CSU Budget Model Redesign — COMMITTEES & GOVERNANCE

CSU's Budget Conversation Series

Colorado State University is inviting all faculty, staff, and students to engage in two different yet simultaneous series of campus conversations and listening sessions around the institution’s budget. The first series of conversations focuses on the University’s current budget for FY25-26 and FY26-27, referred to as the operating or Incremental Budget.

The second series of conversations focuses on options for renewing our budget model for an innovative future in alignment with our land-grant mission and institutional priorities. The goal is to design a budget model that enables greater creativity and increased agility while improving fiscal responsibility and transparency in our financial decision-making processes. This is what is referred to as the Budget Model Redesign.

The governance structure of the CSU Budget Model Redesign is intended to clarify roles and responsibilities for facilitating the redesign process, including information sharing, feedback collection, cross-functional input, and broad campus engagement. The governance structure consists of an Executive Sponsor Committee, Steering Committee, and Technical Committee.

The Steering and Technical committees are comprised of members from across the University, appointed by the Executive Sponsor Committee, to represent a robust variety of CSU perspectives, roles, and experiences and promote balance and shared governance in the redesign process. In addition to direct appointments such as Faculty and Employee Council leadership, deans, and budget officers, members of the CSU faculty and staff were invited to nominate themselves or colleagues to be considered for serving on either the Steering or Technical committee (up to two nominee seats per committee). Nominations were closed at 5 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2023; however, we encourage you to engage in the Budget Model Redesign process by attending the campus engagement sessions.

More information is provided below on the roles and membership of each committee.

Budget Model Redesign Governance Structure & Committees: The Technical Committee creates and provides recommendations to the Steering Committee on model-specific design elements. The Steering Committee reviews recommendations from the Technical Committee and provides final recommendations to the Executive Sponsor Committee. The Executive Sponsor Committee, in addition to determining and charging the other two committees, makes final budget model recommendations to the president.

Executive Sponsor Committee

The Executive Sponsor Committee, comprised of a cross-section of executive leadership, will ensure the alignment of the budget model with the University vision and mission with a commitment to fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, transparency, and financial sustainability. Specifically, the Executive Sponsor Committee will:   

  • Provide executive endorsement and support for the project, championing the model revision process;
  • Establish the values that guide the process based on input from multiple campus stakeholders; 
  • Establish design principles, parameters, and priorities for the University budget model;
  • Charge the Steering Committee and Technical Committee;
  • Review and provide feedback/decisions on proposals and recommendations from the Steering Committee on an ongoing basis;
  • Using information and recommendations provided by the Steering Committee, make final recommendations regarding the CSU budget model to the president, chancellor, and Board of Governors;  
  • Serve as executive champions for the model and support implementation, once approved; and  
  • One member of this committee will serve as an ex officio member of the Steering Committee and will ensure their process moves forward. 

Executive Sponsor Committee Members

Amy Parsons

President

Lise Youngblade

Interim Provost & Executive Vice President

Rick Miranda

Senior Vice President

Brendan Hanlon

Vice President for University Operations;
Chief Financial Officer

Melinda Smith

Chair, Faculty Council;
Professor, Biology

Jennifer Martin - Advisor

Presidential Fellow;
Extension Specialist;
Associate Professor, Animal Sciences

Rob Mitchell - Advisor

Presidential Fellow;
Professor, Management

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee, comprised of members from administrative and academic units representing all employee classifications and student representatives, will strategically evaluate recommendations from the Technical Committee and serve as the primary avenue of communication for the campus community regarding the budget model development process. Specific responsibilities of this committee include:

  • Oversee project completion;
  • Collaboratively establish norms to guide the work of the committee based on the values, principles, parameters, and priorities;
  • Delegate technical decisions and queries to the Technical Committee;
  • Review, discuss, and provide feedback and high-level decisions on proposals from the Technical Committee;
  • Communicate high-level decisions and recommendations to the Executive Sponsor Committee;
  • Provide regular updates to the campus community regarding the budget model development process (including listening sessions, town halls, etc.); and
  • One member of this committee will serve as an ex officio member of the Technical Committee and will ensure their process moves forward.

