Budget Management

Sarah Frey

The Department of Recreation and Wellness

Leonard J. Kaplan Center for Wellness

Greensboro, North Carolina

Student: Sarah Elizabeth Frey

Agency Preceptor: Jill Beville
Internship Coordinator: Robert Strack
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1) Part 1: Definition and description

In fall 2017, it was projected that 20 million students aged 18-24 would attend American

colleges and universities (“The NCES Fast Facts Tool,” n.d.). Each year the American College and

Health Association conducts a survey of college aged students. They aim to gather information that

reflects the current profile of student’s health and identify trends within the campus community. The

dimensions of health included are mental health, nutrition, interpersonal relationships, alcohol and

other drugs and sexual behavior. The way students responded to survey items pertaining to these

dimensions is a reflection of their quality of life and wellbeing. In the Fall of 2016 national data

reported the following factors affecting student academic performance: 34.4% stress, 26.5% anxiety

and 16.4% depression. In addition, 63.9% reported only have 1-2 servings of fruits and vegetables a

day. Within the last 12 months, students rated sleep and intimate relationships “very difficult to

handle,” at 31.2% and 31.1% respectively (ACHA, 2016, p.15). In the same time frame, among those

who drank alcohol 22% reported having unprotected sex, and 34.6% “did something they later

regretted” (ACHA, 2016, p.9). These national data illustrations the undesirable health outcomes in

college students of which are typically addressed by wellness departments.

The University of North Carolina Greensboro [UNCG], which has an enrollment of just over

19,000 students, also reports less than satisfactory wellness outcomes (“About UNCG,” n.d.). When

asked to rate their overall stress, 45% of students reported more than average levels. It should then

come as no surprise that 30.5% reported experiencing sleep difficulties, because 86.9% said they have

never received information on the topic. Higher than the national average, 66.6% of students report

only having 1-2 servings of fruits and vegetables a day (ACHA, 2016). Students were also asked to

report on their sexual activity. Within the last 30 days, 50.5% reported having vaginal intercourse and

47.1% oral sex. While this is not an exhaustive list of college health statistics, it does cover the primary
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care topics that wellness is responsible to program for that would impact student quality of life and

wellbeing.

Colleges and universities across the country face the financial challenge of creating,

conducting, improving and maintaining student wellness programming. There is also high expectation

that institutions will deliver quality programming that complements the total package of the student

experience. However, the reality of the situation remains that wellness funding does not take priority

compared to university health clinics or recreation centers. There is research that suggests

collaboration between all three operations may be an effective strategy to address this issue (Fullerton,

2011). The University of North Carolina Greensboro is one example of a 4-year institution merging

Recreation and Wellness. They now are called the Department of Recreation and Wellness. However,

note, that with the hundreds of universities in the country, there is no national mandate to follow

UNCG’s direction. Furthermore, though the two branches physically moved into a shared space, they

do not share the same budget. This is to say that even if departments are merged, make no assumption

that they are working with the same operating budget. This will be a part of the focus for my Spring

2018 internship.

During the course of my internship I will explore the budget of Recreation and Wellness as a

whole, with special attention on wellness programming. Where and how money is allocated impacts all

aspects of programming. Ultimately, without funding wellness cannot program, and if wellness cannot

program they cannot address student’s quality of life. This is the major link between the health and non

health problem.

The university is one entity however, this does not mean that money is dispersed evenly

throughout. Percentages of certain funds are put into different pools and there are politics, procedures

and reasoning as to why. For example, the Department of Recreation and Wellness is considered one

entity, but its funding sources are split. Recreation programming is funded by student activity fees.
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Wellness programming is still funded by student health services fees. I have factored in deeper

discussions around the relationship and differentiation between the two into my internship.

The Department of Recreation and Wellness [RecWell], housed in the Leonard J. Kaplan

Center for Wellness, is but a fraction of the UNC Greensboro budget. During the course of my

internship I will be working with the Director of Recreation and Wellness, Dr. Jill Beville. A portion of

her job is management of the entire departmental budget. The departmental budget is broken down into

program areas, each of which receives its own budget. She does not have power to decide how much

money is allocated to each program area. However, she does maintain the power to move some monies

interdepartmentally after obtaining permission.

The department itself is situated within the Division of Student Affairs. Jill serves as the link

between the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, newly appointed Dr. Cathy Akens, and the program

areas in Recreation and Wellness. The philosophy of the Vice Chancellor is a major contributing factor

to the movement of money at the program area level. For example, the former person in this position

believed that “students do not have discretionary income for programs and services, these should be

covered under student activity fees” (J. Beville, personal communication, October 4, 2017). Therefore,

at the program level, the professional staff member cannot charge students for participating in X-event.

