Administrative Services Assessment Review Project

Western began charging the ASA fee in 1982, and the current process of assessing a percentage of revenues earned by self-supporting areas has been in place since the early 2000s. The approach traditionally used at Western was to assess a percentage charge against quarterly revenue earned by self-supporting and auxiliary areas. The primary concerns with that approach was that lacked a clear connection to services received and it wasn't widely understood why certain areas were assessed the fee but not others.

In 2022, Strategy, Management & Budget initiated the ASA Review Project to address information gaps and evaluate Western's existing ASA framework relative to approaches used at other institutions. This multi-year project involved stakeholders representing both departments providing central services and areas that are assessed the ASA fee. As a result of the project, the university has approved a new framework beginning in fiscal year 2027. 

The new cost allocation framework calculates the ASA fee for auxiliary and other self-supporting units whose operations are funded by revenue generation. The basis of the ASA fee is an allocation of the costs for providing services (service department expenditures) based on metrics that reflect the relative level of service used by each area.

The new ASA fee model aims to: 

• Create a transparent fee structure based on standard state supported services provided and the associated costs.
• Clearly communicate expectations for service users and providers about the intent of the fee.
• Minimize unintended consequences (e.g., double charges due to internal service agreements).
• Thoughtfully consider the impact that all fees have on the cost of education for students.