This email was sent to faculty and staff on November 21, 2025. 

Dear campus community,

Last spring, University of Utah leadership completed the initial design phase of a new finance and human resources (HR) service delivery model called Finance and HR Coordinated Services for EVPAA units. After careful consideration, the scope has expanded to include the president’s units and select health academic colleges (Health, Nursing, Pharmacy), excluding the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.

Why this matters

Higher education is changing, creating an opportunity to modernize and advance our bold vision and goals. To achieve these aspirations, we’re focusing on strengthening financial and operational performance.

This initiative advances the operational excellence goals in Impact 2030 by aligning people, processes, and technology across finance and HR. Coordinated Services is a proven Utah model—past, present, and future—from early efforts like email consolidation to recent initiatives such as One U Advancement. It also reflects best practices in higher education, as peer institutions increasingly adopt similar models to streamline support and provide expertise. Expanding Coordinated Services to HR and finance builds on our legacy and aligns with national trends, ultimately strengthening the systems that power academic and research excellence.

Our goal is to create a more efficient and service—oriented approach to finance and HR support—enhancing institutional efficiency and compliance, delivering consistent mission—enabling services, and fostering employee growth through clear roles and development opportunities.

We are entering the next phase: refining the design before implementing Finance and HR Coordinated Services, with implementation targeted for July 2026.

What it is

Finance and HR Coordinated Services focuses on:

• Standardizing functional activities, such as workforce planning, employee relations, budgeting, financial forecasting, and central finance and HR advisory support.
• Creating integrated partnerships between units, central finance and HR to better meet the speed and needs of units.
• Centralizing common transactions across Finance and HR, such as how we purchase certain supplies or ensure we have completed all necessary paperwork for new hires.

How it’s organized

A formal governance structure will guide the initiative, including executive sponsors (Dr. Carter, Dr. Montoya, Tony Wagner, and Jeff Herring) as well as a Steering Committee, Advisory Committees, and Work Teams that will involve representatives from both administrative and academic units. This structure is designed to ensure that representative voices are heard and actively engaged throughout the process. Huron Consulting Group will continue as our partner and manage the initiative through implementation.

What’s next

We know many of you may have questions or want to participate. Here’s what to expect.

• Opportunities to Engage: We plan to host forums and feedback sessions throughout the initiative to gather input from the broader community—details will be shared as they are finalized.
• Support and Questions: For now, please reach out to coordinatedservices@utah.edu with any questions. A dedicated website with more information—including FAQs and updates—will be available as the initiative progresses.
• Ongoing Communication: This is just the beginning of our communications and engagement efforts. We look forward to partnering with you throughout this transformation.

Best Regards,

Dr. Carter, Dr. Montoya, Tony Wagner, Jeff Herring