Monday, October 23, 2000
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‘Fresh look’
New VP for finance and administration discusses top issues in his division
By Beth Roberts
beth@uga.edu

Henry M. Huckaby, who had most recently been directing UGA’s Institute of Government, succeeded Allan Barber as senior vice president for finance and administration at the beginning of this fiscal year. Earlier he had served many years in state government, including four years as director of the Office of Planning and Budget. He discussed with Columns the issues on which the Division of Finance and Administration is focusing this year.

Columns: Now that you’ve had a few months to get acclimatized, do you foresee changes in this division?
Huckaby: My guiding philosophy is that finance and administration is not an end unto itself. We’re here to support the faculty and the staff in carrying out the basic missions of the university.
Our goal is to provide that support as efficiently and effectively as possible. I’ve been very pleased with the quality of the staff and leadership we have in finance and administration.
But there will be changes. I’m very fortunate to be in a position in which my predecessor did an outstanding job for 28 years. At the same time, with a new person coming in there’s always an opportunity to take a fresh look at processes and procedures.
I think one of the things we will do is use technology to a greater extent, because we’re too dependent on processing paper. We will speed up some of the efforts that had begun before I came here, and that will be a major thrust for us over the next two or three years.

Columns: Is outsourcing or privatization an issue?
Huckaby: It is certainly not one of the top things on my agenda. I think that when you look at outsourcing you have to do the right kind of analysis, followed by the right implementation plan. I’ve seen instances where the benefits of outsourcing or privatization have been overstated. There are many other issues on the table to deal with before we consider outsourcing.

Columns: What is on the top of your agenda?
Huckaby: One of the major issues is the management of our physical space. So many of our functions and programs at this university are overcrowded, and we’ve got to thoughtfully consider how we’re going to deal with space management. Clearly we cannot continue to lease space off campus without a well-considered plan. Off-campus space is expensive.
We’ve heard a great deal in recent months about the need for more research space, and that certainly is legitimate, but there are other areas of need as well. A top priority is to bring about a more formal approach to capital facility planning in general--whether it is new, existing or leased space, or renovation.

Columns: What else is on the top of the list?
Huckaby: I think everyone’s aware that we have parking needs. We’re working to develop plans for the construction of additional parking decks. The issue is finding the right mechanism to finance them.
The university’s new real estate foundation will give us a financing vehicle that we haven’t had before, and I’m hopeful that within the next eight to 12 months we’ll be implementing those plans.

Columns: The issue of space management is obviously also related to the new campus master plan.
Huckaby: Yes. The implementation and stewardship of the master plan comes under the auspices of this office, in particular the office of the campus architects.
There are many issues--it’s not just a matter of where we’re going to site buildings, but there are transportation issues, infrastructure issues and real estate acquisition issues as well.
But it’s a very exciting plan, and we hope to make some real strides in the next five or six years in implementing the master plan.

Columns: The issues in human resources must be an important area of concern right now.
Huckaby: The area of human resources is always a big challenge in an organization as large as the University of Georgia, because it deals with so many complex and very important issues. One of the great disappointments that happened relatively soon after I assumed this position was Dr. Loretta Harper deciding to accept an opportunity out of state, so we are in the midst of filling that position. That was a blow to the university--and complicated my administrative life as well. When you’ve got a good person it’s always difficult to lose her. But I appointed an excellent search committee, which has identified several outstanding candidates for the position.
I anticipate appointing someone to this very critical position shortly. There are some important issues to deal with there over the next 12 months.

Columns: Such as the changes in health insurance.
Huckaby: Of course, the new person will not be here in time to help us with that, but that’s an immediate project.

Columns: And the classification and pay study.
Huckaby: Yes--that’s a multi-year process. We’re very fortunate that Duane Ritter on the staff at Human Resources is experienced and is carrying that project forward without a hitch, but that’s going to be a very important issue over the next two to four years on this campus.

Columns: What’s different about this position from your earlier experiences?
Huckaby: Finance and administration is such a broad area--it encompasses so much on this campus. I’ve worked with budgets before--what’s different about this job is the number of other things that this office is responsible for. I never know what’s going to be in an e-mail message or a phone call.
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