This also means that no generated income can be put back into the program area of interest to offset

the cost of the original program or to grow the program area bucket to finance future programming. By

the end of the second month of my internship I will have formally met with the Associate Director of

Wellness, Jeanne Irwin-Olson, to review and discuss strengths, weaknesses, gaps and history of

wellness programming from a budgetary perspective.

The mission of the Department of Recreation and Wellness is to provide intentional

experiential opportunities for students and the UNC Greensboro community that promote healthy

behavior and foster student academic success (“UNCG Department of Recreation & Wellness,” n.d.).
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The mission statement serves as a strength towards supporting student’s quality of life in that it

explicitly states its dedication to promoting healthy behaviors. However, a major weakness worth

considering is the lens through which students see the wellness portion of RecWell. While internally

the Kaplan centers staff views themselves as a multidimensional equal opportunity unit, to students,

The Kaplan Center is still just considered ‘the gym.’ It is the place that a student can get into for free,

with their Spartan card, and use fitness equipment (J. Beville, personal communication, October 4,

2017). This stigma could greatly inhibit students from attending wellness initiatives and therefore

engaging in healthy behaviors, beyond the physical dimension.

SWOT Analysis of Wellness Programming

Strengths
- Programming is housed in Kaplan and has support from the immediate environment.
- There is general consensus that the professional staff care about the health and wellbeing of
students.
- There is partnership between program areas.
- The mission statement includes language around supporting student’s wellbeing
- The department has access to past and current statistics and trends pertaining to student health.

Weaknesses
- Attrition- The loss of student involvement.
- A low number of wellness specific professional staff.
- Recreation and Wellness are not funded through the same source.
- The stigma around wellness programming and its lack of importance/ direct return on
investment.
- Kaplan misrepresented as just ‘the gym’ to student’s.
- The physical work space devoted to Wellness is not equal to that of Recreation.

Opportunities
- Wellness has the opportunity to do more evidence-based programming to show relevance and
student success.
- Wellness programming can be mandated in the classroom. There are other areas for
implementation at UNCG.
- Wellness could move to a higher priority in university mission.
- A shift towards a campus culture of health.

Threats
- Small operating budget.
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- A shift in norms could serve as a threat to the sustainability of programming.
- The philosophy of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.
- Grant funded wellness positions.

During my internship, I foresee Jill and I having in-depth conversations about a real working

budget, one in which an entire department relies. I serve as a Graduate Assistant in this same

department and work in partnership and collaboration with a large professional staff. I expect that

there will be times in which we discuss confidential information pertaining to budget and/or

wellness programming. It would be entirely unethical of me to discuss with any students, faculty

or staff, in and outside of the department, any knowledge that pertains to their professional

position, function, or budget. In addition, my preceptor and I spoke of the professional

development opportunities that will arise during my internship. It was agreed that I will not take

advantage of these interactions outside the scope of what is appropriate as an intern. They serve as

an observational learning opportunity to increase my knowledge of student affairs only.

Part 2: Analysis

Wellness programming and health promotion programming, within a university system, are not

stand-alone events. They are participatory, adaptable, community efforts that can be mapped using the

PRECEDE-PROCEED Planning Model. It is appropriate to utilize this model because it recognizes

and incorporates a constellation of factors including three that I want to focus on: Behavioral,

ecological, and administrative (“Section 2. PRECEDE/PROCEED,” n.d.).

When considering the quality of life of college students, prioritizing their health and wellness is

causally linked to their attendance of wellness programs and subsequent health seeking behaviors.

There are predisposing factors based on knowledge, attitudes and beliefs that make them more or less

likely to attend wellness initiatives. If a student has negative attitudes or believes, for example, that

attending wellness programming is not beneficial to them, they may be less than likely to partake. The
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PRECEDE-PROCEED model also identifies reinforcing factors, such as the attitudes of resident

advisor, other student’s, friends and professors, that potentially can affect student’s behaviors. Finally,

enabling factors can be either positive for negative in influencing behavior. Positive social norms that

accept and welcome wellness topics coupled with in classroom wellness initiatives, would serve as

supportive.

