2023 Planning, Budgeting, and Analytics Forum

Sunday, September 24  •  1–2:15 pm CT

There is ample evidence showing the return on investment in higher education. However, as tuition and fee prices have increased, many are asking: Is college worth it? An author of the recent book Who Should Pay? will share findings based on more than a decade’s worth of surveys and interviews with diverse Americans about college funding. Surveys covered attitudes about who should pay for higher education—whether it be students, parents, or the government—and how the public thinks about the costs and benefits of a degree. Although public opinion is often slow to change, Americans’ beliefs about college funding are evolving quite rapidly. What might this mean for students and your institution?

Speakers

• Natasha Quadlin, associate professor of sociology, University of California, Los Angeles; author, Who Should Pay? Higher Education, Responsibility, and the Public

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Specialized Knowledge

Monday, September 25  •  10:30–11:45 am CT

Earlier this month, NACUBO released a list of the top business issues confronting colleges and universities. In this lively discussion, NACUBO’s president and chief executive officer, Kara Freeman, will examine these pressing issues with a panel of institution presidents. How are the challenges evolving at different institutions? Which issues do campus leaders think will linger? How can individuals at various levels of the institution provide support for navigating these challenges? The panel will also explore some potential opportunities hidden in this sea of questions.

Speakers

• Dan Mahony, president, Southern Illinois University System
• Avis Proctor, president, Harper College
• Mary Surridge, president, North Park University
• Kara D. Freeman, president and chief executive officer, NACUBO

CPE Available

• 1.5 credits
• Specialized Knowledge

According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% in the first year following the COVID-19 pandemic. Colleges and universities continue to grapple with the issues of mental health and overall well-being of students—in addition to faculty and staff. In this session, you will hear about the importance of well-being for all these populations, how challenges are evolving at institutions, and some advice for maintaining your own wellness.

Speaker

• Zainab Okolo, senior vice president of policy, advocacy and government relations, The Jed Foundation

CPE Available

• 1.5 credits
• Personal Development

Sunday, Sept 24  •  4:15–4:30 pm CT

For many institutions, accurate budgeting, forecasting, and analyzing results can be challenging. Stakeholders are looking to the finance office for data-informed solutions to increase the institution’s financial health. Join this session to explore how to increase the accuracy of strategic, financial, and operational plans create accountability across the institution; enhance analysis and decision-making; and connect data from disparate systems. See how the finance function is evolving and how finance leaders can embrace this evolution by equipping themselves with the insights needed to support the institution’s vision and strategy now and into the future.

• Sven Hadzidedic, manager, sales, Prophix Software Inc.
• Chris Porter, director, solution and product marketing, Prophix Software, Inc. 

This demo session is brought to you by

Monday, Sept 25  •  10–10:30 am CT

Session Description During the session, “A New Tradition of Connected Planning,” the Notre Dame team will share their journey in financial transformation. During this session, TruEd and Notre Dame will offer a dynamic demonstration of the University of Notre Dame’s new Financial Compass on the Anaplan platform. Witness a seamless and intuitive interface that empowers decision-makers with real-time calculations, enabling them to strategize and adapt with unprecedented agility. Discover how this intelligent, intuitive, and integrated approach is revolutionizing the way they manage their planning processes, by fostering agility, data-informed decision-making, and unparalleled efficiency. Don't miss your chance to witness the future of planning in action.

• Casey Weston, senior technical analyst, University of Notre Dame
• Libby Deibler, director, TruEd Consulting
• Russ Owen, director, TruEd Consulting

This demo session is brought to you by

Monday, Sept 25  •  3:15–3:45 pm CT

Following the successful go-live of Workday Financials, Human Capital Management (HCM), post-award Grants Management and Payroll, Washington State University’s next priority in their modernization initiative was to implement position budgeting in Workday and take their current Excel-based planning into the cloud with Adaptive Planning. This session will highlight the transition from manual legacy processes into a more streamlined budget solution used across all five campuses.

