2024 Annual Report
Letter from Leadership
Dear colleagues,
I am pleased to share our annual report for 2024, recognizing the accomplishments of the Operational Excellence (OE) team and our campus partners as we strive to support the University’s mission of teaching, research and public service.
Over the past year, the OE team experienced significant growth through the introduction of the embedded transformation manager (ETM) model, designed to focus on school-specific priorities and projects. While OE traditionally provides centralized support to drive sustainable change across the University, this model empowers each school to pursue its unique goals and address specific needs. ETMs apply OE methodologies within the context of each school, positioning them to drive tailored improvements that align with each school’s mission. The model ensures valuable institutional knowledge is retained at Carolina, fosters strong relationships across the University and encourages an exchange of ideas and best practices.
The OE team welcomed six new members in 2024; Leanna Martin and David Hare in February; Chelsea Cochrane, Carson Flynn and Evan Widney in April; and Kelly Reilly in November. Leanna serves as the embedded transformation manager for the Adams School of Dentistry; Evan for the College of Arts and Sciences; and Carson for the School of Nursing.
I also want to share our notable achievements in 2024. OE is committed to professional growth and development, and this year Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken were promoted to senior transformation managers and became certified change management trainers after completing Prosci’s Train-the-Trainer Program Level 1. With the addition of this certification, OE now offers three training programs and has trained hundreds of individuals at Carolina to expand change management practices across campus.
Additionally, OE facilitated sessions at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media’s school retreat and board meetings to support their strategic planning process. Our team also expanded student engagement by welcoming a Human and Organizational Leadership Development student assistant who completed their capstone project with OE in spring 2024.
Lastly, we continue to build connections with peers at other universities through the Network for Change and Continuous Innovation. I am honored to serve as the organization’s president-elect for the 2025 term, further showcasing OE’s influence and leadership at a national level.
Looking ahead to 2025, we are committed to equipping Carolina with the tools and resources necessary to advance the University’s mission and strategic initiatives.
Rick Wernoski
Associate Vice Chancellor for Operational Excellence
Embedded Transformation Manager Projects
Radiology Encounters
Project Lead: Leanna Martin
Campus Partners: Adams School of Dentistry
The project improved the radiology workflow by increasing the timely interpretation of radiographs acquired and improving the payment at time-of-service process for the acquisition of radiographs. The project created payment at time-of-service policies for dental and medical clinics, as well as a comprehensive playbook that addresses all aspects of the workflow and provides instruction to all impacted groups.
Status: By September 18, all clinics within the Adams School of Dentistry implemented the new radiology workflow.
Patient Accounts Reorganization
Project Lead: Leanna Martin
Campus Partner: Adams School of Dentistry
The project reorganized the ASOD Patient Accounts office to mirror a traditional medical billing system, with structured workflows, data-driven work queues and a standardized insurance playbook. To reduce disruptions for insurance specialists, a dedicated patient-facing office was opened in May 2024, centralizing patient inquiries and allowing specialists to focus on billing tasks. This reorganization has improved both the efficiency of the billing process and the patient experience.
Status: The final organizational structure was implemented in June 2024.
DDS Treatment Planning
Project Lead: Leanna Martin
Campus Partners: Adams School of Dentistry
The project aims to develop and implement a unified framework for diagnosis and treatment planning within the DDS clinic, ensuring consistency across faculty members and student offices. Additionally, implemented solutions will ensure strict adherence to approved treatment plans and cost estimates within the EPIC system.
Status: The Solution Design Team will meet through January 2025. Implementation will begin in February 2025.
Project Lead: Evan Widney
Campus Partners: CAS Dean’s Office, CAS Human Resources, CAS Finance, Department of Earth Marine Environment Sciences, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Playmakers, Department of City and Regional Planning, Administrative Managers Advisory Council.
The project developed the CAS HR Navigator Resource, a collection of detailed process guides to enhance the efficiency and transparency of highly-requested human resources processes within the College of Arts and Sciences.
Status: Additional process guides are being developed by the HR Navigator Development Committee. The resource will be released in January 2025.
Project Lead: Carson Flynn
Campus Partner: School of Nursing
The project developed eight deliverables for the School of Nursing, ranging from automating job posting workflows to implementing feedback mechanisms for continuous improvement efforts. These deliverables aim to reduce redundancy, streamline communication and automate various processes within the Grants space.
Status: Project deliverables are currently being finalized with anticipated completion in January 2025
Projects
The Operational Excellence team led various projects across campus this year. Click the dropdown tiles below to learn more about each engagement.
