Through efforts like the 2025 Administrative Improvement Award, the University of Wisconsin–Madison continues demonstrating its commitment to administrative excellence. These awards recognize outstanding work in enhanced service delivery, process development and redesign, improved efficiency, cost savings, and overall operational excellence.
Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Rob Cramer is the executive sponsor of the Administrative Improvement Awards. “We need to constantly identify ways to help advance our mission,” Cramer said. “In this period of uncertainty, administrative improvements that enhance our efficiency and effectiveness are particularly important. A culture of constant improvement will help UW-Madison adapt to meet new challenges.”
From its classrooms and labs to its administrative offices, UW–Madison prides itself on fostering a culture of innovation in service of the teaching, research, and public service mission and delivering a world-class student experience.
Seven team projects were selected to receive the award this year. The following projects and team members will receive the 2025 Administrative Improvement Award. Learn more about the awards here.
Biosafety Cabinet Replacement Program
Don Allred, Brad Bauman, Ryan Burt, Tara Dobberfuhl, Alex Frank, Joe Hertel, Andrea Ladd, Tony McGrath, Kristi Meier, Dawn Ness, Shirley Obih, Charles Ponti, Tony Ring, Matt Roth, Dione Tyler, Eric Vondra
The Environmental, Health & Safety unit implemented the biosafety cabinet replacement program and has provided measurable results, including the money spent on non-warranty repairs decreasing with a total saving of more than 25 percent since 2021. Through process improvement, this program continues to support the university’s research mission by improving the continuity of operations for labs, increased efficiencies and streamlined workflows.
Campus AED Program
Jeffrey Schiller, Isabel Winter
Prior to the Campus AED Program, campus units were responsible for procuring and maintaining their own AEDs. This led to a large disparity of where AEDs were placed and the types purchased. The Fire and Life Safety unit worked to standardize the AED program at UW–Madison. This move has significantly improved emergency preparedness and safety. This simple yet impactful change has cut annual maintenance costs by 20 percent while ensuring equipment is well maintained and readily available.
ChemManager+ Inventory Implementation
Aaron McCoy, Amy Riedemann
ChemManager+ is a laboratory chemical inventory system that works to integrate the university’s purchasing platform to streamline inventory. In 2024, the rollout expanded significantly and focused on enhancing functionality and user engagement. Since implementation, over 200,000 containers have been inventoried. This innovative system aids in regulatory compliance and reduces redundant purchases and disposal costs.
FASFA Simplification Project
Rebecca Adams, Karie Cunningham, Joselyn Diaz, Eric Gentz, Chris Lopac, Kristen McRoberts, Stevi Parmentier, Nicole Schumacher, Kasie Strahl, Karla Weber, Katy Weisenburger, Alex White, Pa Houa Xiong
The FASFA Simplification Project task force developed and implemented new processes to adapt to the delayed availability of FASFA application data. The task force established student-centered solutions to mitigate disruption for students and as of January 2025, UW–Madison provided over 30,000 financial aid offers to students for the 2024-25 aid year. To launch the 2025-26 FASFA form, the U.S. Department of Education introduced a new process and UW–Madison was selected to play a key role in beta testing and resolving issues with FASFA before it was available to all students and contributors.
Integration Hub
Charlie Calderon, Sam Carpenter, Mike Hall, Patrick Hare, Brendan Herrick, Larry Hughes, Tim Keen, Nuwan Kumarasiri, Jared Kosanovic, Luna Lucadou, Eric Schoville, Shreyash Shrestha, Alise Spalitta, Wes Szamotula, Jon Terrones, Becky Wheeler, Rachel Wroblewski
At any given time, hundreds of applications and systems need to interact so employees can work, study, and conduct research. The solution was to create an Integration Hub, a system that makes it easier for developers and others to connect data and applications. This helps streamline work processes and improve efficiency. So far, the Integration Hub has managed 64.3 million data requests in the past year, and that number is expected to grow once Workday is fully in use. The system has already added 40 new data elements, making it easier to access and use important information.
Low Code Solution for Online Position Justification
Lauren Bowers, Adam Fermanich, Wendy Gordon, Jeanne Hains, Joel Herron, Matt Merrill, Cassie Stauber
To streamline the hiring approval process under the UW System’s three-year hiring cap, UW–Madison replaced paper forms with a digital solution using Betty Blocks, a low-code platform. This new system simplifies approvals, reduces processing time from five days to one, and improves efficiency across schools, colleges, and divisions. Since its launch in November 2024, it has been used 262 times with positive feedback. Ongoing improvements are enhancing flexibility and discussions are underway to expand its use across other Universities of Wisconsin schools.
UW–Madison Profile Project
Tom Jordan, Collin Krause, Raji Muthuraman, Paulina Nogal, J. Park, Scott Reeser, Beth Richardson, Sara Walters
UW–Madison Profile has transformed identity management by giving employees more control over their personal information. In 2024, key upgrades boosted adoption from 55 to 2,795 new users per week with minimal support issues. The platform significantly reduces processing time, saving effort and frustration while also supporting Workday readiness. Future enhancements will improve data accuracy, language support, and user experience.