βBusiness Officer Magazineβ asks Nicole Trufant to pen article on 911±¬ΑΟΝψΊμΑμ½νβs financial success

An article by Nicole Trufant, vice president of Finance and Administration, was published in the July/August issue of Business Officer Magazine, a publication of the National Association of College and University Business Officers.
In βRevenue Regeneration,β Trufant describes the transformation of the 911±¬ΑΟΝψΊμΑμ½ν over the past decade from a school with βconsiderable deferred maintenance issues, a negligible endowment, and no cash reservesβ into a βvibrant, financially healthy university,β with three campuses, six colleges, a national reputation for excellence in the health sciences and a doubled student headcount.
She credits the transformation to President Danielle Ripichβs 10-year strategic plan, βVision 2017,β as well as to University leaders who remained flexible and adaptive and who welcomed a βnew culture of data-driven decision making to support the strategic plan.β
Specifically, Trufant notes the Universityβs swift creation of an online niche that has been instrumental in 911±¬ΑΟΝψΊμΑμ½νβs growth and development. A Revenue Data Review table included in the article outlines the growth of tuition revenue over the past six years from the Online Graduate Programs in Public Health (a 733 percent increase) and the Online Master of Social Work program (a 1,741 percent increase). The data shows an overall tuition revenue increase over the past ten years of 181 percent.
βBecause we knew we had to accomplish our online expansion without making budget cuts to existing programs or incurring additional debt,β Trufant explained, βit was essential that we develop financially self-sustaining programs. We implemented the basic concepts of performance-based budgeting, using a model focused on mission, goals, and objectives.β
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