The environment, or ‘college bubble,’ in which students are situated can affect their quality of

life. From an ecological perspective, they are affected by multiple levels of their physical and

sociocultural college environment. Residence halls, classrooms, dining halls and extra-curricular

events, all have the potential to cumulatively influence their participation (McLeroy, Bibeau, Steckler,

& Glanz, 1988). This is represented in Phase 3 of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model below.

Budgeting, as the non-health problem, is embedded in the Administrative Policy Assessment

phase of the model, Phase 5. This factor is not the most changeable, however it is of high importance

and the antecedent to most university programming. Without adequate university funding, the wellness

program area is limited in the scope of programming it can offer.

(Read this model from left to right, starting with Phase 1: Social Diagnosis)
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Included in my 2018 Internship Contract & Log are my goals and objectives. The focus of my

internship are twofold: Management of budgets and professional development. The professional

development piece of my internship will be completed through attending committee meetings, weekly

one-on-one meetings with Jill, meeting with professional staff within and outside of the department

and submitting reflection pieces. This log will include a detailed description of discussions, application

to public health education, materials gathered for professional development, and remaining

questions/ruminations. In support of attending committee meetings as a means of professional

development, The Social Cognitive Theory asserts that, “people learn not only from their own

experiences, but by observing the actions of others and the benefits of those actions” (U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services [HHS], 2005, p. 20). I have been granted a unique opportunity to

interact with credible role models who are demonstrating target behaviors, such as leadership, decision

making and political decisions within a university setting [observational learning].

My second focus is on the management of university based budgets. I will be exploring three

sub-competencies that fall under Administer and Manage Health Promotion of the Seven

Competencies for Health Education Specialists. They are preparing budget requests, preparing budget

reports and identify internal and external funding sources. By April 23th of Spring 2018, I will have

answered the prompts (Figure 1) through written response. Prompts will be created and formalized in a

collaborative effort between Jill and myself. We agreed that this exercise is essential for two reasons.

First, it is important that I am able to formulate comprehensive answers to demonstrate knowledge

around budgeting. Secondly, it will help in preparing my language in interviewing for a Coordinator or

Assistant Director’s position. To further frame the importance of this exercise and supply a rationale, I

sampled concepts of public health theory. Imbedded in the Health Belief Model, and several other

behavior change theories, is the concept of self-efficacy, or tangibly, the idea of increasing confidence
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in answering these questions in future real time scenarios. By gaining this proficiency, the possible

outcome is full time employment within university (perceived benefit). (HHS, 2005).

Figure 1
● What would I do if my Director said that I had to cut 1,000 (or 10,000) dollars out of my budget?
● What if my program area was granted 1,000 (or 10,000) dollars? What would I do with this money?
● If my supervisor said I needed to add one thing to the wellness program area what would it be? And
how would you go about funding it?

Part 3: Internship Activities

To formalize my 180 hours of internship activities, I have provided the detailed layout of my

internship plan and logic models. My methods of data collection will be through informal interviewing,

meeting with key informants, observations, and examination of documents.

Internship Activities
1. Two weekly meeting with Jill & informal discussions [5 hrs. a week = approximately 75
direct contact hours]
● Written log of each meeting and areas discussed. [1 hr. of logging and
reflecting after each meeting, 2x a week = approximately 30 journaling hrs.]
● Budget Management & Professional development

2. Attend (at least) 5 committee meetings & reflection log [approximately 30 hrs.]
● Professional development

3. The narrow examination budget through answering prompts [approximately 50 hrs.]

● 3 sub competencies
i. Preparing budget requests
ii. Preparing budget reports
iii. Internal/external sources of funding
● Budget Management

4. Meet with/interview professional staff by assignment [approximately 20 hrs.].

● Steve Honeycutt, Director of Financial Planning and Budget for UNCG
● Janet Dunbar, Business Officer for Recreation and Wellness, UNCG
● Megan Evans, Business Officer for Student Health Services, UNCG
● Jeanne Irwin-Olson, Associate Director of Wellness, UNCG
● Alexis Steptoe, Coordinator of Wellness Programming, NC State
● Budget Management and professional development
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The Gantt chart below represents a fluid timeline of my internship activities. With some of

these activates, the ‘o’ represents when the first conversation will happen around that topic. Note that

this is subject to slight change. Also, some activities are bound to happen concurrently. I will modify

this chart as I progress through my internship. By the end of January, I will have developed the first

draft of prompts. All meetings with professional staff will be completed by the end of March. I will be

attending selected committee meetings between the months of February and April. Appendix A

provides a detailed timeline. Note that on this timeline the months of March and April are not

completely full. The intentionality behind this choice was to allow space for roll over of material from

previous meetings. At this time is it not possible to solidify how long some conversations will take, or

if we will discover importance in additional topics that require us to push back our timeline. During

our final pre-internship meeting on November 27th, we discussed actions steps moving forward. To

prepare for January, Jill will be pulling documents that will support our budget discussions and contact

Steve Hunnycutt.

