On December 6, at the 2018 Minnesota State Chief Financial Officer Conference, Saint Paul College’s business manager, Liz Schmidt, received the Outstanding Service Award. The Outstanding Services awards recognize individuals and/or teams who provide outstanding campus service and have made significant contributions on their campus.
Overall, 13 individuals and teams were recognized for the Minnesota State Outstanding Services Award, giving recognition to campus leaders that serve students and the state every day. “It is a joy to read through the nominations and feel the passion and commitment of your finance teams to their work and the quality of that work,” said Laura King, vice chancellor and chief financial officer of Minnesota State.
Over the past year and a half, Schmidt developed business plans for Saint Paul College’s bookstore and cafeteria, including catering and coffee shop operations. She took the initiative to implement the Direct Digital textbook program across various academic programs by working directly with faculty. The Direct Digital textbook program was implemented in fall 2017, with 25 courses offering digital textbooks with an initial savings to students in the amount of $42,884 per semester. In fall 2018, the program has expanded to 57 courses saving students $102,903 per semester.
Schmidt was nominated by Scott Wilson, vice president of finance and operations, and her nomination was endorsed by College President/CEO, Rassoul Dastmozd.
In his nomination, Wilson said, “These initiatives have provided improvements within the financial management and internal controls areas by implementing new revenue generating strategies, implementing cost saving strategies, and reduction in text book costs to students.”
