University Adopts In-plant’s Self-Funding Model

Running a self-supported printing operation by charging back for services is common in the in-plant world. For other internal services, however, like marketing, photography, and conference services, this model is not as popular.

Oregon State University decided to do something about this. Inspired by OSU Printing and Mailing’s successful self-funding model, and its focus on continually expanding its services, the Corvallis, Oregon, university combined five other departments into the in-plant, placing them under the supervision of Printing & Mailing Director Jeff Todd and creating a new department called University Marketing Services & Solutions.

Jeff Todd: “Instead of just printing for them, we’re able to further help them with creating the pieces and offering those different creative services.”

The goal was to create a large service organization available to the whole campus, funded through service fees. The new division comprises university events, conference services, internal licensing, university marketing creative, and management of the La Salle Stewart Center, a performing arts and conference center. Within these divisions are services like photography, videography, graphic design, web design, event coordination and management, facility rentals, and promotional goods. Todd went from supervising 30 employees in Printing and Mailing to 42 staff and 30 to 40 student workers. Mailing, because it is a funded service, was split off from printing.

The new structure expands the availability of these services to departments across campus and gives them more flexibility to grow or adapt as clients’ needs change. In the old model, most of these services were funded, so they could not adapt as quickly. Decisions on what services to expand were more centralized. With the new structure, all services are available for any project across campus.

“For the in-plant, it’s super valuable to have all of these connections in the same organization now,” says Todd, who is now associate vice president of University Marketing Services & Solutions. “Instead of just printing for them, we’re able to further help them with creating the pieces and offering those different creative services.”

The in-plant team works with creative services up front on print projects, to ensure jobs are designed to best fit the shop’s equipment.

“It allows us to produce things more efficiently,” Todd says.

Because he oversees internal licensing, Todd helps university clients acquire promo items, either produced in the in-plant or purchased outside. The shop has added direct-to-film equipment to produce apparel and related items.

In addition to being impressed with the success of the in-plant’s self-funding model, the university was enamored with the in-plant’s quality and service mindset, which is a big reason Todd was chosen to lead University Marketing Services & Solutions.

“We take great pride in the service that they get from us because on a campus, word of mouth is so important,”

He has been infusing the other departments under his supervision with this same customer-first, quality-oriented focus. It has been working well, and the campus is enjoying the improved availability of these services.

“It’s really starting to come together now, and people are really appreciating the accessibility to all these services,” he says.