Dec, 12, 2012
CHARLESTON -- MUSC hosted a Southern Association of College and University Business Officers (SACUBO) higher education leadership drive-in workshop Dec. 10-11 at the Charleston Marriott. Approximately 100 representatives from universities as far away as Texas registered for the event, which featured sessions about tax issues, credit ratings, financial reporting, and MUSC’s responsibility center management (RCM) model.
Larry Goldstein, president of Campus Strategies, LLC, said he rejects the doom and gloom predictions of brick and mortar college campuses disappearing because of online options and financial problems. “I get really frustrated when I hear people question the value of an education,” he said. “Even a little bit of college gives you some better job security.”
Goldstein emphasized that the landscape of higher education has changed recently — state appropriations have been slashed, student demographics have shifted, and there has been an increase in the demand for accountability. In order to combat these changes, he said institutions must learn to better understand costs and revenues then redistribute existing resources.
He explained Robert C. Dickeson’s prioritization model, which is presented in “Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services,” and said it has been successfully employed at “dozens, if not hundreds of institutions.” The model helps leaders of institutions make decisions that support the reallocation of resources away from underperforming activities to successful activities.
Patrick Wamsley, MUSC’s chief financial officer, hosted and helped organize the event.
"SACUBO drive-in workshops are a great way to bring high quality professional development to the campus. We were extremely fortunate to have the caliber of speakers we did,” Wamsley said. “Mr. Goldstein’s presentation, as well as the others that followed, provided a broad perspective of the national higher-education landscape. We were also enthused by the large turnout of higher-education professionals from all over the region."
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 11,000 employees, including 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.7 billion. MUSC operates a 750-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital, the Ashley River Tower (cardiovascular, digestive disease, and surgical oncology), and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.
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