Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State University’s chief financial officer will retire after 28 years at the college.
Jeff Ulliman, who has served as CFO and vice president for business and finance since 2015, plans to retire on June 30, said spokesman Seth Bauguess. He is not planning to seek a position at another school or company, Bauguess said.
“This was simply a personal decision that my wife and I made. The timing is really just driven by my desire to spend more time with my family, particularly my grandchildren., Ulliman said via email.
Ulliman also joked that he’s “looking forward to spending more time on the golf course.”
Before Ulliman became CFO, he served as associate vice president of financial and business operations, according to the university. Ulliman earned his accounting degree in 1982 from Miami University.
Ulliman’s departure comes as Wright State continues to try to solve its budget crisis.
Last June, the WSU board of trustees slashed more than $30.8 million from the school’s budget in an attempt to correct years of overspending. The university has spent more money than it generated every year since 2012, a Dayton Daily News examination of financial data shows.
Just a few weeks ago, President Cheryl Schrader asked departments to slash 66 percent of their remaining budgets to save $10 million in a last-ditch effort to keep Wright State off state fiscal watch.
Ulliman was promoted to CFO by former Wright State president David Hopkins, who abruptly resigned a year ago, citing the school’s financial problems and a need to smoothly transition to a new president.
As CFO, Ulliman’s responsibilities included accounting, cash receipt and disbursement for the Bursar, accounts payable and payroll, according to Wright State. He also led the creation of the annual operating budget, oversaw tax compliance, banking, investment portfolios and debt issuance for Wright State.
Since Ulliman was promoted at the end of 2015, he was in charge of developing Wright State’s annual operating budgets for fiscal years 2017 and 2018.
“I’ve enjoyed my career at Wright State and will miss all of the relationships I’ve developed over the years, however I’m really looking forward to the next phase of my life,” Ulliman said.
Bauguess said he did not know whether Wright State would fill Ulliman’s position. Over the past year the university has left some positions vacant as a way to save money.
In August, Wright State added to its executive financial leadership by hiring Walt Branson as vice president for finance and operations and chief business officer. Branson came from Schrader’s last school, the Missouri University of Science and Technology where he served as vice chancellor for finance and operations.