Steering Committee Members

*In alphabetical order.

Jim Abraham

Chair, Classified Personnel Council;
Radiation Safety Officer, Environmental Health Services

Alonso Aguirre

Dean, Warner College of Natural Resources

Kjerstin Thorson

Dean, College of Liberal Arts

Ryan Brooks

Chair, Committee on Non-Tenure-Track Faculty;
Master Instructor, CAS

Lisa Kutcher

Chair, Committee on Strategic and Financial Planning; Professor, COB

Jacob Roberts

Dean, College of Natural Sciences

Edwin Chong

Department Head, Electrical and Computer Engineering;
Professor, WSCOE

Bruce Draper

Department Chair, Computer Science;
Professor, CNS

Karen Estlund

Dean, Libraries

Kathleen Fairfax

Vice Provost for International Affairs

Dan Goble

Director, School of Music, Theatre and Dance;
Professor, CLA

Brendan Hanlon (ex officio)

Vice President for University Operations;
Chief Financial Officer

Blanche Hughes

Vice President for Student Affairs

Sue James

Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Matt Klein

Chair, Administrative Professional Council;
Senior Associate A.D. for Business Operations/CFO, Athletics

Kevin MacLennan

Interim Vice President for Enrollment and Access

Cassandra Moseley

Vice President for Research

Carolyn Lawrence-Dill

Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences

Angie Nielsen

Director, Office of Budgets

James Pritchett

Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences; Vice President for Engagement & Extension

Melissa Reynolds

Director, CSU Research Core Facilities;
Professor, CNS

Allen Robinson

Dean, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Sue VandeWoude

Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Beth Walker

Dean, College of Business

Naomi Ward

Department Head, Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology;
Professor, CVMBS

Colleen Webb

Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs/Dean, Graduate School

Lise Youngblade

Dean, College of Health and Human Sciences

Jennifer Martin - Advisor

Presidential Fellow; Extension Specialist; Associate Professor, Animal Sciences

Rob Mitchell - Advisor

Presidential Fellow; Professor, Management

Technical Committee

The Technical Committee, comprised of members from the campus community with experience and/or expertise in budget development and institutional data, will be responsible for evaluating model-specific design elements and other model-related tasks as charged by the Steering Committee. The Technical Committee will report directly to the Steering Committee and will not report or provide information to the campus community. Examples of charges to be received from the Steering Committee include:

  • Develop framework to assure data integrity and reliance;
  • Review activity- and unit-level data (i.e., student credit hours, FTEs, square footage, etc.) and determine use in model development;
  • Provide data and data analysis by testing various budget model options;
  • Investigate various possibilities for models;
  • Assess detailed tuition allocation design elements; and
  • Assemble/organize various working groups to address committee needs.

Technical Committee Members

*In alphabetical order.

Dave Carpenter

College Financial Business Officer, College of Health and Human Sciences

Allison Dineen

College Financial Business Officer, College of Business

Analia Endrizzi

Budget Analyst, Office of Budgets

Jessi Fuentes

College Financial Business Officer, College of Agricultural Sciences

James Graham

Director, Center of Community Partnerships; Professor, CHHS

Cheyenne Hall

Budget Manager, Office of the Provost

Laura Jensen

Vice Provost for Planning and Effectiveness, Office of the Provost

Lisa Kutcher

Department Chair, Accounting;
Professor, COB

Stephen Laffey

Undergraduate Student Representative, Faculty Council Committee on Strategic and Financial Planning

Angie Nielsen (ex officio)

Director, Office of Budgets

Mark Ritschard

College Financial Business Officer, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Dave Ryan

University Controller, University Operations

Wes Scharf

College Financial Business Officer, College of Liberal Arts

Cristie Sexton

College Financial Business Officer, College of Natural Sciences

Jon Stocking

College Financial Business Officer, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Stene Verhulst

Director, International Enrollment Center

Jennifer Martin - Advisor

Presidential Fellow; Extension Specialist; Associate Professor, Animal Sciences

Rob Mitchell

Presidential Fellow; Professor, Management