Succession Planning in the Midst of the Madness

WHO HAPPENS

NEXT?

Your Presenters

Cindy Butler• Retired Director of Student

Financial Services• Metropolitan Community

College of Kansas City• 33,000 students• MASFAP President 1997

Melinda Wood• Retired Director of

Financial Aid• Truman State University• 6,000 students• MASFAP President 2001

Thelma Louise

“The Two-Weeks Notice Boogie”

You’re at your desk in the midst of the madness. You look up and he’s peeking around the doorway.

“Can I talk with you for a few minutes?”

“Sure,” you say. He closes the door, sits

down and sighs.

And so it goes…

When someone leaves…

• Staff gap• Lost knowledge• Temporary reassignment of

duties• Hiring process (if approved)• Is the new person right?• Training• Team fit (skills & personality)

bye

It’s expensive to replace people

NASFAA’s Student Aid Transcript:

• 200% + of executive level employee’s salary

• 70% of non-executive level employee’s salary

Spent in recruiting, retraining and loss of productivity

Succession Planning Benefits• Lets you identify and develop internal people

with the potential to fill key positions (building bench strength)

• Ensures leadership and management as well as technical skills

• Lets you adapt your staffing model• Gives you a chance to maintain and retain a

functional, complete, diverse, reasonably happy team

Strategic• envision the perfect staff• think several steps ahead of whoever/whatever’s going on right now,

and plan accordingly

Intentional• take the steps necessary and get people on board to make the plan

materialize

Timely• have a plan ready when an opening appears or resources become

available

Succession Planning is

Yeah, but you two are retired…– We lasted 55+ years in financial aid– We got awards– We developed our own replacements– We made it out alive

Here’s what I did

• Worked at Truman for 33 years, 22 as FAD• Small ‘inbred’ staff• 4 months from approval to retirement• Rehiring process was slow due to succession

of internal staff• Current structure was not planned

Here’s what I did

• Left Avila College after 20 years for Metropolitan Community Colleges in 2001

• MCC was 4 separate colleges (with a 5th on the way) that had just– Combined under one OPE code– Implemented PeopleSoft– Decided to create a new district financial aid

director position (FA Officer of Record)

What I walked into in 2001 President

Longview President, Blue River

Dean of Students Longview

Dean of Students Penn Valley

Dean of Students Blue River

Dean of Students Maple Woods

Longview Fin Aid Office

Penn Valley Fin Aid Office

Blue River Fin Aid Office

Maple Woods Fin Aid Office

President Penn Valley

President Maple Woods

3 PeopleSoft Consultants

President Longview

President, Blue River

Dean of Students Longview

Dean of Students Penn Valley

Dean of Students Blue River

Dean of Students Maple Woods

District Director of Financial Aid

Longview Fin Aid Office

Penn Valley Fin Aid Office

Blue River Fin Aid Office

Maple Woods Fin Aid Office

President Penn Valley

President Maple Woods

District FA Processor

3 PeopleSoft Consultants

Vice Chancellor Enr & Admin Svcs

Dean of Students Penn Valley

Dean of Students Longview

Dean of Students Blue River

Dean of Students Maple Woods

Dean of Students Business/Tech

Director of Stud Financial Services

PV Fin Aid Office Business Office

LV Fin Aid Office Business Office

BR Fin Aid Office Business Office

MW Fin Aid Office Business Office

BTC Fin Aid Office Business Office

PeopleSoft FA System Manager

FA Processing Supervisor

FA Processing Specialist

PS FA Module Leader

Delinquent Accounts Mgr

Accounting Manager

PeopleSoft SF System Manager

Default Prevention Coord

Student Fiscal Aid Manager

FA Processing Specialist

Loan Processing Specialist

Student Fiscal Aid Advisor

Accounting Specialist

Vet Processing Specialist

Loan Preparation Specialist

PS SF Module Leader

Collections Specialist

Collections Specialist

Accounting Specialist

Compliance & Training Coord

President Penn Valley

President Longview

President Blue River

President Maple Woods

President Business/Tech

PT Verification Specialist

PT Collections Specialist

PT Collections Specialist

Vice Chancellor Enr & Admin Svcs

Dean of Students Penn Valley

Dean of Students Longview

Dean of Students Blue River

Dean of Students Maple Woods

Dean of Students Business/Tech

Director of Stud Financial Services

PV Fin Aid Office Business Office

LV Fin Aid Office Business Office

BR Fin Aid Office Business Office

MW Fin Aid Office Business Office

BTC Fin Aid Office Business Office

President Penn Valley

President Longview

President Blue River

President Maple Woods

President Business/Tech

What I left for 2012 and Beyond

Here’s how I did it

• Intensive process review • Combined 4 departments to cross train

staff and gain efficiencies• Constantly watched for talent• Developed rationales for additional staff

