Beyond the Spreadsheet: Aligning Finance, Enrollment, and Student Success

Robbie Campbell-Lissade - Rutgers, The State of New Jersey

Loly Cambeiro - Rutgers, The State of New Jersey

In today’s evolving higher education landscape, effective budgeting requires more than spreadsheets—it demands intentional collaboration across units. This session shares how Rutgers University–Newark transformed its budgeting culture by breaking down divisional silos and implementing a cross-functional framework grounded in commitment, collaboration, communication, and climate (RUN 4 C’s).This breakdown stems from mismatched expectations and misunderstandings. At Brown University School of Public Health, the Finance and Administration division faced exactly this reality: reactive service, strained relationships, and recurring breakdowns within administration and between faculty and staff.

Presenters will illustrate how integrating enrollment forecasting, student success metrics, and financial planning processes has led to more transparent decision-making, stronger alignment with institutional priorities, and a more student-centered resource-allocation model. Attendees will gain practical strategies for fostering trust across divisions, embedding data into annual budget cycles, and shifting from transactional budgeting to a mission-driven, equity-focused financial planning approach.

Learning Objectives

  • Design cross-functional budget partnerships by understanding how effective financial planning requires collaboration across Finance, Enrollment Management, Institutional Effectiveness, and Student Affairs—and identify practical steps to build shared ownership of institutional resources.
  • Integrate data into financial planning by recognizing how enrollment projections, student success metrics, and institutional performance data should directly inform budgeting decisions, ensuring that financial planning supports measurable student outcomes.
  • Advance a student-centered budget model by exploring how transparency, trust, and mission alignment can transform budgeting from a compliance-driven exercise into a strategic, equity-informed process that prioritizes student experience and long-term institutional health.

CPE Available

  • 1 Credit: Management Services