Pillars of Trust: The Relationship Between the CAO and the CFO

The "blurb" for the article, "Pillars of Trust," from Business Officer, by Barry H. Corey, reads, "Despite their different vantage points, chief academic and chief financial officers hold an institution’s vision in healthy balance. That’s reason enough to create common ground." I think many SCUP members will find it interesting:

[B]ecause of my experience, I also know it’s a myth to think that CFOs deal only with numbers and deans deal only with ideas. When institution leaders allow the art of deaning to meet the science of financial planning, we all become more courageous and effective change agents, building an alliance to better serve our students and our constituencies in a complex and changing landscape.

One of the joys of writing this article, explaining the keys to a healthy working relationship between an institution’s CAO and CFO, is the opportunity to reflect on the enjoyable experience I’ve had working alongside [my organization's CFO]. In many ways, I am a better academic dean because of the leadership lessons that I have gained by observing him. Together, we have learned to confront challenges knowing that trust undergirds our relationship as colleagues—a trust that is neither incidental nor an afterthought.