University Managers in Cowtown
The major barriers to getting into VDP are lack of demand, lack of expertise, cost and complexity, he said. Egeling noted that only 12 percent of mail in higher education is personalized. This represents a big opportunity for higher education in-plants.
The Green Advantage
Tom Tozier, director of Imaging Services at the University of Colorado at Boulder, discussed “Using Green” to your advantage. Tozier argued the point that sustainability practices are not new to the printing industry and that they have often been driven by financial considerations. Recycling film, paper, plates and chemistry, for example, is an effective tactic to reduce costs, and this directly affects financial performance. Partnering with sustainability groups and green initiatives on your campus not only contributes to the overall green goals of the institution, but it also promotes your business as being a part of those goals, making the in-plant part of the solution. Tozier advised attendees to inform the campus of the in-plant’s efforts to be green and demonstrate what those efforts provide in the area of sustainability. In short, use green as a marketing tool.
Ray Chambers, CGCM, MBA, has invested over 30 years managing and directing printing plants, copy centers, mail centers and award-winning document management facilities in higher education and government.
Most recently, Chambers served as vice president and chief information officer at Juniata College. Chambers is currently a doctoral candidate studying Higher Education Administration at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU). His research interests include outsourcing in higher education and its impact on support services in higher education and managing support services. He also consults (Chambers Management Group) with leaders in both the public and private sectors to help them understand and improve in-plant printing and document services operations.
