Talking Stick - January/February 2017 - 34

SPECIAL FOCUS
of lost funding needs to be illustrated.

the larger good."

Departmental goals and spending
should align with the mission and
vision of the college and, in the spirit
of transparency, budgeting plans
should include others outside the
department. As Posener explains,
"It's important to bring in different
constituencies across campus to buy
into your goals . . . perhaps the project
can be a student affairs/academic
affairs initiative, or perhaps student
government would be willing to be
a part of or lead the initiative." In
addition, it is helpful to see the budget
as a whole rather than focusing on a
specific need or request. As McFarland
says, "I teach staff to look at the overall
or bottom line of their budgets rather
than focusing on a specific line. There
might not be enough in a retention
line, but perhaps money from a
programming line (which contributes
to overall retention) can be used for

Carolee White, vice president for
finance and chief financial officer
at Hobart and William Smith,
recommends that departments
keep in mind what she calls the
five pillars of an effective proposal:
purpose, demand, benefit, outcome,
and justification. Using the need
for more equipment in the campus
fitness center as an example, she
explains each pillar as follows. (1)
What is the reason for incurring this
expense? Did increasing enrollment
result in increasing demand? (2) How
many people (students, faculty, staff,
alumni, community members, etc.)
actually request the good or service?
Let's say that over the past five years
the university has gained 500 more
students and 100 faculty/staff without
adding more fitness machines. How
frequent are the complaints about
long lines and wait times? (3) What

benefit does incurring the expense
provide to the institution as a whole
or to the people who demand the good
or service? Will purchasing/leasing
additional equipment help reduce wait
times and allow more people to take
advantage of the fitness center? (4)
What is the likely outcome in terms of
quantifiable results directly related to
incurring the expense? If the current
equipment (50 machines) is used by
each person for 30 minutes, then the
facility can serve a maximum of 100
people per hour. Adding 15 machines
can move 30 percent more people
through the facility per hour, which is
equivalent, in this case, to the increase
in the campus-wide rise in the number
of students, faculty, and staff. (5)
And, finally, what is the justification
to support the amount requested?
Fifteen machines at $5,000/machine
= a $75,000 request. And when
the request is for something that

52% of students say living
on-campus taught them how to
balance school, work, & socializing.
2014-2015 ACUHO-I/Benchworks Resident Assessment

Developed in partnership with ACUHO-I, Benchworks Residence Life
Assessments measure impact and provide data-backed improvements
so your housing programs can keep trending upward.
Contact Skyfactor for a personalized demo today.
skyfactor.com | Courtney.Briley@macmillan.com | (512) 222-5315

34

TALKING STICK
http://www.skyfactor.com
Talking Stick - January/February 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - January/February 2017
