Magazine publishes articles by two senior administrators

Two senior Shippensburg University administrators have had articles published in Business Officer, the monthly publication of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).

The articles, written by Dr. Barbara Lyman, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Dr. Denny Terrell, vice president for administration and finance, were published in the May issue as sidebars to the main article on the need for cooperation between the chief academic and financial officers at colleges and universities.

The main article, which was also the cover story, discussed a 2008 conference sponsored by NACUBO and the American Council on Education titled "The CAO/CFO Collaboration: Building an Effective Partnership" and various ways individuals in these two critical positions can work together to benefit their institutions. Both Lyman and Terrell attended that conference.

In their articles, they each discussed what they learned at the conference and how those lessons paid off as shortly after they participated, the university was asked to set aside 4.25 percent of its 2008-09 budget in response to the fiscal shortfall in Pennsylvania. As members of the university's Executive Management Team, both are involved in decisions that directly impact the university's operation and its success. They also said that while they were looking at their respective areas in connection with the budget reduction, they were able to collaborate to ensure the university's core mission and services were maintained despite any financial cuts.

In her article, Lyman noted that cuts were made on a selective basis that set priorities to ensure the reductions did not negatively impact core academic areas, such as course availability, that could cause problems for students. Continued communication between an institution's chief academic officer and chief financial officer also allows for fostering a strategic review of an operating budget.

In her article, Terrell noted that this enhanced communication can help a university's leadership team to develop a clear consensus as to how to reduce expenses to balance the budget. She also said that by working together, they were able to preserve all academic programs and that the cuts were unnoticed by students and most of the faculty since no operation was severely impacted.

Their articles are available by going to the NACUBO website and clicking on the link for Business Officer magazine.