Medgar Evers College, City University of New York (CUNY)
Prior to becoming the President and Chief Executive Officer of
COSTAATT, from 1989 to 2008, I held a diverse portfolio of responsibilities at
Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York (CUNY) including: to
President/Legal Affairs, and Executive Assistant to President/Chief of Staff Vice
President of Institutional Advancement, Vice President/Dean of Strategic
Planning and Information Technology/Chief Technology Officer, Vice
President/Dean of Finance and Development/Chief Financial Officer, Acting Dean
of the School of Business and Public Administration, Senior Policy Advisor. These diverse responsibilities have provided
me with the depth and breathe of experiences that allowed me to understand the
role that CUNY (the third largest university system in the nation) plays in
meeting the higher education needs of the people of New York City, while
simultaneously meeting the specific needs of the residents of the Central
Brooklyn and the surrounding environs; and indeed made me eminently qualified
to assume Presidency of COSTAATT and address the challenges and opportunities
that were inherent in this position.
Strategic Planning: Led
the development of the first five-year strategic master plan for a unit of the
City University of New York (CUNY) that aligned attainable goals and objectives
with realistic resources to permit the accomplishment of the college's mission.
Reviewed existing business plans; established strategic planning steering
committee as well as respective business unit work groups; performed SWOT
analyses and environmental scanning; coordinated the establishment of goals and
objectives; identified resources.
Results: The College has become 15-20 percent more efficient in utilizing
resources as well as 75-80 percent more effective in achieving its goals and
objectives.
Finance: Restructured the College’s financial
operations by consolidating functions and activities of key offices. Performed
comprehensive audit of financial operations; analyzed existing financial
policies, procedures, standards, systems and
organizational structure to evaluate effectiveness in service delivery;
established a series of policies, procedures,
standards and systems to more efficiently
manage accounting/financial data collection, analysis, and reporting; improved
quality, accuracy, and usefulness of financial data, for timely and effective
decision-making.
Results: Enhanced accountability; increased efficiency;
improved information processing and reporting; increased revenue collection by
20 percent; accelerated cash flow by 10 percent; streamlined purchasing and
procurement process by reducing paperwork by 25 percent; re-negotiated vendor
service contracts which reduced expenditures by 15% and increased
revenues by 30%.
'
Information
Technology: Led a cross-functional
team of internal and external professionals in developing and implementing the
College’ first five-year, $5 million information technology and
telecommunications strategic plan. Reviewed existing plan; researched industry
trends; coordinated with business units to solicit goals and objectives and
develop IT strategies; evaluated alternatives; developed resource requirements
for implementing plan.
Results: The College is now one of the most technologically
advanced units within CUNY, and has one of the best FTE student-to-PC-ratio (8
to 1) of any college. Generated over 70 percent of funding for IT plans from
non-university sources.
Marketing: Developed Medgar Evers College first marketing and
recruitment plan based on the concept of "Creating Success - One Student
at a Time" for the successful penetration of new student markets.
Researched and prepared concept paper; identified untapped market segments; developed
marketing plan including ad campaign and other collateral materials; set
recruitment targets for untapped markets.
Results: Increased the number of new students from
previously untapped markets by more than 10 percent annually, accounting for
over 35 percent of new admissions.
Construction
Management: Managed and coordinated
multiple, complex capital projects.
Justified capital construction projects, prepared project bids and
project budgets; scheduled and supervised in-house professionals as well as
external contractors; provided full project management control including the
establishment of project checkpoints to ensure meeting stakeholder
requirements. Lead the development of the college's $360 million capital
construction master plan which detailed the facilities needed to meet existing
and future enrollment levels.
Results: Completed projects on time and within budget, and
consistently met or exceeded stakeholders' expectations.
Human
Resources: Developed Medgar Evers
College first five-year human resources management plan. Conducted
organizational assessments; implemented new organizational structure that more
clearly aligned functions, activities and personnel with goals and objectives;
developed succession planning program and strategy; instituted a comprehensive
recruitment and staffing program that widened the available pool of applicants;
designed creative compensation strategies that attracted and retained employees
in critical positions; created a comprehensive staff development and training
program; added counseling and referral services to address at-risk employees.
Results: Based upon organizational assessment surveys,
employees consistently feel the college is as much about its employees' success
as its own.
