For the second time, Ohio University has pushed back the hiring of a consultant and a new director to oversee the streamlining of academic support services.
Both appointments are integral to the streamlining initiative, announced in late November, which will include information technology, marketing, purchasing and human resources.
Academic support services are currently provided by large, centralized units that serve the entire university and by smaller staffs that serve particular colleges and departments. Streamlining the two groups could eliminate unnecessary duplicate services and cut costs.
The consultant was to be hired in November and the director in December, according to a tentative schedule released in November. In an interview in early January, Terry Conry, associate vice president for Finance and Administration, said both dates were pushed back to the end of January.
As of Monday, the university has not filled either spot, said Chris Clifford, a member of the shared services project team.
I think we have a desire to have a quality search on both fronts
said Clifford, who is the senior associate vice president for Finance. We're not willing to sacrifice quality for time.
Conry estimated late last year that the university can save 20 percent of the money the university spends on academic support services through streamlining but added that the university does not know how much it spends on such services.
The university is in the final stages of negotiation with a consultant, Clifford said, adding he expects the consultant to be hired by the end of the week. The next step is to have a conference call with them and work out the final details.
There were six applicants for the consulting job.
Three candidates for the director of Shared Services position have already visited Athens for on-campus interviews, Clifford said, adding that a decision will be made when Conry returns to the office later this week.
There were 29 applicants for the position, which will pay between $66,096 and $112,969 and report to the vice president for Finance and Administration, according to a job posting on the university's Web site.
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