Riverside, Calif., August, 2000--An office space makeover and a new department director are just two of the first indications that it's no longer "business as usual" in La Sierra University's Student Financial Services Department.

"It's going to be smoother, quicker and less complicated for our students," said Chris Bartholomew, the new Student Financial Services director, a position she has held since May.

In January, it was first announced that two formerly distinct university departments - Student Financial Aid and Student Accounts - were consolidating. Office remodeling and workflow redesign in the ground floor of the Administration Building during spring quarter gave students the first clue that a new system was being implemented.

Now, with a retrained staff, Bartholomew said her department is intent on meeting it's primary objective: to streamline the financial process, making life easier for La Sierra students.

Under the prior system, students had two financial counselors and several different processes to wade through. There was a counselor for financial aid, the department that awarded money for tuition and other payments, and another counselor for Student Accounts, with whom students made arrangements for payment of their tuition and other bills. Now, a financial counselor can determine costs for a coming year, while also determining the amount of aid and grants a student can expect. Students will also keep the same financial counselor throughout their entire La Sierra academic career.

The new "one-stop" approach not only makes the financial aid process quicker for students, but also gives them the complete financial picture - all without any interdepartmental journeys.

Under the reorganization plan, all aid and grant disbursements and receipt of payments will take place at the newly established Bursar's Office.

Bartholomew first started working at the university in 1989 as a student accounts analyst. During the 1990s, she worked in the Student Life Office, most recently as director of International Student Services. In 1997, she earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix and, in 1999, earned a master's degree in organizational management from the same institution.

She now oversees a staff of seven full-time workers, one half-time staff member and six student workers. She also manages more than $10 million in loans and grants to La Sierra students.

"Chris brings extensive understanding of the institution and a clear picture of the financial challenges that our students can often face," said Jorge Heyde, vice president for financial administration. "We are fortunate that she was already right here working with our students and administrative team."

Bartholomew said her staff is dedicated to a "customer-service" management approach that the reorganization was designed to facilitate. The redesign was accomplished with the effort of the staff under the leadership of Pam Chrispens, associate vice president for financial administration, La Sierra Computer Information Services personnel, and outside consultants. "Ultimately we care about our students and we want them to receive the best education and customer service while they're here. So the last thing we want is to let financial problems get in the way," Bartholomew said.

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Student Financial Services:
Director: Chris Bartholomew
Counselors: Esther Kinzer and Nadine Zapel.
Awards processor: Jennifer Norwood
Loans processor: Lorelei Hermann
Systems processor: Carol Essex
Receptionist: Diana Narozniak
Financial Aid consultants: Randy Hall and John Mays of Knoxville, Tenn.
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
E-mail: sfs@lasierra.edu., www.lasierra.edu/sfs, (909)785-2175