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1-19-2010
When Patricia McCabe, an MBA student at Stony Brook University, began an internship project on the use and controls of photocopy equipment in a large organization, she knew it would be a win-win situation for everyone involved.
When Eastern Suffolk BOCES Senior Administrative Assistant in Administrative Services Patricia McCabe – who is also an MBA student at Stony Brook University – began her internship project on the use and controls of photocopy equipment in a large organization, she knew it would be a win-win situation for everyone she involved. As a sitcom actor used to say, “I love it when a good plan comes together.” Ms. McCabe works in Central Support Services and was interested in increasing efficiency. The agency was additionally interested in expanding its recycling and conservation efforts and establishing regulations and procedures for equipment procurement and usage. The university professor was interested in testing his class. Thus began a relationship between groups that resulted in mutual cooperation for the achievement of special goals. Ms. McCabe’s methodology included research in a variety of areas in collaboration with ESBOCES programs, administrators and staff, and supply vendors. A list was compiled of current duplication equipment and appropriate data, along with copy counts for each unit in service during the previous school year. Data was compiled on a spreadsheet, calculations were performed to determine efficiency, and overcharges and maintenance contracts were evaluated. She visited facilities, identified the physical location of units and documented them on floor plans. She searched the internet for manufacturer policies on recycling and conservation issues and found energy and emissions information. She discussed procurement procedures with the Purchasing Supervisor, Associate Superintendent for Management Services, and the Director of Business Services. She worked with the Directors of Technology Integration and Administrative Technology. Ms. McCabe recorded the cost of ownership and increased productivity; security concerns regarding electronic reproduction of confidential student and staff records; regulatory compliance recommendations; and her conclusions. From reducing the number of monthly invoice bills to achieving a three-cent reduction per sheet on color reproductions, the agency can save thousands of dollars annually, as all eyes focus on the state budget and the repercussions of a lopsided economic recovery. “By lowering our costs, it helps our component districts too,” she explained. The project took 16+ hours a week for 12 weeks. The report received high marks from both SUNY Stony Brook and ESBOCES, and will help employees in agency facilities. Central Support Services, located in the Hines Administration Building, has the capability of solving large duplication needs, so Ms. McCabe plans to follow-up her research by distributing a bulletin outlining the process and available options. Duplication request forms are on the Intranet under “e docs.”Ms. McCabe will graduate in August, and the following month will take School District Business Leadership Certification at SUNY. When asked recently about her project, she replied modestly, “It was a great opportunity for me to gain more experience with the programs, people, and inner working of ESBOCES, and I’m grateful for the assistance of the administrators.”
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