The Philanderian Dr. Frank James - Philander Smith College

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Bishop Charles Crutchfield with Dr.
Kimbrough at the President’s Luncheon.
Handling Business
I
remember an interview I gave soon after I arrived at Philander
Smith College. The reporter indicated that I was coming in after
some significant successes, particularly with funds raised for two
new buildings (the library and the Kendall building), as well as a new
residence hall. This work was part of what I call a physical Renaissance
of the campus- the work of Drs. Titus and Reed to improve the facilities,
moves that gave the college a nice presence in the downtown area.
I remember saying that my work would not be “sexy.” Based on my
initial weeks, I knew a lot of attention needed to be given to the details
of operating the college. There were great opportunities to improve
operations, and frankly, some significant challenges that needed to be
addressed. You don’t really make front page news for improving your
operations, but if you don’t handle business, front page news is bound to
find you.
So over the past seven years we have had a team effort to improve
the operations on this campus. Some of the work was basic. It was as
simple as pay bills on time! We worked to collect money regularly from students. I will never forget being told
my 3rd day on the job that we had over $1.5 million in uncollected student tuition and fees. Today, we collect
over 98 percent every semester.
We spent years working with the Department of Education to address issues raised in an audit, a report
that could have threatened the college’s existence. The successful resolution of that matter was a minor miracle.
New policies and procedures were instituted, and we employed best practices in managing our resources.
In December of 2011 we had our Board audit committee meeting. The fact that we had the previous year’s
audit completed in November, versus in May when I arrived, is a sign of great progress. I stepped out of the
meeting to take a call. When I returned 15 minutes later, they were done. There was nothing to talk about
because there were no audit findings.
None.
Maybe this isn’t headline news. But when I think about the 8 findings from the Department of Education,
14 from the Student Loan Guarantee Foundation of Arkansas, and the 10 internal audit findings, with all three
reports in 2005, I can hardly sit still! I am extremely proud of the work we’ve done in this area, and I love to
talk about it.
So when I learned recently that we were selected as a finalist for the Arkansas Business newspaper’s Nonprofit
of the Year, I was honored, but not surprised. While we’re still looking for ways to get better, we are
definitely handling business.
And handling business is, well, sexy.
Walter M. Kimbrough, Ph. D.