ā€˜Business Officer Magazineā€™ asks Nicole Trufant to pen article on UNEā€™s financial success

Nicole Trufant
Nicole Trufant

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 ā€œRevenue Regeneration,ā€ Trufant describes the transformation of the Ā鶹“«Ć½ over the past decade from a school with ā€œconsiderable deferred maintenance issues, a negligible endowment, and no cash reservesā€ into a ā€œvibrant, financially healthy university,ā€ 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 Ripichā€™s 10-year strategic plan, ā€œVision 2017,ā€ as well as to University leaders who remained flexible and adaptive and who welcomed a ā€œnew culture of data-driven decision making to support the strategic plan.ā€

Specifically, Trufant notes the Universityā€™s swift creation of an online niche that has been instrumental in UNEā€™s 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.

ā€œBecause we knew we had to accomplish our online expansion without making budget cuts to existing programs or incurring additional debt,ā€ Trufant explained, ā€œit 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.ā€

 

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions