Two WICHE programs are helping colleges and universities in the West to make the most out of every dollar in their shrinking budgets. The first, the Master Property Program (MPP), is a property insurance and risk-management initiative that has saved institutions over $40 million since its inception. The MPP, developed by the Midwest Higher Education Compact (MHEC), has 100 member campuses (48 primary policies) with total insured values of nearly $63 billion overall. Participating institutions in the West include: Pima County Community College District (AZ), University of Northern Colorado (CO), Nevada System of Higher Education (NV), Lewis & Clark College (OR), Reed College (OR), Willamette University (OR), and Westminster College (UT). In addition to saving money, members earn dividends based on their annual loss ratios. On March 11-13, representatives from WICHE-region institutions will participate in the MPP’s annual meeting and loss control workshop, exchanging best practices and lessons learned and working with experts in risk management, facilities management, campus security, and environmental health. WICHE is also partnering with MHEC on a second program that provides discounted purchasing options to higher education institutions, state agencies, county and municipal governments, and other nonprofits that want to buy printing equipment and document management services from Xerox. Under the contract MHEC and WICHE members can use Xerox for their office printing needs and production printing services. Participants will also be able to use Xerox services, including productivity assessments and document advisories, to help manage and streamline records and administrative documents. "We first began working with Xerox in 2003, and our members have benefitted greatly through cost savings and improved efficiencies in their print environments," says MHEC CIO Grant Crawford. "As a consortium, we were able to negotiate a contract with Xerox where our members and WICHE’s constituencies will continue to save by taking advantage of the power of cooperative purchasing." Milwaukee Area Technical College, for instance, signed on with Xerox last year to overhaul the school's document management systems and anticipates saving approximately $3.5 million over the length of its five-year commitment. In the WICHE region, the City of Lakewood in Colorado and the Hanahauoli School in Hawaii are the first organizations to make purchases under the new contract. For more information on the Master Property Program or the Xerox purchasing contact, contact Jere Mock, WICHE vice president of programs and services, at jmock@wiche.edu or 303.541.0222.

February 2009  | Share this on Twitter | Post this on Facebook