DU Oral History - Jim Griesemer Part I Highlights

James (Jim) Griesemer began his career in city management at the age of 23 serving three cities over a 20 year period, the last being Aurora, Co. During his years in city management, his continued interest in academia kept him involved at local universities either as a lecturer or adjunct professor. He joined the leadership team at the University of Denver (DU) as Chief Financial Officer in 1990.

In his 9/10/19 interview with Craig Woody, Jim shares his perspective on the financial situation at DU when he arrived. He discusses the University’s cumulative deficit, bond ratings, falling enrollments, cash flow and liquidity issues. He reflects on tactical efforts that were implemented to slow the bleeding and allow time to address needed long-term structural changes. He highlights the transition to a system of accounting creating responsibility centers that linked revenues and expenses. He touches on the importance of the contribution margin analysis for planning purposes and describes the implementation and resulting positive outcomes of a financial incentive program called gainsharing.