SACKVILLE, NB — Mount Allison University’s Computing Services department and the Town of Sackville were recently honoured with a Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO) 2015 Quality and Productivity Award, announced at CAUBO’s annual conference.
The pair received an honourable mention from CAUBO for a partnership, that sees the University providing IT services to the Town in a cost-effective agreement, benefitting both organizations. First launched in 2014, the agreement allows the University to hire one additional staff member in its Computing Services department, whose salary is equivalent to the cost of services paid by the Town. The employee completes work for both the Town and the University.
“We are very pleased with the multifaceted benefits this agreement brings to Mount Allison and the Town of Sackville,” says Helmut Becker, Mount Allison’s director of computing services. “This arrangement has allowed us to broaden our expertise, be more efficient, and utilize this expertise to better serve Sackville’s IT requirements.”
Since the position’s establishment, IT projects for the Town have been implemented at a cost savings of approximately 50 per cent, while the University benefited from additional staff time to complete Mount Allison-specific projects (a 2.5 per cent improvement in productivity). To bring greater stability to the arrangement and enable both parties to pursue long-term objectives, a new open-ended contract has been signed to continue the arrangement, providing specialized expertise to benefit two organizations in a rural setting. Phil Handrahan, chief administrative officer for the Town of Sackville, stated, “We are very pleased to have the access and the continuity of a broad range of IT expertise from Mount Allison to guide our technical IT needs in a very cost effective manner that is mutually beneficial for both organizations.”
Hear more about Mount Allison and the Town of Sackville’s award-winning project and other CAUBO award recipients across the country at http://www.caubo.ca/content/quality-and-productivity-awards (honourable mentions).