positions• Presented arguments they couldn’t refuse• Started over

Student Financial Services and Campus Enrollment Services 2013

Title Number Location Title Range

Position Status Reports To Direct Reports Function

Function Status Primary Responsibilities

1 DistrictDirector of Student Financial Services Admin existing

VC Student Dev & Adm Services

MetroSoft System Managers Supervision existing

Hire, train, manage, supervise, develop, provide leadership for Student Financial Services team

Accounting Managers System integrity existing Plan, develop, implement, maintain systemsStudent Fiscal Aid Manager Compliance existing

Assure compliance of operation with federal, state and institutional regulations, policies and procedures

Program Coordinator--Default Prevention

Coordinate the work of district and campus financial aid staff to maintain compliant systems, policies and procedures that are standardized across the district

Audit existing Serve as lead contact for Single AuditLeadership and Collaboration existing Chair and serve on committees, groups and task forces

Work collaboratively with appropriate personnel

Report existing Research and provide data to officers

Knowledge Base existing Serve as College expert on student financial aid and payment issues and trends

2 DistrictProgram Coordinator--Default Prevention 8E existing

Director Student Financial Services

Financial Aid Processing Specialist

Challenge Cohort Default Rate existing Investigate and challenge USDE Cohort Default Rate for MCCProgram Coordination existing Serve as the district lead in coordinating of the Direct Loan program

Chair loan group

Breakdown of Each Position (Current & Proposed) with Major Functions/Responsibilities

Proposed Student Financial Services Position Actions by 2013

Location Name Current TitleCurrent Range

Proposed Status

Proposed Action Proposed Outcome

New Range

Current Salaries

Current Benefits

Net New Salary

Net New Benefits

ProjectedRetire Date Notes

District Cindy ButlerDirector of Student Financial Services Admin no change $$$$$ $$$$$ 9/30/2011

District Dena NorrisProgram Coordinator--Default 8E no change $$$$$ $$$$$

does not include $25,000 grant funding

(actual $$$$$$$)

District Carla MacMillan MS System Manager FA 9E no change $$$$$ $$$$$District Lindsey Jones Module Leader FA 7E no change $$$$$ $$$$$

District newcreate new position

Financial Aid Processing Supervisor 7E $$$$$ $$$$$

District Vacant Processing Specialist 6 no change $$$$$ $$$$$ District Sabrina Osborn Processing Specialist 6 no change $$$$$ $$$$$ District Tara Dettmer Processing Specialist 6 no change $$$$$ $$$$$ District Matt Vandenburg Student Services Tech 4 no change $$$$$ $$$$$

District newcreate new position

Trainer--Student Financial Services 7E $$$$$ $$$$$

District Jane LogueStudent Fiscal Aid Manager 8E no change 8E $$$$$ $$$$$ 6/30/2013

District Susan JoplinStudent Aid Fiscal Specialist 6 no change $$$$$ $$$$$

temporarily a range 4 trainee position until

1/12

District Jason Samayoa Accounting Specialist 5 no change $$$$$ $$$$$District Kathy Mercer MS System Manager SF 9E no change $$$$$ $$$$$District Cindy Ingram Module Leader SF 7E no change $$$$$ $$$$$

District Sherry Muirhead Accounting Manager--SF 9E change change title and range

replace with Student Account Coordinator 7E $$$$$ $$$$$ $$$$$ $$$$$

District Brenda WagnerAccounting Manager--Collections 9E no change $$$$$ $$$$$

District Dianna CarpenterAccount Collections Specialist 6 no change $$$$$ $$$$$

District Sandy SextonStudent Services Specialist 5 change re-title

Accounting Specialist 5 $$$$$ $$$$$

TOTAL $101,744 total new

funds required

Proposed Student Financial Services Position Actions by 2013

Financial Aid Process Review

Report

June 30, 2007

What else we need to make it happen:• Trainer dedicated to Student Financial

Services• FA Processing Supervisor• Veterans Processing Specialist• 2 Collections Specialist• Loan Preparation Specialist

Presentation to MCC Officers

Succession Planning Resources

• U.S. Office of Personnel Management Course http://www.opm.gov/hr/employ/index.htm

• Society for Human Resource Management• Corporate Leadership Council’s Succession

Planning Homepage