Meet Our Sponsors: Robert Einarson

Meet Our Sponsors: Robert Einarson

August 19, 2019

The reach and impact that the Integrated Renewal Program has far extends the Point Grey campus, with partnerships and staff located at the Okanagan region. The anticipated changes required to create a brighter future with Workday – from education and research to advanced technology and new partnerships – involves collaboration between the two campuses. Robert Einarson, Associate Vice-President of Finance and Operations at UBC Okanagan shared his insights on how the Okanagan campus is gearing up for Workday.

Tell us a little about your portfolio and your history at UBC

I started at UBC’s Okanagan campus in the fall of 2015, taking over the position from my predecessor Michael Shakespeare who had developed a strong team of administrative professionals on our rapidly growing campus.  In many ways, our portfolio mirrors the administration at the Point Grey campus, allowing us to provide a high level of service to faculty, students and staff here while getting support from larger teams in Vancouver when needed.  Our services span a wide range including campus planning, finance, residence and business operations, as well as IT services and campus operations.  We feel this broad array of administrators working closely together gives us the opportunity to provide our campus with services that are coordinated and streamlined.

What excites you about the IRP?

The Integrated Renewal Program (IRP) is a logical next step for UBC to be able to perform our work in a way that maximizes our time and efforts while providing a top level service to support the academic mission of the university.  With the complex amount of activity in such a large university, being able to process transactions effectively and efficiently is key for us to make better decisions and not slow down activities.  The IRP will be delivering the system and processes that UBC requires by leveraging 21st century technology, which is the exciting part of the challenge.

How are you observing both campuses working together on this program?

While much of what takes place at the Okanagan campus is quite similar to the Point Grey campus especially within our administration. However, our more centralized structure is different reflecting the smaller nature of UBCO.  The IRP has worked hard to pinpoint where there is a need for consistency in our processes and practices and where flexibility and options are possible.  Having representation from both campus communities in the working groups, the IRP Steering and Executive committees as well as regular workshops on both campuses has helped make sure the project can be successfully implemented and benefits realized for all of UBC.  The Okanagan campus has a team of four professionals lead by Carri Lawrence that are fully part of the IRP project team to provide ongoing support to the project and various types of advice, recommendations, input and engagement needed at our location.

What does success across both campuses look like to you?

Success across both campuses will mean that we are able to provide a major improvement to the effectiveness and efficiency of services supported by the IRP that is consistent and seamless regardless of your location.  The work that the IRP is doing is the first step to a new reality where technology is constantly evolving and improving the information and service we provide.  For the people using the system, we won’t need to do as many routine tasks, allowing us to provide more of our experience and expertise.  With our more intimate campus, we are often asked to provide a broad range of support.  Having easier access to reliable information and more time to engage with our faculty, staff and students, will enable us to provide better services and a much more rewarding experience for our staff as well.  With consistent systems and processes in place, we predict even greater levels of collaboration and alignment across both campuses, which will allow us to better meet the rapidly evolving needs of our stakeholders.