Over the past six weeks, I’ve been humbled by the warm welcome I’ve received. Though I have not met all of you, it’s obvious how much care you put into your work to maintain the integrity of this institution. Although my past jobs have been in county and city governments and U.S. federal agencies, I know that Carolina is unique, and I am excited to be a Tar Heel!
As Nate mentioned in last month’s column, there are several high-priority goals for the short term: implementing a new all-funds budget process, improving financial reporting and hiring a university controller. The budget process, in particular, is a big shift for our central offices and for campus. Taking our budget process back to a foundational level will allow a comprehensive all-funds financial view of central and campus financial resources. We must see what collective financial resources we have in order to know how to plan in a unified way and to anticipate the resources needed for the University’s future.
I appreciate the institutional knowledge and innovative thinking that you’ve shared with me so far on this and other projects, and I look forward to working with your teams!