• Christopher Conway, senior business systems analyst, Washington State University
• Chris Jones, assistant director for budget, planning and analysis, Washington State University
• Ryan Loftus, Workday financials senior consultant, Deloitte

This demo session is brought to you by

Tuesday, Sept 26  •  10–10:30 am CT

This session will focus on how technology enabled budgeting capabilities for the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill by increasing visibility and unifying processes across a large, distributed university. The presenters will discuss how they are giving units across the university relevant and timely financial and HR data and reporting, and more autonomy to make data-informed decisions.

• Sheri Olson, director, data analytics and reporting, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
• Stephanie Bartlett, senior product marketing manager, OneStream Software
• Liz Feltman, implementation project manager, SandPoint Consulting

This demo session is brought to you by

Focus on what matters the most: students! Learn how to implement a student-centered funding allocation model designed to help senior leaders prioritize financial investments in effective equity initiatives. Designed to help improve student outcomes—and complete with a five-question scoring system and recommended actions for leadership—the Funding Allocation Matrix can be used by public, private, large, and small institutions. Focusing on students, equity, and alignment to mission and strategic priorities, this budget model also ensures that there is data to support an informed decision-making process for approved budget allocation during the annual budget cycle. The model will be available in beta version to all attendees, prior to its full launch.

• Lexie Bonitatibus, assistant vice president for administration and finance, SUNY Empire State University
• Kelli Rainey, senior director, , grants management, NACUBO

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Specialized Knowledge

Benchmarking is a valuable practice that helps identify issues, prompt critical questions, guide resource allocation, and even provide strategic direction for colleges and universities. However, identifying an appropriate comparison group is an essential step towards effectively guiding the institutional planning and budgeting process. This session will review examples of comparative data sources and discuss factors to ascertain proper benchmarking cohort(s). Hear about specific examples where comparison data has been used by the presenter to provide strategic direction and resource allocation considerations for a number of institutions.

• John Risboskin, vice president for finance and administration, Lackawanna College

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Finance

At last year’s forum, St. Petersburg College shared how the institution had just begun their transformational journey of moving to an agile planning and reporting model. Join them now to examine how they deployed this new methodology, both functionally and technically. Panelists will focus on roadmap items that have been deployed to date, such as the budgeting process, items currently in flight, including forecasting and projections, as well as items that are potentially in the queue, for example, strategic modeling and tuition revenue planning. See how they have moved from tactical to transformational and discover what else lies ahead on their planning and reporting roadmap.

• Hector Lora, associate vice president, budgeting, St. Petersburg College
• Chuck Persky, vice president, Performance Architects

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Finance

Deliberate and effective storytelling remains a crucial element as we increasingly communicate virtually. Hear one institution’s move from communicating data through tables to integrating data storytelling with Tableau dashboards, data warehouses, and modern presentations. Keeping three important components in mind—knowing your audience, understanding shared goals, and being mindful of time—this institution transitioned to presenting information in multiple formats while also taking advantage of technical solutions. Walk away with applicable tools and ideas for communicating financial information in digestible and meaningful ways.

• Alexandra "Lexi" Herndon, assistant dean for finance and business operations, UNC Chapel Hill
• Lauren Partin, associate dean for finance and operations, School of Government, UNC Chapel Hill

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Finance

Representatives from one institution will share how they improved their finance, budget, workforce, capital, debt, and financial aid modeling processes while aligning data from multiple sources across the institution. Organizing these different data sources allowed them to build and base multiple functional models on detailed source data and connect data across these models. Presenters will discuss how the university not only developed and connected these models and processes but also used this to connect different functional groups within the university, including the collaboration between financial aid and scholarships and the finance and budget team. Explore what this institution has been able to achieve and what they hope to accomplish in the future.

