Although he’s only been on the job a couple of months, Wittenberg’s new Vice President of Finance and Administration, Robert Munson, has a vision of where he wants to take his position.
The Cincinnati native has a wide breadth of experience when it comes to both finance and higher education administration that will prove helpful in his duties at Wittenberg.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati in finance, Munson went to work for one the “Big Four” accounting firms. He eventually worked at the world’s largest accounting firm at the time. Munson then spent an additional 12 years in the private business sector before deciding to work in higher education and becoming the Chief Financial Officer at Thomas More College in Kentucky.
When his time at Thomas More College was done, Munson took the Director of Financial Services position at XavierUniversity. While there, Munson received his Master of Business Administration. After several years at Xavier, Munson decided to take the Vice President of Finance and Administration position at Wittenberg.
“What really attracted me about Wittenberg are the people here. Not just the faculty but the students as well,” Munson said. And it’s the people here whom he will be serving in his new role. Not only is the school’s finances under his direction but so is accounting, budgeting, purchasing, campus police, physical plant, and human resources.
“Wittenberg’s persistence in its faith based mission is something that I value very highly,” said Munson. Making a difference for young people here at Wittenberg is something that Munson says is on the top of his list for what he would like to achieve in his tenure at the school. However, Munson does say that he will have to look into the possibility of reductions in spending to help put the schools financial situation in a better position.
The planning of the proposed indoor practice facility will likely take much of Munson’s attention this semester. Also on the agenda is the continued facilitation of Wittenberg’s Integrated Planning and Budgeting Committee. This committee, started by Munson first at Xavier and now at Wittenberg, is designed to bring in voices from all aspects of the school into the budgeting decisions of Wittenberg’s future.
Munson is excited about his new role and his new place of employment. In the upcoming years changes will likely take place and Munson will be apart of the decision process. “Wittenberg has a great reputation,” says Munson. “It’s way more than just a pretty campus to look at.”