Project Lead: Georgia McRae
Campus Partners: Provost Chris Clemens (Chair), Penny Gordon-Larsen (Chair), Jay Aikat, Patrick Ballantine, Jaye Cable, Lorraine Cramer, Paul Dayton, Theo Dingemans, Rebecca Fry, Perrin Jones, Kevin Jeffay, Chris Killian, Nate Knuffman, Chris McClure, Jason McGrath, John Preyer, Jeff Warren
The committee evaluated how the University can produce graduates in high-demand fields (biomedical engineering, applied sciences, data science and environmental engineering, etc.) to meet the growing demand for jobs in the state by building on existing programs.
Status: Ideas and recommendations report was submitted on Aug. 1
Enrollment Planning
Project Lead: Madeline Snider
Campus Partners: Rachelle Feldman (Chair), Jim Blaine, Lauren DiGrazia, Jen Evans, Kate Henz, Amy Johnson, Perrin Jones, Nate Knuffman, Beth Mayer-Davis, Becci Menghini, Beth Moracco, Todd Nicolet, Vinay Patel, Meredith Petschauer, Chloe Russell, Jim White
The committee reviewed opportunities and challenges related to growing enrollment and meeting the needs of a vibrant and growing state. The committee quantified the investments needed and recommended strategies for medium and long-term growth.
Status: Ideas and recommendations report was submitted on Aug. 1
Generative AI
Project Lead: Nick Sengstaken
Campus Partners: Provost Chris Clemens (Chair), Stan Ahalt (Chair), Mike Andreasen, Mike Barker, Brad Briner, Mike Capps, Dedric Carter, Todd Cherner, Maria Estorino, Penny Gordon-Larsen, Thomas Hofweber, Andy Johns, Vimal Kolappa, Marty Kotis, Ashok Krishnamurthy, Brent Lamm, Barbara Stephenson, Alex Tropsha
The Generative AI Working Group identified potential strategies to facilitate Carolina’s future with generated AI. This resulted in a series of recommendations to support use and development of AI in the classroom, research and across university operations.
Status: Ideas and recommendations report was submitted on Aug. 1
Project Lead: Nick Sengstaken
Campus Partners: Graduate School, Student Affairs, Enrollment, Cashier’s Office, Academic Finance, Finance & Operations, Digital & Lifelong Learning, The Odum Institute, University Registrar, University Libraries
The project established a framework for campus services tailored to non-degree certificate students at UNC. Key outcomes include a comprehensive playbook detailing service access; alignment of on-campus certificate student fees with graduate degree students; expansion of the student ID fee to all non-degree students; and recommendations for budgetary support and service sustainability.
Status: The student ID policy is live, and fee changes are with Finance for implementation. All other deliverables, including the playbook, have been handed off to the Graduate School to manage prior to Fall of 2026.
Campus Partners: Office of Human Resources and Equal Opportunity, Faculty Affairs, Employment and Staffing, EHRA-NF and Academic Personnel, Kenan-Flagler Business School, School of Government, Hussman School of Media and Journalism International Student and Scholar Services, School of Medicine, Provost Office, School of Dentistry
The project aims to improve the efficiency and transparency of the faculty hiring process. The project defined roles, timeline expectations and best practices to streamline recruitment from position creation to offer acceptance.
Status: The project released multiple primary solutions in November 2024 and will roll out additional solutions in January 2025. An eighth will be available later in 2025. These solutions range from technical changes to key steps in the approval process to a comprehensive playbook that defines expected timelines and responsibilities of all involved.
Campus Partner: John Easterbrook, executive director of strategic initiatives at the Graduate School
OE partnered with John Easterbrook on the GSE kickoff planning and facilitated the working group breakout sessions at the kickoff events for both the spring and fall semesters. OE also provided advisement as GSE was balancing the implementation of short-term projects and the development of long-term recommendations to support graduate and professional students.
Status: Facilitation and advising engagements are complete and the GSE project team is continuing its work.
Project Lead: Chelsea Cochrane
Campus Partners: Office of the Chancellor, American Indian Center, UNC Facilities, Planning, and Design, Patricia Parker, Jim Leloudis
The University’s Commission on History, Race and a Way Forward was formed in 2019 to explore, engage and teach the University’s history regarding race, and provide recommendations to the chancellor on how the University community must reckon with the past. The project utilizes community-engaged research, a collaborative process done in partnership with the impacted communities. The commission’s tenure will end in June 2025.