• Bryan Elmore, assistant vice president, budgets and business operations, Auburn University
• Justin Hayles. manager, financial planning and analysis, Auburn University
• Velda Rooker, director, university scholarships, Auburn University
• Curtis Gratz, partner, Spaulding Ridge

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Finance

Come ready to discuss a variety of challenges and strategies budgeting officers should be considering on their campuses during this conversational session focusing on diversified revenue streams. Join your colleagues to discuss resource challenges, how data can help with planning, and how others are approaching the next steps. Think “group therapy” ….without the personal expense!

• Aimee Heeter, vice provost for finance and administration, Indiana University Bloomington
• Orkun Toros, assistant vice president and chief budget officer, The University of Texas at Dallas
• Bryan Dickson, director, student financial services and educational programs, NACUBO

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Finance

Colleges and universities are often recognized for their long-standing traditions. You might smile as you think about some of your own institution’s traditions: a particular song or cheer, an annual student gathering, or an athletic rivalry. What may not bring a smile are long-standing traditional ERP budgeting and analysis tools. In this session, you will learn how one institution built a new tradition of connected financial planning. Panelists will describe their approach to change management, detailing how they evaluated existing processes, made decisions about new tools, and created a culture that embraced new financial tools and procedures.

Speakers

• Linda Kroll, associate vice president for finance, University of Notre Dame
• Missy Little, director, University of Notre Dame
• Brock Decicco, account executive, Anaplan
• Mela Fezzey, TruEd Consulting
• Russ Owen, Director, Higher Education, TruEd Consulting

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Finance

ChatGPT helped us write this session title. Are there other tasks that artificial intelligence (AI) can help higher ed with? Can colleges and universities leverage generative AI to improve planning, budgeting, and data use? What are the benefits and potential pitfalls to be aware of in the ever-evolving landscape? In this session, participants will explore challenges, opportunities, and strategies to leverage AI at their institutions. Participants are encouraged, but not required, to bring a laptop to this session to follow along panelists’ examples..

• Orkun Toros, assistant vice president and chief budget officer, The University of Texas at Dallas
• Karen Tumlinson, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer, Central College
• Jackie Agustin, manager, analytics and research, NACUBO

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Specialized Knowledge

Where do things stand for higher education almost one year away from the 2024 general election? How have judicial actions impacted the current administration’s agenda? What role has NACUBO played as a liaison with legislators and policymakers at the national level? Members of NACUBO’s Federal Affairs Team will offer observations and analysis of major legislative and regulatory changes and explore both challenges and opportunities ahead for colleges and universities.

• Bryan Dickson, director, student financial services and educational programs, NACUBO
• Ashley Jackson, director, government affairs, NACUBO

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Specialized Knowledge

Finance leaders know traditional budget cutting can no longer be the sole method for achieving strong institutional financial health and sustainability. Institutions must now understand their revenue and cost drivers and learn how programs and activities are generating return on investment in terms of people, time, and money. Discover two institutions’ processes for engaging the entire enterprise to understand academic demand, activities, and costs, identifying processes to monitor efficiency over time, and calculating and understanding return on investment.

• Sue Callahan, budget director, Anne Arundel Community College
• Robin Stanco, director of financial services, Washington State University Tri-Cities
• Rilie Sibold, associate, rpk GROUP

CPE Available

• 1.5 credits
• Finance

Have you ever asked a question of your analytics team and received an answer that did not seem right? Maybe you feel like you don’t even speak the same language as your institution's data professionals? Join us as we discuss approaches to enhancing data conversations. We will share practiced strategies that facilitate better, more productive conversations that lead to meaningful insights. Learn how data governance, a strong data culture, and heavily integrated partnerships can improve data competency and enable more sophisticated data analysis to inform complex decision-making.

