RVCC 2019 NECHE Self-Study

President by monitoring the budget, completing periodic fiscal-year forecasts, and ensuring
that RVCC adheres to the financial policies laid out by the Board of Trustees.
With the fluctuating staffing in the BAO position, at times there had been loss of oversight
in the finances. As a result, the 2016 Fiscal Year saw a deficit of over ($405,637). When
the College hired the current BAO in August of 2016, a true understanding of the finances
was not even accessible. One of the first tasks of the BAO was to obtain accurate financial
reports, to educate the college community on the financial situation, and create a
transparent financial environment. As a result of these initiatives, the Business Office was
able to convey to faculty and staff an overview of the spending habits of the College as
well as find ways to decrease expenses. Communication with the college community about
the budget began occurring on a regular basis during the 2016 All-College Staff Meeting.
At each meeting, the BAO prepared a presentation to educate the college community
about the state of the budget. The goal of the BAO during these presentations was to be
transparent about the finances and always speak to the expenses that were particularly
high for the month as well as ways to reduce those expenses. Some examples of
reduction of daily expenses included items such as installing motion sensors on all college
lighting, decreasing the use of color copies, evaluating the printing patterns of the College
and renegotiating contracts related to the photocopiers, and reviewing policies surrounding
making long distance phone calls from work phones. Analysis of these cost savings
measures is ongoing. Other cost saving measures included the reduction of the vehicle
fleet by one leased vehicle, saving the College $3400. As a result of these efforts, the
RVCC community reduced the forecasted deficit as presented in February of 2017 from
($533,702) to a deficit of ($265,000), and by FY18, RVCC was able turn the deficit into a
surplus of $1,308,139. Currently, RVCC is forecasting a surplus for FY19 as well.
Annually, the Business Affairs Officer provides all Department Chairs, Program
Coordinators, and Department Heads with a description of current year expenses and asks
them to develop a budget for the next fiscal year based on the amount they spent in the
current fiscal year, plus any needed additions. In the past year, the BAO has encouraged
a flat or 0% increase budgeting approach whenever possible to assist in balancing the
budget, and to weather any enrollment variability.
Once proposed budgets are collected, the BAO confers with the VPAA and President to
analyze the budget as a whole and determine where adjustments need to be made. If
changes to individual department budgets are needed, one on one conversations with
department heads determine what can be done to accommodate the needs of RVCC. The
BAO and the President work closely to ensure that budgets are appropriately distributed
throughout programs, by basing any needed budget increases on enrollment, age of
equipment, accreditation requirements, and explanations provided with budget requests.
An example of the variability in programmatic budgets, and the process of ensuring that
budgets are appropriately distributed can be seen by comparing the Criminal Justice
program with the Medical Laboratory Program. An example of a flat or zero percentage
increase budgeted program would be the Criminal Justice Program which consistently had
a budget of $150 with no changes for years. In FY19, many of their classes switched to
on-line or hybrid classes, minimizing the need for supplies, and solidifying the accuracy of
a budget that is low in comparison to other programs in the College. On the other hand,
the Medical Lab Technician program was estimating an increase in students, and is a
program that is supply heavy and requires national accreditation dues. As a result, the
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