Mission Statement

Business Services exists to provide operational support for the District and to facilitate student achievement.
Business Services provides sound fiscal management which enables faculty and staff to manage resources effectively, facilitate the process by which students achieve their educational goals, and ensure financial stability for the District.  The Business Services team is committed to supporting the campus with ongoing communication and training, effective and efficient systems and procedures, and strategies for generating revenue and saving costs.  Business Services strives for high standards of service that meet the needs of the District and community.

Program Description

Business Services is located on the third floor of the Student and Administrative Services building on the main campus.  The department consists of fourteen individuals representing 14.0 full-time equivalent employees.  Student employees are also employed by the department.  The department consists of the following positions:
�	Director of Business Services 1.0 FTE
�	Payroll Supervisor 1.0 FTE
�	Payroll Technician 2.0 FTE
�	Account Clerk Senior 7.0 FTE
�	Account Clerk II 1.0 FTE
�	Accountant 2.0 FTE
Business Services is responsible for administrative and business operations such as accounting (including auxiliary and foundation), budget development, planning and monitoring, cashiering, accounts receivable, grant reporting/monitoring, purchasing and accounts payable, financial aid disbursements, and payroll.  Department goals focus on providing a strong foundation of administrative and financial services to students, faculty, and staff.
Business Services ensures that the student-learning mission of the District is achieved by providing services that support effective and efficient implementation of the institution�s core foundational processes.

Accountability for Previously Funded Items

Student Learning/Administrative Unit Outcomes

The Administrative Unit Outcomes are continuing standards listed below, along with notes regarding subsequent changes which have occurred since the standards were originally identified. 

Employees will report that budget transfers, requisitions, purchase orders, and encumbrance adjustments are processed timely and accurately by Business Services.

Business Services, along with the IT Department, are continuing scheduling and work on implementation of self-service software which will allow users the ability to enter information directly into the District’s ERP system, thus reducing the time it takes for information to post in the system.

Employees will report that online access has made it easier to view payroll information including W-2s, pay advices, and leave balance summaries.

Business Services and the IT Department are working on a self-service software implementation to make employee information more accessible for employees.  This will make the information available directly through the ERP system and not require use of the MyBC portal.

Students, faculty, and staff will report that they are satisfied with the level of service they receive from the Business Office.

Business Services and the IT Department are working on a self-service software implementation to make access to services more accessible for employees.  The goal for this piece is to add efficiencies to those served by allowing real-time access to information and the ability to make changes.


Subsequent changes since the standards were identified:

 Over the last few years, due to retirements and employee turnover, 50% of the Business Services team has been replaced. This caused significant strain to maintain and improve customer service levels while training new staff regarding job duties, procedures, and customer service level expectations.  Training is progressing well, and Business Service personnel is able to react more quickly and with more knowledge when compared to prior years.

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (Instruction Departments)

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (All Other Departments)

The Business Services department has many strengths that benefit the District and allow better focus on the student and help ensure student success. The staff is knowledgeable and experienced, and excels at being accessible to everyone in-person and through remote methods of communication.  Staff Members are highly motivated to serve students, faculty, and staff in the most effective ways possible, including training the campus community on administrative procedures and processes.

Strategic Direction

Program Review

Past surveys relating to Business Services included questions for both staff and students.  The survey included questions regarding current processes and satisfaction of the customer.  After reviewing responses, the results of the evaluation indicated two primary objectives for follow up:

For students - Additional resources or methods of implementation are still needed for the appropriate use of system supported debit cards, such as BankMobile VIBE accounts.  Student concerns tend to focus on lack of sources to obtain cash from their cards while on campus, as well as support from the third party vendors providing the banking services.  The District is continually researching options available in the rural campus location that meet the needs of the students.
For staff - Concerns have continued to be raised about various Business Services practices/procedures as it relates to the purchasing process.  Many individuals are involved in the purchasing process which includes requisitions, purchase orders, encumbrance adjustments, budget transfers, expenditure transfers, vendor set ups, invoice receipting, payment of invoices, and mailing of checks.  There were inefficiencies in the process that delayed a department’s ability to move quickly through this process.  Improvements have been made to streamline the A/P process, such as purchase orders being printed several times per week and budget/expenditure transfers being posted daily.  Staff training on administrative procedures will continue, ensuring that all employees are improving their knowledge on proper methods for these practices.  Trainings will include dialog aimed to identify new areas where efficiencies may be implemented.

Department Goals

Business Services will help the institution achieve success by being responsive to financial research requests and providing fiscal leadership that embodies the District's strategic initiatives. After adressing staffing challenges over the last year, Business Services is continuing to work towards improvements in the following areas:
Continuing to provide a strong foundation of administrative and financial services to college students, faculty, and staff.
Providing staff development and training to continually improve the performance of high-quality, diverse staff, dedicated to business operations supportive to the mission of the College. 
Continuing to foster a spirit of teamwork, unity, pride, and professionalism in the workplace.
Embracing technology to become more efficient, including the streamlining of current processes.
Cross-training Business Services staff on administrative and financial operations to ensure process improvements continue.
 Business Services will continue to review the portions of the District’s ERP system which are not currently being utilized, specifically Self-Service functions, the Student Accounts Receivable module, and the Budget module, to determine opportunities for future implementations.  These decisions will be weighted by degree of implementation difficulty and resource allocation needed, in order to determine the level of potential return against the institutional resource investment.

Future Development Strategies

Requested Non-Financial Resources

Current Financial Resources

Augmentation Requests