Back in 1991, I returned from maternity leave in the Controllers office at Canisius College to manage Men’s Basketball season tickets and game day financial operations. The first time I visited the Ticket Office I saw a crowded room with an empty antique cash register. There were so many files and papers that you could not set down a cup of coffee. In one corner was a cigar box. Inside it were receipts, various ticket stubs, office supplies and cash. I realized that this cigar box WAS the ticket office. At that time, I paid ticket takers, ushers and security from game proceeds. I had to record payroll by netting up the salaries and completing payroll logs with our outside payroll vendor.
Looking back to those days makes me shudder when I think of all of the auditing rules we broke. We used cash to make payments without proper segregation of duties. Game workers received pay without any type of receipt, only a hand-written sheet with amounts scribbled on it. We did not have updated W-4 documents on file and often had incorrect addresses for W-2 forms. Back then, the Fair Labor Standards act was only a bad dream.
What began as a part-time job has expanded into a full-time Athletic Business Office with me as the clerk and manager of each function. For several years, I also served as Senior Women Administrator.
I am an active member of CABMA (College Athletic Business Management Association) and try to attend the convention each year. This association is the most valuable resource and mentoring organization I know of in the field. If you are not a member, you owe it to yourself and your school to join. The information and networking are especially helpful for small schools. Find CABMA at www.cabma.com.
We have come a very long way at our college and so has the field of Athletic Business. As a sole practitioner in Athletic Business until recently, I am responsible for all of the operations of our business office. While there are many large schools with huge business departments, I know my situation is much more common. There are many small schools in Division I and there are Divisions II and III schools that may not even have a person in charge of finances. It may be yet another duty the Athletic Director must perform. With so many more reporting rules now than ever before a centralization of athletic business is more important than ever.
My background is varied and includes both for profit office administration and for higher education. I received my bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Canisius College and recently received a Master’s degree in Sport Administration. Prior to my employment at Canisius in 1989 as the Director of Accounting in the Controllers Office, I have created office systems for at least five other businesses. I enjoy piecing together existing systems with those I develop into a cohesive and efficient office system. I can help small schools centralize their Athletic Business functions as well as larger ones develop best practices.
