Spotlight on Jeff Shields
Jeff Shields was awarded the "Super Star" award by the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives (GWSAE) in 1997, an honor bestowed upon the organization's active member of the year. In his role as Vice President of Community and Member Services for the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), Jeff has oversight over community development, member services, strategic and operational planning, marketing, volunteer management and regional relations.
We recently had an opportunity to discuss Jeff's approach to association management and the role of his association in the higher education community.
Q: Your organization stresses "community." Why is this important in the association setting? A: Community and NACUBO are a natural fit. In fact, higher education has focused on community development for years. Few other professions actively seek to bring diverse individuals together into a single environment where they live, learn and work as a community. Individuals who serve as the chief business officer at a college or university (NACUBO's primary representative) are keenly aware that the success of their institution relies heavily upon the collaboration between the faculty, students and staff. |
The same can be said for "community" within the association environment. NACUBO seeks to maximize the power of community to the benefit of its members and stakeholders. Acknowledging that individuals form connections within the association environment with little to no effort every day, NACUBO seeks to leverage this unique but intangible benefit to complement the professional development opportunities and other activities the association makes available to its members. Q: What does NACUBO do to promote this sense of "community" in higher education? A: As an institutionally-based membership, we seek ways to bring our members together as individuals working at the same types of institutions (community colleges, small institutions, comprehensive/doctoral institutions, research universities), as individuals who have similar roles at institutions (chief business officers, tax managers, controllers, etc.) or because they are interested in the same issues (endowment management strategies, cost of college, etc.) Our largest effort to date was a full day of community programming during our Annual Meeting. "Community Day" has become our most visible and successful strategy so far. By dedicating a full day of education to individuals working at the same type of institution, we provide an opportunity for networking and a more customized learning experience within the context of the larger meeting. Last year we hosted online chats prior to our Annual Meeting, allowing individuals to connect before the on-site event, as well as creating a promotional opportunity for attendance at the Annual Meeting. We intend to double the number of these offerings in the coming year. Q: You have members on both sides of the higher education community: financial officers at higher education institutions and the companies that offer them products and services. What type of opportunity does this create? A: NACUBO encourages our corporate members to interact with the association as much as possible. This includes reading and writing articles for Business Officer magazine, attending or co-facilitating our professional development offerings, and assisting us with scanning and responding to the financial environment within higher education. We make every effort to position for-profit vendors as our partners committed to helping chief business officers and their staff meet the economic and administrative challenges of higher education. Q: Given the fact that many of your members rely on state funding, how is NACUBO adapting in the face of the challenging budget environment so many states are facing? Are you implementing any programming specifically to meet needs of cost-cutting member institutions? A: NACUBO just recently sponsored a distance learning program entitled "Surviving State Budget Cuts" to help provide a forum for our members to discuss this issue and identify possible solutions. A diverse panel of state supported institutions led this program and it was broadcast from our new distance-learning studio inside our office in Washington DC. This studio was made possible through a contribution by one of our corporate members and allows us to deliver timely, low-cost education to our members that is responsive to their ever-changing needs. I can't think of an issue more important to our members, and NACUBO will continue to offer strategies to help address it. Q: At your Annual Meeting, NACUBO leadership met to discuss your business plan as it relates to your strategic goals. How have you integrated your planning and business model discussions with the actual implementation of your goals and objectives? Have you run into challenges in this process? A: The NACUBO Board made significant progress this year developing a 3-5 year long-range strategy. We were determined to make this process more than an exercise in developing a document that will sit on the shelf collecting dust. The Board developed strategies and processes that support our vision of "defining excellence in higher education business and financial management". This directly links to our annual planning and budgeting process and to each staff members' individual goals. We're very proud of this accomplishment. Of course it is challenging to do something new within a complex environment. It is doubly challenging to "learn while doing." Associations don't have the luxury to pause member service and professional development while building a new vision or strategy. I believe, however, that we were successful because we remained focused on our desired outcome and were willing to make incremental progress rather than trying to re-invent everything within 12 months. We could not be more pleased with the results. During this past year, the association was able to exceed its budgetary goals; deliver a robust portfolio of programs, products and services responsive to member needs; and the Board has a clearly articulated roadmap to pursue the strategic aspirations of the association. This process provided an opportunity for each member of the Board and NACUBO staff to more clearly understand the role they must continue to play as it relates to NACUBO's future success. Q: What are your plans for recruiting member institutions outside your core markets? A: Most of our attention in this area will be on our corporate partners. The universe of prospective members is enormous and our assessment is that we have just begun to scratch the surface. The return on investment from this member segment is highly valuable both in financial terms and in the perspectives they are able to share with our college and university members. Q: NACUBO enjoys an extremely high percentage of market share and retention rate in your core markets. To what do you attribute this success? A: We consistently deliver quality programs, products and services while working in Washington as an advocate for our members. During the last decade, leaders of the association (volunteers and staff) have actively taken risks, re-engineered structures and processes and have been willing to change in order to ensure that the work of the association is relevant and serves our members well. From my point of view, NACUBO has gotten better at what we do through innovation and I believe members have seen the progress and have rewarded the association with their continued commitment of membership. NACUBO is very lucky and we do not take any one of our member institutions for granted. We have a great reputation and a loyal membership. Back to Spotlight Articles |