Angela Abbott, interim associate dean of agriculture and director of extension, discusses operations and fiscal management during a weekly meeting with Lacey Raub, assistant director of financial affairs. (Purdue University photo)
As the front line of financial guidance on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus, Business Management staff make it their mission to properly manage the university’s $2.5 billion budget and keep its academic departments, schools and administrative units running as efficiently as possible.
Every day, Business Management teams across campus collaborate with faculty, department heads and other university employees to connect them with the resources, information and data they need to bring their visions to life. They’re listeners, brainstormers, problem solvers and consultants who inform key financial decisions that impact the growth and success of the university.
“We are the catchall,” says Alicia Carroll, senior business manager for the departments of Mathematics; Statistics; and Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. “If someone doesn’t know something, they’re coming to us. We are at the forefront of assisting with the execution of research and departmental initiatives, and it’s our job to ensure those funds are being spent properly.”
For Business Management staff, no two workdays are the same. Whether they’re assisting with budgets, preparing financial forecasts or managing grant funding, they’re always in troubleshooting mode, ready to pivot their work to manage any questions or concerns that arise. And they do it all with a forward-thinking attitude and a genuine desire to find creative solutions that move business forward.
“A good business manager doesn’t approach a problem with ‘No, you can’t do that,’” says John Higgins, executive director of research finance and account management. “They will approach it with ‘Let me make sure I understand what you’re wanting to accomplish.’ They may not be able to take exactly the approach suggested, but they try to find paths to get to that outcome in a way that is viable from a financial, operational or policy perspective.”
Their efforts are put to the test when external auditors visit campus to review financial expenses and processes related to grant expenditures. Over the last five years, the university has had 21 external financial audits with only five findings — three process findings and two cost findings of less than $5,000. These successful audits showcase Business Management and Sponsored Program Services staff’s excellent ability to collaborate with their customers to efficiently and accurately manage the university’s resources and protect its financial reputation.
It’s business managers like Carroll who help drive this level of success by maintaining keen attention to detail and building positive relationships with colleagues and key stakeholders. They help department heads like Bill Crossley stay in the know without having to wade too deep into the minute financial details that would otherwise weigh down their workload.
“Because we’re a complex organization, I have to rely on my business manager,” says Crossley, the Uhrig & Vournas Head of Aeronautics and Astronautics, who is supported by business manager Amy Stanley. “It’s essentially impossible for a department head to put in the time needed to keep track of everything at the detail we need to. I couldn’t do it without them.”
That collaboration is what drives many of Purdue’s Business Management staff. They help transform ideas into plans of action that align with their unit’s mission and advance the university’s strategic goals, and their knowledge and expertise help keep the university’s operations running smoothly.
“They have the university’s interests at heart, and they will work really hard to try to find resolutions to really difficult, complex problems that land with them because sometimes there’s no other place for them to go,” Higgins says. “So many times, it’s not even visible how hard they’re working on behalf of the university, but that relentless pursuit to just keep things running and to try to better their area is common across every unit out there.”
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