Status: The History, Race, and a Way Forward project is in its final phase, with a focus on institutionalizing and archiving its efforts and ensuring sustainability beyond the Commission’s 2025 tenure. Six working groups were established to drive the commission’s efforts in its final year:
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- Elevating Native Narratives
- Strategic Initiatives
- Community Book Club
- Barbee Cemetery and Unsung Founders Memorial Project with Studio Zewde
- Institutionalizing the Work
- Communications Plan
Significant progress has been made in documenting processes, fostering community engagement, and laying a foundation for long-term impact. The Barbee Cemetery and Unsung Founders Memorial project is planning three community engagement events to solicit feedback from the local community regarding the two memorial sites.
Project Leads: Madeline Snider and Candace Reynolds
Campus Partners: Enrollment, Student Affairs, College of Arts and Sciences, UNC Advising, Office of Undergraduate Curricula, Honors Carolina, New Student and Family Programs, Information Technology Services
The project aimed to equip incoming first-year students with the knowledge and resources needed to confidently navigate their first course registration experience. The team implemented updates to 16 existing registration support resources across five units and the project supported the creation of individualized registration support.
Status: This past summer, approximately 98% of the incoming class completed a UNC Advising module and over half met individually with an advisor before registering for fall classes. The first-year registration survey, sent directly after a student’s appointment, showed the majority of respondents agreed they felt prepared to register for fall classes and 79% felt that they understood which classes were recommended for first-year students.
Project Lead: Candace Reynolds
Campus Partners: Meg Zomorodi, associate provost for interprofessional health initiatives; deans of health professions schools
This advising engagement supports the launch of the UNC Rural Health Community Collaborative. The health professions deans developed this idea in order to increase the number of health care providers in rural NC. OE also provided temporary program manager support until that position was filled.
Status: The team is in the Community Connection Mapping phase, identifying opportunities to partner and accelerate this project.
Project Lead: Georgia McRae
Campus Partners: Finance and Operations, Research, Chancellor’s Office, Provost Office, Facilities, Real Estate Operations, School of Data Science and Society, University Libraries, School of Nursing, School of Medicine
The project developed governance for space assignment and created a transparent procedure for requests. The team created an annual process to allow space assignments to be made strategically with the University’s long-term goals guiding the decision-making process.
Status: The process was piloted in February of 2024 and will repeat annually starting in January 2025.
Project Lead: Georgia McRae
Campus Partners: Finance and Operations, Human Resources and Equal Opportunity and Compliance, Service Center of Excellence, University Registrar, School of Law, School of Medicine, Enrollment, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Government, School of Pharmacy, Provost Office, Kenan-Flagler Business School, School of Global Public Health, Information Technology Services, School of Data Science and Society, University Libraries, School of Nursing
The project is the second phase of Carolina’s space management strategy which aims to continuously improve space utilization at Carolina. The design team used a variety of metrics to define low, medium and high space use and drafted recommendations for leaders on strategies to optimize their space and support opportunities for growth within the current campus footprint.
Status: ITS is creating a dashboard to report on the space metrics and reports will be shared with vice chancellors and deans in January 2025. The metrics will also be used to help guide the discovery of opportunities to meet the needs of the space request process in the spring of 2025.
Project Lead: Candace Reynolds
Campus Partner: Hussman School of Journalism and Media
OE partnered with Hussman leaders to guide them through the strategic planning process. After working with leaders to establish a new vision for the school, OE designed and facilitated the August faculty/staff school retreat as well as sessions with Hussman’s three boards in October to develop ideas to reach the vision.
Status: After collecting feedback and input from many stakeholders, the team is drafting a plan to share with the school for feedback in January.
Project Lead: Madeline Snider
Campus Partners: Office of the Provost, Office of the Chancellor, Institutional Research and Assessment, Student Affairs, UNC Advising, Undergraduate Education, Summer School, Global Affairs, University Libraries, the Graduate School
The Student Success Committee is developing recommendations for a comprehensive student support strategy for degree-seeking undergraduate students.
Status: Recommendations will be presented to the Provost on January 31, 2025.
Project Lead: Chelsea Cochrane
Campus Partners: Carolina Center for Public Service, Chancellor’s Office, School of Government, Provost’s Office
The project focused on documenting essential processes, defining roles and responsibilities and offering detailed guidance on every aspect of the bus tour. The team created a playbook designed as a comprehensive guide for planning, executing and evaluating the annual bus tour.
Status: The final Tar Heel Bus Tour playbook serves as a detailed resource for organizing and producing the bus tour for faculty and senior administrators across campus, encompassing 42 key elements of the planning process.
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