What is the My Ideas Program?

The My Ideas Faculty/Staff Suggestion Program provides a way for the faculty and staff of Missouri State University to receive recognition by developing and submitting ideas that benefit the University through saving money or improving processes.

This program is open to all faculty and staff (full-time and part-time) on all Missouri State University campuses.

Students, including student employees, are not eligible to participate in the program at this time.

This program is based on a process improvement project completed by University Staff Ambassadors (USA) 2010 members Brenda Burrell, Kristan Gochenauer, Tracey Maxfield, Kevin White, and Marina Zordell-Reed. Learn more about and apply to participate in the University Staff Ambassadors Program by visiting http://www.missouristate.edu/usa.

How Does It Work?

1. Submit your idea here on this site!
2. You’ll receive a phone call or email thanking you for your idea.
3. The Evaluation Committee will review all submitted ideas against the recommendation criteria below and determine a recommendation.
4. The Evaluation Committee will post a recommendation status for each idea here on this blog.
5. The Evaluation Committee will contact the cost center administrator and/or members of Administrative Council for whom ideas will be recommended that affect their respective areas.
6. The Evaluation Committee will present the recommendations to Administrative Council.
7. Administrative Council makes a decision on whether or not to proceed in implementing the idea.

Guidelines for Submitting an Idea

How do you know if your inspiration may become an award-winning suggestion? The pointers below will show you how to develop a winning idea.

A good idea will do one or more of the following:

• Improve procedures, accountability, service quality, or morale
• Increase safety
• Reduce waste or maintenance costs
• Reduce costs of materials or services
• Eliminate duplication, breakage, and bottlenecks
• Increase University revenue
• Combine operations, methods, procedures, or official forms
• Conserve time, materials, equipment, and natural resources
• Invest in new equipment, new methods of operation, or new products

Ideas that will not be considered include those that:

• Do not include a solution or plan for improvement
• Constitute a personal grievance or complaint
• Request a change in salary or position
• Are the result of assigned or contracted audits, studies, surveys, reviews, or research
• Concern proposals that are already under active consideration

Recommendation Criteria

The Evaluation Committee will make recommendations for each idea based on the following criteria:

1. Has this been suggested before? If so, was it implemented or rejected, and why?
2. How does implementing this idea affect students and improve learning and teaching environments?
3. What is the initial cost of implementing this idea?
4. What are the impacts of implementing the idea?
5. What is the Return On Investment (ROI) for implementing this idea?
6. Where will the money come from to implement the idea?
7. Who would be responsible for implementing the idea?
8. Would implementing this idea violate, infringe upon, or require change to any existing Missouri State University policy?

Recognition and Rewards

For each idea that is implemented, the submitter will receive a one-time $150 award, paid as supplemental pay. Additionally, University Communications may recognize implemented ideas on the Missouri State University homepage, Twitter, and Facebook.

The submitters of the top two non-anonymous ideas (as determined by Administrative Council) implemented before October 31 of a given year will receive:

• A $1,000 award
• One free block of meal plan for eating in the dining hall ($30 value)
• Recognition at the appropriate Recognition Banquets the following January.

NOTE: Be on the look out for changes to the My Ideas Program coming in 2013!  Thank you very much for submitting your ideas, and please continue to do so!