked printing solutions and basic PDF training. Others explained the tactics of facilities management firms and discussed ways to bring in-plants more in line with their universities' mission statements.

For those who wanted even more technical data, 26 vendors were on hand, exhibiting their latest equipment.

But ACUP wasn't just an educational experience. It was a chance for managers to mingle. Some who knew each other only by names seen on the Hardcopy e-mail discussion group for university in-plants finally met in person. Their conversations alone were worth the trip down to Baton Rouge.

Choose Change

Kicking off the educational portion of the conference, Dr. Jairy C. Hunter Jr., president of Charleston Southern University, urged attendees to "choose change." As buckets of rain poured down outside (and sometimes inside), Hunter told managers that, rather than complaining and reminiscing about the way things used to be done, they should accept that the organization must change and move forward with it.

Managers must also know their businesses extremely well, Hunter added.

"There shouldn't be anyone in your university that knows more about your business than you do," he said. If there is, he added, learn from that person.

Hunter said he resents the classic model of leadership, showing the leader at the top of a pyramid. The pyramid should be inverted, he said, with the leader on the bottom carrying everyone else.

"It you're not carrying everyone, you're probably not going to stay there very long," he stressed.

Tie Into Your School's Mission

Ray Chambers, vice president and chief information officer of Juniata College, in Huntingdon, Pa., discussed the growth of the outsourcing industry and listed several in-plants that had recently been closed. Facilities management (FM) firms usually visit the in-plant manager's boss, he said, and convince him or her that the university should stick to its core competency, get out of the printing business and outsource.

"The financial reasons frequently aren't the real reasons people outsource," Chambers contended. But even so, in-plants usually defend themselves against outsourcing by arguing that they are better, cheaper and faster, Chambers said. This isn't what will impress administrators. Instead, he said, in-plants should tie themselves in with the university's mission.

"Publishing is a natural outcome of higher education's mission," he said.

He noted that one requirement for the accreditation of a college is "honest and accurate publications." In-plants should cite the role they play in providing this, thus linking themselves to the accreditation process.

Chambers urged in-plants to set measurable goals that support the long-range goals of their institutions, and then give progress reports. He showed attendees the goals and mission statements of several universities, keying in on goals an in-plant can contribute to.

If one of your school's objectives is to invest in a technological infrastructure, for example, then show how your in-plant supports this. By defining your in-plant's mission in terms of the institution's purpose, your in-plant becomes more valuable and less likely to be outsourced, he said.

How Administrators Think

Administrators have a tendency to listen to people they don't know more than those they know, contended Bruce Lockwood, in another session. He called this the "don't know" factor. Because of this, it's important to understand what those outsiders might be telling your administrators.

Steve Burdette, of the University of Texas at Arlington, tried to do that in his session "Stop Selling Print...Start Selling Service." He noted that FMs usually sell themselves on their service, an easy task since they can promise the world without having to disclose their plans.

Sidebar: Finding Success

In the conference's second-day keynote presentation, Billy Arcement revealed the key to being successful:

"You've got to become very focused," he said. "Look around yourself and say, 'What can I do well?' "

Arcement, president of The Results Group, inspired the ACUP crowd with his suggestions, while entertaining them with comic tales of the infamous Cajun character Boudreaux, whose antics somehow always underscored Arcement's points.

Arcement encouraged the audience to put down their goals in writing, then do something each day to bring them one step closer to accomplishing these goals. Focus on becoming an expert in some area, he said. If you concentrate on it enough, it will happen.

Arcement also urged managers to look at the talents of their employees and make sure they are doing work they are talented at and enjoy.

Each day, he said, write down the six most important things you have to do. Then start with the first item and work on it until it's finished or until you have to stop.

"It's incredible what can happen to you," he said.

It's important to manage your time well, Arcement insisted, because time is life. Remove clutter from your life, he implored--anything that clouds your focus on your goals. He suggested creating a "no list" of things that distract you from your priorities.

"Look at your life, see where it's focused, see how you're trying to achieve that focus, and see where you're using up valuable time," he said. "Keep in mind, you deserve to be successful."