Gantt Chart
Activity January February March April
(2018) (2018) (2018) (2018)

Meetings with Professional staff by appointment x x x

Big Picture Discussion budget discussion x

Recreation and Wellness budget discussion x

First draft of prompts x x

Job Description examination x

Manage program budget discussion o x

Prepare budget report discussion o x

Committee meetings x x x

Identify internal/external sources of funding discussion o x

Finalize written prompts/ prepare for review x x

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The first logic model is for the quality of life of college students. I then took the budget piece in

‘inputs’ and applied that to a second logic model. The intended outcomes of this internship are an

increase in knowledge on managing budgets, awareness of large scale and departmental functioning of

budgets, development of personal philosophy pertaining to fiscal management, ability to articulate and

discuss management of a Coordinators budget, understanding of politics surrounding university

budgets and the creation of a platform to grow as a professional in the field. I plan to leave not only my

Graduate Assistant position, but also my internship experience with the Department of Recreation and

Wellness, with pragmatic experiences pertaining to managing my own budget that I would have

otherwise not left my MPH program with.

Logic Model of Health Problem: Student Quality of Life & Wellbeing

Inputs Activities Outputs Short term Mid outcomes Long term
outcomes outcomes
WELLNESS Wellness program for Increase number of Increased
Better interpersonal Quality of life &
PROGRAM Nutrition: Edible students attending knowledge on
relationships Wellbeing
BUDGET Wisdom wellness programs wellness topics
Collaboration with
Wellness program for Knowledge of Advocates for
other program areas Delay onset of
Violence Prevention: resources on wellness
and departments on disease
B.R.A.V.E training campus programming
campus
Wellness program Increase self-
Physical space: Alcohol and Other efficacy to
Improved grades Increased years lived
Kaplan building Drugs: AlcoholEdu& perform healthy
Haven behaviors
Wellness program for
Professional wellness Improved time Increase help seeking
Sexual Health:
staff management skills behaviors
HIV/STI testing
Wellness program for Improved coping
Time allotted for Mental health: skills related to Lifelong health
preparation Pinwheels for personal health & champions
prevention wellbeing
Increased overall
wellbeing
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Logic Model #2
Inputs Activities Outputs Short term Mid outcomes Long term
outcomes outcomes
Created relationships Increased knowledge
Management of
Internship with Planning of with key informants and of university, RecWell Adoption of personal
Wellness program
Jill Beville internship reflections from each and program area philosophy
budget
meeting. specific budgets
Currently Understanding of
Written reflections Mastery of 3 sub- Ability to read budget
working in politics surrounding
& responses competencies of PHE spreadsheets
RecWell university funds
Meetings with Ability to articulate and
Kaplan Center I will complete 180
professional staff by discuss management of
for Wellness hours of internship
assignment a Coordinators budget

Time Committee meeting

Meetings with Jill

Beville
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References

About UNCG. (n.d.) Retrieved October 16, 2017, from, https://admissions.uncg.edu/discover-

about.php

American College Health Association. [PDF file]. (2016). Executive Summary. National
College Health Assessment.

American College Health Association. [PDF file]. (2016). Institutional Data Report University of
North Carolina Greensboro.

Fullerton, D. S. (2011). A collaborative approach to college and university health and wellness. New
Directions for Higher Education, 201(153), 61-69. DOI:10.1002/he.427

McLeroy, K. R., Bibeau, D., Steckler, A., & Glanz, K. (1988). An ecological perspective on
health promotion programs. Health Education Behavior, 15(4), 351-377. DOI:
10.1177/109019818801500401

UNCG Department of Recreation & Wellness. (n.d.) Retrieved November 26, 2017, from
https://recwell.uncg.edu/about-us/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [PDF file]. (2005). Theory at a glance: A guide for
health promotion practice.

