By Jeff Murphy,
July 20, 2017
WARRENSBURG, MO – Having been part of the team effort to develop the University of
Central Missouri’s Strategic Resource Allocation Model (SRAM), Roger Best, current
dean of the Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies, will employ his professional
leadership skills for an assignment as Interim Senior Vice President for Finance and
Administration. His appointment was announced today following a special closed meeting
of the UCM Board of Governors.
Best, who has served as dean of the Harmon College since July 2010, begins his interim
assignment Aug. 1. His appointment comes as the university faces budget challenges
posed by declining state support, issues that impact international and domestic student
enrollment, and increasing mandatory expenses. Betsy Kreisel, associate dean of the
Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies, will serve as interim dean while
Best assumes duties as the Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration.
“We have a tremendous opportunity to benefit from Dr. Best’s leadership, knowledge
and experience at a critical time for UCM, requiring a campus wide focus on resource
allocation and the development of new revenue,” said Charles Ambrose, UCM president.
“Addressing the financial challenges we face today requires someone who has a strong
acumen in finance, but who also has a strong working knowledge of our Strategic Resource
Allocation Model (SRAM) and deeply understands the campus community. This is exactly
what Dr. Best brings to this key position. I am grateful he has accepted the challenge,
and I have the utmost confidence in his ability to provide his talents and leadership
to move the university forward.”
To further advance the institution at a time when state appropriations were near the
2000 level, UCM’s Board of Governors during the 2014-2015 academic year authorized
the university administration to begin development of the SRAM, which continues to
play an important role in FY18 budgeting and beyond. SRAM provides an opportunity
to take both a tactical and strategic approach in considering how the campus operates
to meet strategic priorities, and is a way to achieve positive and effective change
in the resource allocation process by incentivizing innovation, new sources of funding,
and revenue generation in support of the university mission.
Ambrose said Best played an integral leadership role in SRAM and the work of the Budget
Working Group as the university works to reset the FY 18 budget and meet long-term
financial challenges. He was instrumental in development of the SRAM process by chairing
one of three teams that were essential to establishing strategic targets or deliverables.
Known as Team 2, the group led by Best considered how the budget process could further
enhance transparency and accountability, and ensure budget resources are directly
connected to strategy and to key performance indicators (KPIs), which are metrics
used to measure student success, growth with quality, and sustainability and efficiency.
In talking about his new role, Best said he is honored to serve the university in
this capacity and humbled by the confidence in him that has been shown by President
Ambrose and the Board of Governors.
“As we further implement SRAM, and seek innovative approaches to address the financial
challenges facing higher education, I look forward to working with the president’s
Strategic Leadership Team, the great team we have in Finance and Administration, and
all campus stakeholders,” he remarked.
Best added, “During my career at UCM, I have been impressed consistently by the strong
commitment from faculty and staff to our students and the institution, and I anticipate
much assistance throughout this appointment.
Dr. Kreisel’s assumption of leadership of the Harmon College of Business and Professional
Studies during this assignment is indicative of such commitment, and I appreciate
her willingness to do so.”
The Interim Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration will report directly
to Ambrose and serve as a senior administrative officer with Associate Vice Presidents
reporting to the position for Finance, Human Resources, and Facilities Planning and
Operations.
Best joined UCM in August 1995 as an assistant professor of finance, and climbed the
faculty ranks to become a professor in 2005. He was named chair of the Department
of Economics and Finance in 2003, and became associate dean of the Harmon College
in 2008. For the past seven years as dean, he has been instrumental in helping the
college to continue to maintain its accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate
Schools of Business (AACSB) – International.
In addition to his service to the Harmon College, Best has a strong record of participation
in department, college and university committees, and has previous service on the
Faculty Senate and a number of senate committees. He also has a solid record of scholarly
research. Such accomplishments have included publishing numerous articles in refereed
journals and making presentations at professional conferences for groups such as the
Financial Management Association, International Academy of Business and Economics,
Midwest Finance Association, and Southern Finance Association, just to name a few.
Best began his higher education at Georgia College in Milledgeville, now Georgia College
and State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
in Management degree. Additional study led to a Ph.D. in finance at The Florida State
University in Tallahassee.
