Finance & Administration
BRONTÈ BURLEIGH-JONES, VICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
Throughout the year, the Division of Finance & Administration maintained a disciplined approach in all aspects of budgeting to rebuild the college’s financial reserves while providing students, faculty and staff the resources needed to carry out the college’s mission at the highest level. As a result, Dickinson increased the cumulative financial reserve balance to $5.5 million after approving over $1.6 million in strategic reinvestments. These reserves provide a vital financial buffer for emergency expenses (including a segregated reserve for health care) and strategic investments in the near future.
The division also made significant progress on the following:
- Capital Projects: Completed the research phase for the Allison Hall renovations, working with the architects Stegman & Associates and gathering input from the campus community. Selected construction management firm for pre-construction research for the new residence hall project; working group meetings are scheduled to begin mid-January.
- Sustainability: Completed Climate Action Plan projects resulting in utility savings of $127,000 and emission reductions of 637 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) (11 percent of the college’s FY2020 carbon neutrality goal). Planned central energy plant enhancements that will save $400,000 to $600,000 and cut carbon emissions by 1,300-2,100 MTCO2e (one third of the college’s FY20 neutrality goal) annually.
- Benefits Assessment: Partnered with Aon Hewitt to compare Dickinson’s benefits package with more than 60 peer institutions to ensure we remain attractive to current employees and potential new hires.
- Salary Study: Benchmarked 85 percent of administrative positions to provide market comparisons, which will help create uniform salary standards to align the college’s compensation philosophy with its strategic priorities.