Project $AVE Wants Input on Saving Money, Improving Efficiencies

These are just a few ways Wesleyan has worked to save money and develop sustainable and viable efficiencies on campus. Now, a new initiative called “Project $AVE” will add to this success by collecting additional ideas for sustained cost savings throughout the Wesleyan community.

Project $AVE, http://www.wesleyan.edu/projectsave/, is operated by a team faculty, staff and students who will carefully evaluate all suggestions submitted. The team will uses it own expertise in evaluating suggestions. When necessary, the team will also reach out to community members with relevant expertise to help evaluate selected suggestions.

The status of ideas will be posted on the Project $AVE Web site as the team goes through evaluation and implementation.

“We are most interested in suggestions that will result in permanent and on-going savings, but will also review suggestions for one-time savings,” says John Meerts, interim vice president for finance.

Project $ave offered the first 25 people who submitted an idea with a gift coupon to Pi Café or the Red and Black Café. More than 50 people submitted ideas on the site’s launch date, Feb. 22.

“We want all ideas whether big or small from everyone on campus,” says Ed Below, review team chair and director of Administrative Applications. “The more ideas, the more we save and the better we all get at doing our jobs.”

Members of the Project $AVE review team are Below, Cliff Ashton, director of Physical Plant; Matt Ball ’08; Rick Culliton, dean of Campus Programs; Gemma Ebstein, director of Alumni and Parent Relations; Marc Eisner, professor of government; Diane Klare, science library reference librarian; Steve Machuga, Project Save technical advisor and director of Administrative Systems; Brian Stewart, associate professor of physics; Gabe Tabak ’06 and Jesse Watson ’06.

To post a suggestion or to suggest a way for a process to work better, users can submit their ideas by leaving a message at the Project $AVE phone line, 860-685-2883, or by posting the suggestion on the Project $AVE Web Site.