Activity 7.2: Samuel Waters College Case Study

***FULL INSTRUCTIONS & CASE STUDY INFORMATION ARE INCLUDED IN PDF ATTACHED***

Introduction

The final project will put you in a budget-making scenario for a fictional college. Please use the Samuel Waters College Case Study. Download EDU640 Samuel Waters College Case Study: Budget Futures Summer Retreat 

Activity Instructions 

• Introduction – Provide a ½ page introduction to the key challenges in the case. 
• Budgets – Budgets are designed to be a control for organizations to help regulate who spends what. Based on what you have learned in the course with appropriate citations, provide a recommendation regarding a budget method and approach for the college. Justify why you chose this budget method and approach and provide potential drawbacks to using this budget method and approach. This description should be about ½ page in length. 
• Constituents – We have spent a good deal of time in the course discussing who is impacted by university finances. Similarly, we have discussed communicating with various groups about these challenges. Spend 1-2 pages describing the different constituents who are likely to be impacted by changes at the university and how you would approach addressing their concerns. Please think critically and broadly about all who will be impacted and cite sources that discuss who is impacted in higher education changes. 
• Cost-cutting and Revenue Generating Measures and Impact – The textbook provides a nice list of ways to cut costs, and we have discussed a myriad of revenue-generating options in higher education. Spend 3-4 pages to make 3-5 specific recommendations about opportunities you see within the case to improve. These opportunities should be linked to our course readings. Barr and McClellan provide a nice place to begin looking for improvement opportunities. For each recommendation, provide the following information and include relevant citations. 
  • What is the recommendation? 
  • What evidence from the case was used to make this recommendation? 
  • What other financial data do you wish you had to make and explain this recommendation? 
  • Who might be impacted by this change? 
  • What negative consequences might result from making this change? 
  • How could you mitigate those negative consequences? 
  • How might this change be communicated to the constituents to ease the transition? 
  • How might your colleagues, members of the EC, view your recommendations? 
  • Do you think the recommendation will be accepted? Why or why not? 
• Summary: As the budget officer, what qualities of a good budget manager will be important as you prepare for this meeting? What is your ideal outcome for Samuel Waters College and how does it differ from the likely outcome? Spend about ½ page on this summary.