Section 2. PRECEDE/PROCEED. (n.d.) Retrieved November 26, 2017, from http://ctb.ku.edu

/en/table-contents/overview/other-models-promoting-community-health-and develop
ment/preceder-proceder/main

The NCES Fast Facts Tool (National Center for Education Statistics). (n.d.) Retrieved November
24, 2017, from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfact/display.asp?id=372
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Appendix A
WEEK 1
Jan 8th: Big Picture Discussion budget discussion
● UNCG as a whole
● Vice chancellor philosophy
● Other schools
● Spreadsheets
Jan 11th: Big Picture continued.
● State monies (RecWell v. Career services for example)
● Annual operating v. Reserve.
● End years expense.

WEEK 2 [Meet with Janet Dunbar]

Jan 16th: Job description examination. Action items for next meeting?

WEEK 3
Jan 22nd: Recreation and Wellness budget.

Jan 25th: Follow up on job description examination. Developing prompts to start working on.
Public v. Private institutions

WEEK 4[Meet with Steve Hunnycut]

Jan 29th: Preparing budget REQUESTS Developing prompts continued.

Feb 1: Recreation and Wellness budget continued.

● Revenue from programming.
● TQ & OA [function of roll over budgets]

WEEK 5
Feb 5th: Prepare budget REPORTS
Feb 8th: Apply ethical principles when managing financial resources

WEEK 6 [Meet with Megan Evans]

Feb 12th: Managing program budgets.
Feb 15th: “Sustainable funding model”- Managing my own budget
● Is there an expectation to spend my whole budget?
o Should I have money left over?
● What is my philosophy of budgeting? (how it is spent, discretionary decisions)
o Revenue expectation attached to my budget?
o Is this a stand-alone budget or does it function with a pot?

WEEK 7 [Meet with Jeanne Irwin Olson]

Feb 19th: Wellness as a slice of Recreation and Wellness.
Feb 22nd: Managing a coordinator's/assistant directors budget specifically

WEEK 8 [Meet w/ Alexis Steptoe]

Feb 26th: Professional development
March 1st: Professional development continued
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WEEK 9
March 5th: Discussion/Follow up on all professional staff meetings.
March 8th: Internal/external funding sources

WEEK 10
March 12th: Spreadsheets/excel.
● Half way check in.
March 15th: Preparing budget requests revisited.

WEEK 11 TBD
March 19th:
March 22nd:

WEEK 12 TBD
March 26th:

WEEK 13
April 6th: Preparing budget reports revisited.

WEEK 14 TBD
April 9th:
April 12th:

WEEK 15
April 16th: Finalizing prompts. Review w/ Jill
April 19th: Finalizing prompts. Review w/ Jill.
April 23rd: Prompts submitted.

[Note that the committee meetings have not been established yet. It is too far in advance for
Jill to know what exactly is planned for all of Spring 2018].
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Internship Learning Plan and Agreement &
Final Evaluation Form
(This document has been created as a form with fields created for you to enter your information
and responses. You can use the “tab” key, or mouse, to advance to the next field.)

The Internship Learning Plan and Agreement should be considered a contract of understanding
regarding the internship expectations agreed upon by you, your agency preceptor and your Faculty
Internship Coordinator. This form will also be used as the principle basis for the final evaluation of
your internship. The student, the preceptor and the faculty internship coordinator will revisit this form
at the completion of the internship experience to assess the student’s performance. On the following
pages you will identify the three to five public health competencies you will address as part of your
internship, the activities of your internship, your specific learning objectives, the assessment
strategies you will use for measuring attainment of your objectives and targeted competencies, and
any products you expect to produce. In addition to the Learning Plan and Agreement table is a final
evaluation tool, both of which will completed by the Preceptor at the end of your internship
experience.
The student, Preceptor and Faculty Internship Coordinator should all sign this agreement once all
parties have been given the opportunity review and agree to its contents. This should be signed by
all parties no later than Friday, January 12, 2018.
Period of Internship with agency: Start date: Jan 8th, 2017 Projected end date: April 23rd, 2017

Expected work schedule: Hours/week: 15 Days per week: / ☒M ☒T ☒W ☒R ☒F ☐S ☐S

(Expected avg.) (Expected avg. / or check days)

Leonard J. Kaplan Center for

Internship site: Wellness

Student Sarah Frey SEF 12/4/17

(Please Print) (Signature or initial if electronic) (Date)

Preceptor Dr. Jill Beville

(Please Print) (Signature or initial if electronic) (Date)

Faculty Advisor Dr. Amanda Tanner

(Please Print) (Signature or initial if electronic) (Date)

Faculty Internship
Coordinator Dr. Robert Strack
(Please Print) (Signature or initial if electronic) (Date)