• Susan Cooper, assistant vice president, data analytics and performance, Emory University
• Tiffany Ennis-Henry, business analyst III, Emory University

CPE Available

• 1.5 credits
• Specialized Knowledge

As part of NACUBO’s State of Higher Education series, members were surveyed about the top business challenges facing colleges and universities in 2023. Findings were explored in today’s general session, and in this session, attendees will have the opportunity to take a deeper dive into the themes. Some of the discussion questions we’ll explore are: How do the business issues at your institution compare to those at other colleges and universities? Which challenges are taking up most of your time? What are some solutions other institutions are employing to solve their most pressing challenges?

• Raysa Leer, associate vice president for financial affairs, University of the District of Columbia
• Karen Tumlinson, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer, Central College
• Lindsay Wayt, senior director, analytics, NACUBO

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Specialized Knowledge

College and university data needs have evolved beyond traditional reporting, and business officers are increasingly tasked to turn information from data into actionable, forward-looking insights. To rise to this expectation, business officers will need to partner with other institutional teams to establish a consistent, business-minded approach to data governance and systems management. In this session, panelists will share four “phases of action” to support their institution’s path to responsible data infrastructure, management, and stewardship while advancing the use of analytics. This approach was developed in partnership with 26 colleges and universities as part of a grant-funded project.

• Brian Lueth, Vice President for Finance and Business, Kalamazoo Valley Community College
• Marcus Richardson, executive director for Strategic Initiatives, CUNY Brooklyn
• Kelli Rainey, Senior Director, NACUBO

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Information Technology

Learn how one institution implemented better reporting, highlighted all available resources, and enabled budgets to become the true plan for operating activities. The transition to a new ERP allowed them a new approach to collect additional data points and create more visibility into balances, leading to the improved management of institutional resources. Scrapping budgetary spending authority has facilitated the use of unit-level multi-year plans, as all sources and uses are transacted and can then be planned for not just the next year, but years to follow. Explore their successes, lessons learned, challenges, and how they are moving forward.

• Katie Walker, assistant vice president, financial planning and analysis, University of Virginia

CPE Available

• 1 credit
• Finance

Data visualization resources are being created and assessed to better understand, evaluate, and prioritize financial resource allocation with an expanded lens on student need, support, and services. During this session, presenters will cover these tools and the value they offer to business and finance efforts and demonstrate functionality of the beta versions of these free resources. Take a deep dive into data tables, instructional materials, and specific data visualizations that focus on financial resource optimization for students using enhanced analytics. The resources presented in this session were developed in partnership with 26 institutions as part of a grant-funded project.

• Christopher Calvert, chief financial officer/vice president for finance, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
• Resche Hines, CEO, Trivium BI
• Kelli Rainey, senior director, grants management, NACUBO

CPE Available

• 1.5 credits
• Finance

Hear how one institution reimagined its budget planning process to engage stakeholders and leadership in multi-year planning and shift from incremental and siloed to strategic, incentive-based budgeting. The new process focuses on investment in “game changers” — the activities with the greatest return on investment for advancing the strategic priorities of the institution and creating equitable pathways for students. The new budget model and tools provide transparency to stakeholders and a better understanding of factors that drive expenditures and the cause and effect that pulling different revenue and expenditure levers has on the overall university budget.

• Jim Carpenter, chief financial officer, Metropolitan State University of Denver
• Matt Ceppi, executive director, AASCU Consulting

CPE Available

• 1.5 credits
• Finance

Panelists will share a contribution margin dashboard that they developed to better understand and make decisions about academic programs at their institution. They will discuss how they developed it and lessons learned along the way. The panelists, representing institutional research, IT, and the business office, are part of an institution team working with AIR, EDUCAUSE, and NACUBO on a grant-funded project to develop resources to help colleges and universities build data-informed cultures and use analytics for decision-making. Drafts of some of the guide’s resources will be previewed, and panelists will discuss how the guide can help other institutions build analytics capacity.

• James Garrison , chief information officer, University of North Texas
• Clayton Gibson, vice president for finance and administration, University of North Texas
• Jason Simon, associate vice president for data, analytics, and institutional research, University of North Texas

CPE Available

• 1.5 credits
• Information Technology