Aggie looks to a brighter financial future for USU
Ron Godfrey said he is re-energized when he hikes in the mountains, because it reminds him of the truly important things in life – food, shelter and clothing.
It’s an appropriate attitude for someone who holds the strategic budget, financial planning and resources of Utah State University in his hands.
Godfrey is USU’s new vice president for administrative services, a title that will soon be changed to vice president for finance and business. He replaces Fred Hunsaker, who retired last year.
An Aggie who earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in business administration, Godfrey taught classes in USU’s department of management and human resources last year. Most of his career was spent working for Schreiber Foods, although he admits he hated cheese as a child.
“My mom would make a cheese sandwich and I’d hide it in my drawer,” he said.
Godfrey likens USU to a business – naming students, faculty and staff as the “three major customers.”
“We have to look at the university as a business. We want to keep quality. In fact, we want to raise the quality in terms of education,” Godfrey said. “But we also want to do it at the best possible price.”
USU’s finances have been suffering in recent years, due to a struggling economy and a lack of financial support from the state Legislature. But that may be changing soon, Godfrey said.
“We’re fairly optimistic that the Legislature is going to have more funds to give to the university,” Godfrey said. “We’re looking for some relief in that area.”
There are only two ways of increasing university funds, he said: Increasing revenue or reducing cost. The university needs to be frugal when spending money, but not at the expense of salaries or cutting people, Godfrey said.
“It’s real hard to [be frugal] in a centralized fashion,” Godfrey said. “We want everybody to own their own job in the way they can manage that job and reduce the costs themselves,” he said.
Godfrey said a good university incorporates all types of learning, from academic to athletic, and from social to emotional.
“Great universities usually have great athletic programs, and that’s a way to bring support from the alumni,” he said, adding that it also attracts better students.
“The things Stew Morrill has done with the basketball program is a great example of that,” Godfrey said. “[He has] brought in quality people and had some tremendous seasons the last four or five years.”
On a personal note, Godfrey said he enjoys hiking and fishing with friends or his six children, ages 12 to 27. He also likes travel and service projects, and combined the two activities last year when he spent two weeks in Bolivia building a water system for a village of 117 people.
The trip was sponsored by Choice Humanitarian, a Salt Lake City-based organization, and Godfrey said the hard physical labor at an elevation of 13,000 or 14,000 feet was difficult.
“I’m usually in pretty good shape,” he said. “I broke two or three picks, the shovels sting your hands clear up to your shoulders, but it was one of the most gratifying experiences I’ve had when the water finally came through the little PVC pipe.”
-heidithue@cc.usu.edu