Budget guru

By Mike Kilroy
Summer Forty-Niner

The recently signed state budget, with the resulting record budget increase for the California State University system, is especially good news to Robyn Mack, director of Budget and Human Resource Management for Cal State Long Beach.

Mack, who has headed the division in the Administration and Finance Department since 1989, remembers the dark days of the early 1990s.  Then, a recession plagued the state and the university faced double-digit budget cuts from $20 to $30 million.

"It's a great time to be hiring lots of people, and we can respond to the campus' needs," Mack said.

"It's in contrast to the early '90s when we were going through the tough budget times for the state.  We've got things back to normal."

Mack, who has worked for the university in accounting-related positions for 28 years, said those years were the toughest of her career.

"It was a very difficult time," Mack said.  "Students could not get the classes they wanted.  We were not hiring staff, we weren't hiring faculty.  And it was difficult to give people the tools they needed."

"We had to watch it," she said.  "You could not let a day go by without monitoring the budget very carefully."

Mack had to monitor student enrollment carefully to know how much the university could or should invest in faculty and staff.  For the most part, though, the university's hands were tied.

"We had less people to help our students, less people to teach, there were more students in the classroom than there should've been," Mack said.

"But we weathered the storm."

In addition to annual budget planning and administration, Mack's responsibilities in the Administration and Finance office also include staff personnel, payroll for faculty, staff and students, environmental health and safety, and employee relations.  She claims to love the variety and challenges of her wide-ranging job.

"People probably won't understand, but as you can see by the portfolio of things I'm responsible for, there is great variety in my job," she said.  "So there is no time to ever become bored."

According to Bill Griffith, vice president of Administration and Finance, and Mack's boss, "She is a first-rate talent.  I think she is a very valuable person to the university."

Prior to joining the university, Mack worked for a certified public accountant.

She started her career at CSULB as a part-time bookkeeping position in the Physical Education department.

"It was just a part-time job while I finished my degree here," she said.

With advice from a faculty mentor, however, Mack stayed with the university following graduation.

She moved to the office of the vice president for Academic Affairs, and later worked in the division office as the budget officer.  From there, Mack went to the university's budget office where she was promoted to her current position.

Being on campus since 1972, Mack said she has seen several major changes to the university.

"The student population is clearly more diverse, and very smart," she said.  "I think the diversity in terms of students and our employees makes it a much better place to work."

Mack also said today's students are better prepared for the rigors of college life than their predecessors.

"I think many students are choosing to go to community colleges, and therefore those who transfer are quite often very prepared," she said.

"Their use of technology also helps in their studies."

Mack said the university's rising enrollment can be credited to the efforts of President Robert Maxson.

"I think the leadership is very good," she said.

"President Maxson has a high level of concern for students, faculty and staff."

While some chief financial officers may receive more financial rewards in the private sector, Mack said she's never regretted choosing an academic setting for her career.

"I enjoy the campus life so much," she said.  "There are very few places where can you work at a company and be so close to the customer, to the client, than we are here at the institution."