But always remember, he urged: FMs are in business to stay in business, and that means putting your in-plant out of business. So beat them at their own game, he said. Sell yourself as the expert in facility management. Create a master plan that includes options for downsizing, closing non-productive operations, joining forces with other operations, upgrading equipment with external financing, marketing and increasing sales through interagency contracts.

Also, Burdette added, because FMs like to stress that using their services allows the university the flexibility to cancel the contract, in-plants should not require all customers to send them their work, but rather let them chose. Position your operation as a flexible service, able to meet all current and future needs.

Northern Arizona University's Creative Communications Department found another way of playing a crucial role in its university's success. A strategic reorganization in 1998 brought the in-plant under the Office of Public Affairs and Marketing. Now the in-plant prints much of the school's marketing material.

Vic Barkin, printing and reproductions manager, told attendees how this merger of printing and marketing solidified the in-plant's strategic importance to the administration.

Copier Management Panel

A well-attended session on copier management brought enthusiastic audience participation. A panel comprising Ann Hill (LSU), Kristopher Davis (West Virginia University), Roland Falana (Duke University) and Matt Raeder (University of Maryland) discussed each member's copier management program.

At LSU, the copier program was started 15 years ago, Hill said; four years ago a single vendor was given the contract and all equipment was replaced. About a year ago a second single-vendor contract was awarded, replacing all equipment with digital gear. LSU has a service technician on staff to handle minor problems before the vendor is called in. The contract requires the vendor to have a technician on campus.

At Duke University, a five-year agreement with Ikon also includes on-site support personnel. The program is marketed by an account manager, Falana said, though he added that it's been a challenge getting people to connect to digital devices. To get departments interested in the program, Falana gives them a "snapshot" of their costs with their current copier and what they would pay in the copier program.

At University of Maryland, Raeder said the copier program requires no marketing. Departments want to get out of the copier business and rely on the copier program's convenience—even if it may cost departments more than obtaining their own copier contracts.

Panel members noted that some departments have claimed they make more copies than they actually do to get a better copier. One solution is to track the copies made and replace the machine if necessary.

Technical Talk

There were no shortage of technology discussions at ACUP. Bernie O'Hara, president and owner of Continuum.Integrating PDF Technologies, led a PDF marathon, giving attendees the basics of PDF and then moving into PDF workflows and variable data printing applications.

Ken Macro, of the California Polytechnic State University, in San Luis Obispo, gave the ACUP crowd a quick look at new technologies affecting the in-plant. He ran through the features of direct imaging offset presses and digital printers, and talked about the increasing importance of variable data printing. He also touched on topics like digital cameras, XML and e-books.

Rick Wise and Heath Cajandig, of the University of Missouri-Columbia, offered an inside look at their in-plant's T/R Systems Digital Storefront system, which allows customers to order digital printing online and send digital files. Customers can take advantage of the in-plant's high-quality, low-cost printers without leaving their desks, avoiding the hassle of having to make off-the-glass copies, Wise said.

Throughout the conference, Keith Walker, of Wake Forest University, was busy handing out brochures for ACUP 2003. His North Carolina university will host the event May 4-8, 2003. Contact Keith at kwalker@wfubmc.edu.

The key to the system's success is an application that automatically creates PDFs from Microsoft Word files and other formats typically used by customers. (Designers who use QuarkXpress are asked to create and send their own PDFs.)

Once customers log in, input basic job information and send their files, they receive a PDF for on-screen approval. Wise stressed that they don't call this a "proof" so customers don't think they can still make changes. The in-plant has opted not to include prices on its Web site so customers don't confuse offset and digital prices. (Those interested in the university's digital storefront can check it out at www.quickcopy.missouri.edu.)

In addition to education, the conference included several enjoyable evening activities. Attendees spent the first night at White Oak Plantation, listening to a Cajun band and feasting on a Cajun spread that included heaps of crawfish.

An American Celebration dinner, with lots of door prizes and red, white and blue clothing, spiced up the conference's second night.

On the final evening, managers were transported to New Orleans for a night on the town, a fitting farewell to Cajun country and a great ending to an enjoyable ACUP conference.