FAS Strategic Plan

Senior Vice President and CFO’s Message

The success of a top tier research institution depends on a seamless, effective, and efficient infrastructure of support. At The University of Texas at Austin, the Financial and Administrative Services (FAS) portfolio is dedicated to providing that world-class support to our faculty, students, and researchers as they change the world. And, because we serve the flagship university of Texas, nothing short of delivering the best will do. 

The FAS Strategic Plan provides our employees with a path for attaining that vision while expressing a promise to our campus community. Each FAS staff member provides a service that is fundamental to the success of the university’s teaching, research, and public service mission. Achieving in every department, at every level, and in every employee role requires shared direction and clarity of purpose. 

That’s why I asked representatives from various FAS departments and different levels across our portfolio to participate in the creation of our strategic plan. Individuals from varied backgrounds and operations generously contributed their time and perspectives to deliver an aspirational framework with relevance to all members of our organization. 

The FAS Strategic Plan describes our collective vision (desired organizational future), mission (what we do) and values (our behavioral compass). Our FAS goals demonstrate that we are practicing our values, we are aligned in our purpose, and even though we work in very diverse professions, we are connected by HOW we do the work that serves the university community. 

Why do these goals matter? They matter because they are grounded in our values, they connect our daily activities with the commitments we’ve made as an organization and allow us to measure the degree of our success in supporting this great institution. If executed correctly, progress toward these goals will mean that we have an organization that is stronger and more agile, has more capacity, is more inclusive, is more trusted and is more creative. We will have firm basis for addressing new and emerging challenges as we continue to support the mission of the university.

FAS is proud to serve and strengthen UT Austin as it educates and enriches the world, and we appreciate your interest in and support of our strategic plan.

Darrell Bazzell

FAS Strategic Plan

OUR DESIRED ORGANIZATIONAL FUTURE

FAS is a recognized leader and valued partner providing exemplary and responsive support services that enable the university community to transform lives.

WHAT WE DO

We provide comprehensive, high quality, and adaptive financial and operational services that support the growth and infrastructure of the university to meet the diverse needs of our campus community.

OUR VALUES

Service, Stewardship, Integrity, Innovation, Teamwork, Diversity

Our Values-Based Strategic Plan

Service: We are customer service oriented and offer responsive, reliable and seamless support.

Service Goal: Create a comprehensive service framework for the FAS portfolio by August 2020 that sets clear expectations to meet customer needs and support the overall University mission.

Stewardship: We are exceptional caretakers of the resources entrusted to FAS.

Stewardship Goal: Develop a systematic approach for the FAS portfolio by August 2020 to ensure university resources are supported, optimized and maintained in the most effective and efficient manner.

Integrity: We perform our work in a transparent, honest, and accountable manner. We also commit to meeting all compliance and reporting standards.

Integrity Goal: By August 2020 solidify an environment that supports trust, transparency, accountability, and fairness to empower FAS employees to make choices with the highest integrity that align with the University’s mission.

Innovation: We are creative and innovative in our service to the campus community.

Innovation Goal: Continue cultivating a culture of innovation where the idea of improvement to satisfy the needs and expectations of the university is encouraged and implemented throughout the portfolio by 2020.

Teamwork: We work collaboratively across our organizations on common objectives and develop efficient and cost effective systems and processes for campus.

Teamwork Goal: Assure an environment of teamwork is fostered at all levels throughout the FAS portfolio and the university by August 2020 to enhance services, systems, products, and processes.

Diversity: We believe the best ideas are born from sharing viewpoints, opinions, and perceptions from colleagues with varied backgrounds and experiences.

Diversity Goal: By August 2019 develop a strategy for maximizing diversity and inclusivity in the FAS workforce and their daily operations that aligns with the university’s commitment to respecting all individuals and valuing each perspective and experience.

FAS Action Plans

In order to effectively execute the strategic plan, the portfolio will develop an operational framework for each FAS goal enabling our FAS departments to develop action plans aligned with the overarching strategy. These action plans articulate objectives specific to the processes, products, and services of the department and describe their relation to our shared FAS goals. The metrics departments routinely collect to assess their action plan performance are also used to determine our progress in achieving the FAS goals.