Business Office Reset

Our friends from Credo are back! Sean and Joretta talk through the importance of our financial clearance process as an institution in the student success space, and spoiler alert, the follow on effects on student retention AND cash flow for the institution. A must-listen for every business officer struggling to gain traction on accounts receivable and shining a light on why our students (as well a...

We chat with Victoria Pierce about the intricacies of endowment accounting, making Workday work for their institution (even without the endowment module) and ways to integrate endowment work throughout the year to make year-end more manageable.

We talk with Leah Miller, Director of HR at Kenyon College, about the shifting landscape of HR in higher education, from hiring to onboarding to retaining employees, and ways to shift our perspective to get and keep the right talent.

As we're rethinking higher ed, Jan Haas talks us through ways we can look at what we have as institutions - buildings, faculty, programs - and use them in new ways to serve our communities and continue our mission.

Jeff Spear talks recruitment, financial aid leveraging, and studying who's successful at our institutions to determine who to go after moving forward. This kicks off our Rethinking series to propose new ways of life in higher ed for the new year.

When looking at budget deficits and shifts, how can we approach expense reduction in a way that has the most impact? Jan Haas talks through steps to reducing expenses that have the biggest budget effect with the least amount of campus disruption.

Jeff Spear talks through running an Enterprise vs. Operational budget, using ratios and benchmarks to build a "new" zero-based budget, and campus mindset shifts that allow us to bring about these changes.

Scott Spear talks us through setting up policies and systems to help the budget process, including timelines, the right voices in the room, and follow up through the year.

Dr. Roger Parrott talks fundraising from the President's role, the importance of having a solid fundraising plan as a President, and presenting prospective donors with the opportunity to give

Campus Pastor at Mount Vernon Nazarene University Stephanie Lobdell talks about making space for ourselves in the midst of our work, recent readings that have influenced her perception of work, and tips for taking care that she's found useful.

We talked with Kara Gilliard about keeping our souls in mind - ours as leaders as well as our teams - when working in a business office and meeting the challenges we face there.

Financial Aid professional Wes Brothers talks us through the process of managing HCM2 at an institution, from tips on how to work more smoothly with an analyst to managing cash flow expectations.

We take a deep dive into the Education Department Financial Responsibility scores and methods for understanding the long-term impact of strategic decisions on the scores. We also discuss creative ways institutions are buying time for longer-term solutions to ratio challenges.

Jessica Ryals talks through tips & tricks for smooth accounting for campus construction, including chart of accounts tweaks and best practices for capitalization.

Kevin and Dawn talk project management for a major campus construction project, including engaging key stakeholders, sticking to the plan, and overall ensuring the smoothest experience possible.

Our partners at Credo Higher Education, Dawn Rolling and Dean Rodeheaver, talk about the importance of planning with margin in mind, bringing the whole campus together, and understanding the "why" behind the project.

Heidi Hansen McCrory of Furman University shares her career journey and how she came to have "the best job in the world," her philosophy of fundraising, and her top tips for successfully fundraising for Major Campus Construction projects.

Continuing last week's conversation, we go in-depth on auxiliaires and dining services, how to tell when you might want to outsource, and always taking perspective from the residential student experience.

Jan Haas talks us through the important things to know about the facilities area and ways to build your knowledge even from the Controller's seat. We also touch on the buzzword topic of alternative revenue and some things to bear in mind.

Scott Stewart talks about best practices with investments and endowment policy, Cornerstone's success with a student investment group, and steps to move forward in this area.

After a career in higher education and the banking industry, Ken Lilly shares the #1 tip for CFO's banking (relationship!) and ways to cultivate that. He also talks about some key trends to keep an eye on to keep bankers happy.

Dan Boone describes leadership qualities that make for great relationships between the CFO and key Senior Leadership team members, including the President and Provost.

Drumm McNaughton brings his years of higher education Senior Leadership and Board experience as he describes best practices for governing boards and how CFOs can best manage their relationships with them.

Jeff Spear talks us through the importance of looking forward in the CFO seat, top tips for forecasting, and tools available to make collaborative, group-owned forecasting easier.

We talk with David Tarrant of Dallas Theological Seminary about risk management as a holistic practice, gaining a big picture understanding of institutional risks and analyzing those, and the impacts of "Price is Right" budgeting on our campuses.