University Managers in Cowtown

IN-PLANT MANAGERS from 19 states and Canada gathered last month at the historic Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, for the combined Southeastern University Printing and Digital Managers Conference (SUPDMC) and Texas Association of College and University Printers (TACUP) conference. While billed as a regional conference, the event’s theme, “Making the Tough Decisions,” attracted representatives from as far away as California, Colorado and British Columbia.

The conference was organized and hosted by the University of Texas at Arlington’s Maverick Print and Mail department, led by Director Steve Burdette and Assistant Director Mary R. Burdette. The 65 attendees from 40 different schools were treated to a dynamic agenda of professional development interlaced with opportunities to network with peers and vendors. The Stockyards location provided a glimpse into the days of cattle drives and cowboys. Visits to Billy Bob’s (the world’s largest honky tonk), South Fork (where the TV series “Dallas” was taped) and the Cowboy Museum provided modern day examples of Ft. Worth’s hospitality.

After a greeting from Dr. Robert Cluck, mayor of Arlington, attendees got to work. First out of the chute was a presentation by Mark Egeling from Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group. Egeling noted a trend toward multi-channel communications campaigns, which he said Kodak variable print products are designed to fill. He also noted that while a survey of direct mail trends showed an 89 percent increase in the use of variable data, most variable data printing (VDP) consists of name and address information.

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.

Catherine Chambers, industry consultant and manager of the State College Area School District Print and Mail Services (see cover story), discussed the integration of women into the printing industry and provided several historical examples of notable women printers. She followed this discussion with an informative session designed to help attendees understand the different generations we serve and manage. Attendees learned how the characteristics, habits and motivating factors differ between the generations and picked up a few tips and techniques for managing these different groups of employees more effectively.

Don’t Resist Change

Ray Chambers, higher education consultant and long-time in-plant manager, discussed change. All improvement involves change, he said, and all changes cause resistance by those impacted. This resistance can lead to failure, even when the change is needed and logical.

First he explained the importance of understanding the culture of an organization. Culture is how things get done, and the success of a change initiative is directly related to the degree to which risk taking is encouraged.

People resist change for several reasons. One is a natural concern with the unknown. If we don’t know what change will look like, we may resist it.

People may also resist change when it conflicts with the traditions of the organization. The “we’ve-always-done-it-this-way” bias is very strong. Finally, people resist change when they perceive personal risk. If the initiative results in an individual experiencing discomfort, either through losing one’s position or being forced into a new, less desirable position, resistance to the change will be likely.

Resistance to change can be overcome through careful planning. The key to successful change begins with having a clear goal, identifying the pain and urgency from not making the change, and selling the vision to key players. Finally the change agent must identify sources of resistance and address them.

Taking on Laser Printers

Responding to volume losses in his copy centers and coin-operated copiers, as well as stagnant growth in his distributed copier program, Don Hardy was looking for ways to replace lost revenue. In his session, the associate director of Campus Services at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington related how he built up lost revenue through a student printing initiative.

Students at UNCW felt entitled to “free” prints, and no one knew the amount of printing being produced by students and faculty. But they did know that departmental budgets were being strained by the print volume. The university’s library documented 8,000 pounds of wasted prints (prints made by students but not picked up) per year.

“That’s four skids (800,000 sheets) of paper being fed directly to the waste stream,” observed Harty.

His solution was for the in-plant to assume responsibility for laser printers. He established a program that allowed students to print in computer labs, residence halls, academic buildings and the student support building. Harty’s session described the process of rolling out and building acceptance of the program.

A Pricing Panel

Gary Williford, of the University of Tennessee, led a panel called “Are you Pricing Yourself Out of Business?” The goal was to see how in-plants of different sizes and with different types of equipment developed their pricing.

Panel members represented schools of varying sizes with different printing capabilities:

• Richard Beto, University of Texas-Austin, represented a large offset operation;

• Steve Overton, University of West Florida, represented an operation with a direct imaging offset press

• Don Harty, University North Carolina at Wilmington, represented a digital press operation

• Steve Burdette, University of Texas-Arlington represented a variable data operation

The panelists agreed on several points. First, prices should be based on actual costs (budgeted hourly rates). Next, they must be competitive and be advantageous to the college or university. They must be competitive, and they must reflect knowledge of customer needs. Budgeted hourly rates should be based on 70-80 percent labor utilization. And finally, variable data should be sold as a “value-added” service, but consideration should be given to pricing VDP as a marketing initiative.

Making Tough Decisions

Tony Ruesing, a certified speaking professional, sprinkled his presentation on “Making Tough Decisions” with a little magic and humor to build audience participation. Ruesing’s goal is to help people reach their full potential. Ruesing argued that we should tap into the power within us all and find better ways of handling ourselves and others. We have the power, he says, but we need to learn how to use it effectively. The ability to actively listen, ask good questions, and provide feedback are skills that are essential to success in business. He believes people are capable of reaching more of what is inside of them by mastering these simple tools.

An Online Job Submission Solution

Raj Nadrajan, director of Document Solutions at Simon Fraser University, in Burnaby, British Columbia, showcased his Web-to-print ordering system and the benefits it provides his in-plant and his university. After job files are uploaded, they can be viewed, tracked and scheduled online. Nadrajan can even manage workflow from anywhere in the world. Benefits include streamlined workflow, better scheduling, the ability to quickly find orders in process and the elimination of most overtime.

A group discussion on the challenges facing SUPDMC was facilitated by Maera Carr, assistant director of Business & Auxiliary Services/Marketing at the University of West Florida. The group agreed that budget pressures are causing many schools to cut back on travel, and conferences like SUPDMC are becoming harder to justify. Some participants suggested that having an avenue for the schools in the Southeastern region to post data and correspond throughout the year would be helpful in justifying attendance as well as keep us all connected throughout the year.

The group identified several ways to promote the value of the conference. These included shaping it as a professional development opportunity, offering multiple tracks to address the diverse needs of in-plant managers, and addressing concerns raised by vendors. There was also talk of establishing a SUPDMC Web site and blog.

—Steve Burdette, Maera Carr, Richard Beto, Don Harty, Catherine Chambers, Gary Williford, Tom Tozier and Jimmy Friend contributed to this article.

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Next year’s SUPDMC will be held October 4-8 and will be hosted by Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. TACUP 2009 will be hosted by the University of Texas-Austin.