Celebrating 25 years of TIPS
“Has it really been 25 years?” asked TIPS Coordinator Jo‑Ann Cuevas as she shared highlights from the group’s history at a half-day anniversary meeting this July.
In 1987, the administrators and staff who founded TIPS got together to work on a goal — streamline departmental administration. Within a year, the Vice President for Information Resources had chartered the group to officially represent departmental interests in University decision-making. TIPS has contributed on many fronts since then, from payroll processes to staff training to administrative information systems.
Each year the TIPS Coordinator makes sure that every school, lab, or other unit is represented. Some TIPS members are volunteers, while others are appointed to attend the meetings and bring back information to their constituents.
The focus of TIPS from the get-go was on collaboration and automation (TIPS stands for Team for Improving Productivity at Stanford). It remains so today: the keynote speech by associate registrar Stephen Arod Shirreffs at this July's meeting was about Communities of Practice.
IT Services has been aligned to the same goals all along and has supported TIPS by providing a dedicated part-time coordinator and occasional funding for special projects.
One attendee at July’s anniversary meeting expressed what many have communicated over the years:
“I have found and continue to find the (TIPS) meetings invaluable to my learning and keeping up with the latest technology and programs I need in my work. Think of all of the changes and updates in Oracle that have been announced at TIPS first.”
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