Finance Division Q3 Report

Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Operations Andrea DooleyThis spring has been quite eventful. In particular, our IT team has been running at full speed responding to the cyber attack and is now focused on future security improvements. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to IT for their dedication and exemplary teamwork. Thanks are also in order for the patience and ingenuity shown throughout the staff in ensuring the operations of the College moved forward without normal systems and processes.

The Board of Trustees met just last week. The work of the Finance Division was on display with the agenda including approval of the FY24 budget as well as a tour of campus construction projects. Among other discussion topics, the Board received a CAS enrollment report that indicates we do not expect to meet the budgeted 625 incoming first-year students for Fall 2023. We will spend time over the summer looking at the impact of this enrollment shortfall and making necessary budget adjustments.

Best,

Andrea Dooley

Facilities

Some spring warmth arrived to combine with lots of rain and the campus is finally turning green. The winter provided the opportunity for FY24 construction contracts to get organized and there will be another summer of intense facilities recapitalization. We’re excited about a large number of significant projects to be completed this summer.

Comings & Goings

We welcome Verlie Nelson to our Conferences and Events team as Assistant Director! We’re very glad to have her on board to help shepherd the biggest summer of events since pre-COVID. There is one additional position for an Assistant Director that remains vacant, and the department is working hard to keep up with demand. We also have four open Teamster positions as we saw a number of employee transitions including the retirement of Ken Dodson, our locksmith of 40 years, and the planned retirement of Don Anderegg, our master carpenter, later this month. We are very happy for them, but their camaraderie along with their knowledge, skill, and reliability will be sorely missed! The grounds team saw Laura Everard and Bryce Winn depart for other career adventures, and we’re actively recruiting to fill their vacant positions.

Capital Projects

The Stephanie Fowler Student Center received a fresh coat of paint this spring. The final electrical system improvements are ready for cutover and will result in a building closure from May 8–May 21 while the work is completed.

Stewart and Odell renovations began on schedule, and despite some snow days, remain on track to welcome students for the fall semester. Plumbing, ventilation, and electrical systems have been replaced with new modern equipment. The building boasts some important safety enhancements for seismic and fire protections, along with ADA living areas like none other on campus. Sustainability and decarbonization priorities were achieved with highly efficient HVAC systems, new envelope insulation measures, and energy-efficient windows.

The Huston Sports Complex renovation has struggled to align scope and budget with industry cost pressures. Permitting is now underway, and project construction is planned for August 2023, with turf completion targeted for November. A new restroom facility is in development, with a completion target of December 2024.

Grad Commons, after significant weather delays, work is underway at the Commons with concrete pads poured in early May. We expect the space to be largely usable by June.

Law school improvements, design is complete, and permits are expected any day for renovations of various spaces across Wood Hall and Boley Library. The bulk of the work will be complete by the end of the summer and will provide a mock courtroom for law students.

Roofing Projects

• Hartzfeld roof will begin in May on all four buildings.
• South Chapel roof replacement will be completed in June.
• Watzek Roof and downspout work will continue through the spring.
• Evans breezeway will have some rework to improve ventilation.

Sustainability

Thank you to those who assisted with sustainability-related events this past term including the Dress to Impress professional clothing swap, Earth Day activities, and Green Move Out. We couldn’t do it without you! We’d also like to thank and congratulate our graduating Sustainability Office student workers: Elijah Black, Ellie Mitchell, Francisco Perozo, and Vaani Aryaki.

This past term, Lewis & Clark became a signatory to the CANIE Accord, a public commitment to climate action that aligns international education with global climate agreements. Every spring, we inventory our greenhouse gas emissions and purchase carbon offsets and renewable energy to cover our impacts—including international study abroad travel. Next year, study-abroad students will be completing their own greenhouse gas footprints as part of their travel preparations. A big thank you and congratulations to Blythe Knott and Kaitlin Sommerfeld for all their hard work in this area!

This coming summer, we look forward to a number of exciting activities! In May and June, we will be preparing two large grants—one focused on solar and the other on waste reduction. Sustainability Director Amy Dvorak will also be teaching the Bates Center Sustainability Internship class and co-teaching a Climate Leadership Workshop for high school and college students. In August, the Sustainability Office, in partnership with College Outdoors and the First Year Experience program, will be running an inaugural new student trip focused on sustainability in the Gorge.

Business Office and Student Accounts

Comings & Goings

After nearly 30 years in the Business Office, Marietta Lawson retired at the end of March. Take some time to read this article about Marietta’s experiences on campus!

With this change, Travis Ables has shifted roles within the Business Office. He began his new role as Assistant Controller at the beginning of April. Since joining the College in 2021, Travis quickly became an integral part of the Financial Planning and Analysis team. He is now bringing his financial acumen and accounting expertise to his new role and will be a primary resource for questions regarding the purchasing card program, GL cost transfers, accounts payable, financial administration of the federal, state, and private grants and sub-grants, and maintenance of all grant and other restricted accounts. Budget-related questions should be directed to Katherine Shallenberger.

The Business Office has also welcomed Benson Nsanzabandi as a Staff Accountant. Student and Departmental Account Services is currently searching for qualified candidates to fill its two Student Account Specialist vacancies.

Financial Planning & Analysis

The past few months have been spent working through many of the details in the FY24 budget including revising assumptions, updating department-level budgets, and consolidating information from the three schools and Common Services. The FY24 budget was approved by the Board of Trustees at the May meeting and has been loaded to Colleague to enable budget managers to track in the budget section of Colleague Self-Service.

Information Technology

The IT team worked countless hours over the past two months responding to the recent cyber attack in addition to normal duties supporting our campus infrastructure, classroom and administrative technology, faculty, staff, and event support. Key response activities have included liaising with forensic consultants on attack investigation activities, rebuilding technology infrastructure from backups, reworking and implementing new processes for account creation and VPN connectivity, organizing password resets for all community members, and distributing credit monitoring codes to current employees and students.

Stay tuned for next quarter’s update for more information. Thank you IT!