Working in Athens will be like coming home, said Kenneth Payne Wednesday, the third of four candidates for Ohio University's vice president of Finance and Administration, at an open forum.
I was born and raised in Columbus
Payne said, who still has family there. There are definite quality of life issues.
Payne graduated from Ohio State University with a dual major in finance and economics. While he currently works for Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) Inc., an international relief and economic development agency, Payne is no stranger to the world of collegiate finance.
His previous positions include associate vice president for business and finance at Morehouse College in Atlanta and director of fiscal management and planning at Illinois State University.
OU's vice president for finance and administration is the chief fiscal officer and represents the university to the Ohio Board of Regents. He or she also heads the budget office, human resources, the physical plant, business services and campus planning, construction, security and safety.
But being close to home isn't the only reason why Payne applied for a position at OU. He said coming to a smaller institution where one can be very hands-on and engaged also attracted him to the university.
The institution is small enough to allow my participatory management style to be effective he said.
Students should be one of the main focuses of the VP of Finance and Administration, Payne said. If chosen for the position, he said he intends to improve the credibility of the department by simplifying procedures, holding colleagues responsible for their actions and improving the customer service within the department.
Payne said he views the position as needing an energetic and engaged partner working together with colleagues and students.
If chosen, Payne said he plans to hold regular staff meetings and one-on-one meetings with his colleagues to address problems and opportunities within the department, and monthly meetings for all the units he will be overseeing.
Payne also said he wants to keep students involved by holding open office hours where students can come in and talk with him. He also said he was interested in eventually teaching an introductory economics class at OU.
Students are important, Payne said, because they are the main reason faculty have jobs.
Everything we do should have at its center 'How will it affect our students?' he said.
The main challenge for the position, Payne said, will be to gain funding from the state. Citing the steady decline of state funding over recent years, he told the forum not to expect state funding anytime soon.
Colleges and universities will be challenged in ways we can't yet imagine
he said.
This makes the main focus for the vice president of finance and administration to build on the initiatives already in place and to expand them where necessary. There is no right answer when it comes to handling this problem, Payne said.
I don't think there's just one right way to do things
he said. There's just a right way for a specific institution.
Larry Corrigan, who holds the interim position currently for OU, makes $150,000 per year. He is also a candidate for the permanent position.
The next candidate for the position, Lawrence Kelley, will be on campus Wednesday, June 15 at an open forum at 4 p.m. in the Human Resource Training Center.
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