As CU 麻豆影院 carries out its academic mission amid the COVID-19 pandemic and takes important steps to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, the university remains committed to a third priority鈥攆iscal resilience鈥攖hat supports the entirety of CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 mission.
More than just sustaining current campus activities and paying bills, 鈥渞esilience means having the resources and flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances and to thrive in the midst of those changes,鈥� says Chief Financial Officer Carla Ho鈥檃.
CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 strategy for fiscal resilience relies on three key factors:
- Proactively planning for budget fluctuations through budget modeling and scenario development
- A comprehensive听redesign of the campus budget, with a new model to launch in fiscal year 2023
- Integrating the resource alignment strategies the campus developed through听Financial Futures
鈥淭he campus budget is a tool for delivering on our mission as a comprehensive public teaching and research university,鈥� says Executive Vice Provost for Academic Resource Management Ann Schmiesing. 鈥淔iscal resilience is a means of ensuring that we can remain dedicated听to the needs of students, faculty, staff and our greater community.鈥澨�
In a January听letter to campus, Provost Russell Moore and Chief Operating Officer Patrick O鈥橰ourke shared that the campus is being asked to plan for continuing (versus one-time) budget reduction scenarios of 3%, 4% and 5% for fiscal year 2022, which begins July 1, 2021, and ends June 30, 2022.听
Each of the units across campus will be asked to participate in the budget reduction planning, with the guiding principle that the campus will not cut more than is necessary, says Ho鈥檃.
鈥淚t鈥檚 imperative that we are responsive to the current budget state in a way that supports our mission as well as our short- and long-term aspirations,鈥� she says.听
As examples of cultivating fiscal resilience, Ho鈥檃 points to prioritizing the end of temporary pay cuts and furloughs implemented earlier this year and increasing the minimum hourly wage across campus in fiscal year 2022.听
鈥淭he furloughs and temporary pay reductions were an important part of our campus budget balancing plan for the current fiscal year and represent faculty and staff coming together in shared sacrifice in order to continue to meet the needs of our students,鈥� Ho鈥檃 says.听听
Looking ahead, Ho鈥檃 and Schmiesing see great potential in the redesign of the budget model for increasing fiscal resilience.
This project officially听kicked off in December 2020, and the Strategic Alignment Committee began meeting in January.
鈥淭his is a transformational project for CU 麻豆影院,鈥� says Schmiesing. 鈥淲e are actively engaging the talents of our faculty, staff, and students to envision a model that better supports our work now and into the future.鈥澨�
Another campus initiative developed to align strategic resources to the campus mission, and cultivate fiscal resilience, is Financial Futures. Specific examples of Financial Futures projects delivering value in support of CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 mission and vision include the launch of a technology听, support for the听Quantum Initiative, the development and launch of a new听transfer student website, and funding to听increase mental health access听for undergraduate and graduate students.
As a flagship state institution, CU 麻豆影院 is committed to fiscal resilience as a means of furthering the public good. Our ability to take action to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion and to respond to challenges like COVID-19 depends on our strength both as a community and as an organization.听听
鈥淲e accomplish fiscal resilience through present-day actions and activities, as much as if not more than through even the smartest future-state planning,鈥� says Schmiesing.听鈥淥ur community is truly incredible, and their ingenuity, dedication, and creativity make it clear that we have a lot to look forward to.鈥�
Look for a recorded听State of the Campus听fiscal resilience听conversation on Feb. 24 with Chancellor Philip DiStefano, Ho鈥檃 and Schmiesing.
