Reflection paper

HEA 620 Budget Manager Interview Guidelines and Rubric

Overview: A fundamental skill and responsibility of a budget manager is the ability to forecast, create, and reforecast or manage institutional budgets and employ different budget models. During periods of shifting institutional priorities or unpredictable external crises, such as the 2008 market crash and the COVID- 19 pandemic, campus leadership must choose how to navigate financial challenges and assess if a specific budget strategy may be best, given the changing landscape internal and external to the college. For your final project, you will be choosing a budget model and providing supporting arguments to support your choice. One way of choosing what model may be the best fit for “your” college is to scan the best practices of other colleges and universities. This assignment will provide you the opportunity to learn about one small, public, liberal arts institution amid a budget crisis. You will watch a press conference held by the chief budget manager, the interim president of Keene State College, as she assumed the role and inherited a significant financial deficit. This real-life scenario provides a glimpse into some of the complexities, or internal and external constituents, while keeping in mind the different budget models from your readings and how those principles can be applied in this specific crisis. Prompt: This assignment has two parts. Part One, watching the interview with a budget manager, will be completed in Module Three. The reflection on the interview, Part Two, will be due in Module Five.

Part One Requirements Watch the press conference held by the interim president of Keene State College during a significant budget crisis. Review the guided questions prior to watching, as this will assist you in looking critically at the important elements of the assignment. Also, consider taking notes to aid in your recall for the paper due in Module Five. Specifically, it is important that you tie together the importance of internal and external stakeholders as they relate to budget management.

Part Two Requirements Utilize the guided questions to write your critical analysis of how one budget manager, interim president of Keene State College, addressed the components of the budget. Specifically, you must address the following critical elements in your paper: I. Deficit Amount

A. What was the original deficit amount? B. When did the interim president discover the new amount of the deficit?

II. Internal Stakeholders A. What internal stakeholders were involved at the press conference? B. What key messages did the interim president communicate to these stakeholders? Use details to support your points.

1. Consider if you were an internal stakeholder, such as the director of Student Leadership and Engagement; what might you be feeling based on the interview? How might you feel if you were another type of internal stakeholder, such as a student?

III. External Stakeholders

A. What external stakeholders were involved at the press conference? B. What key messages did the interim president communicate to these stakeholders? Use details to support your points.

1. Consider if you were an external stakeholder (the press, alumni); what might you be feeling based on the interview? IV. Interview Strengths and Weakness

A. What did the interim president do well in the interview? Analyze at least one strength of her demeanour during the interview. Use specific references to support your point. B. What could the interim president have done better in the interview? Analyze at least one weakness of her demeanour during the interview. Use specific references to support your point.

Part Two Rubric

Guidelines for Submission: Your paper must be submitted as a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format.

Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value Deficit Amount Provides the alleged deficit and the actual

deficit of the college based on the interview

Provides one of the deficit amounts but not both

Does not provide the two deficit amounts 12

Key Messages: Internal Stakeholders

Explains two key messages to internal stakeholders using details to support points

Explains only one key message to internal stakeholders, or explains key messages to internal stakeholders, but response is cursory or inaccurate

Does not explain a key message to an internal stakeholder

26

Key Messages: External Stakeholders

Explains two key messages to external stakeholders using details to support points

Explains only one key message to external stakeholders, or explains key messages to external stakeholders, but response is cursory or inaccurate

Does not explain a key message to an external stakeholder

26

Interview Strengths and Weaknesses

Analyzes at least one strength and one weakness of the interim president’s interview, and provides specific and detailed references to support points

Analysis is provided, but lacks specific references to support points, or analysis uses specific references, but does not address strengths and weaknesses of the interview

Does not analyze interview strengths or weaknesses

26

Articulation of Response

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

10

Total 100%