University of Denver Business and Financial Affairs

Collection

Identifier: U113

Staff Only

Restrictions apply to this resource. Contact Special Collections and Archives for more information.

Abstract

The office of Business and Financial Affairs (BFA) first appears in the University's organization charts as early as 1932 as the "Business Office" and more officially as "Business Financial Affairs" as of the 1940/1950 organization charts. The University of Denver's BFA office has existed in its current form since the 1980s and 1990s as the University went through many financial upheavals in order to recover from the financial crisis it was experiencing in the early 1980s. The roles and functions of this office prior to this time were fulfilled by staff connected to either the Board of Trustees or Chancellor's Office or both. At least since 1962, there has been a Vice Chancellor of (Business and) Financial Affairs in charge of the university's Business and Financial Affairs office. The VC of Business and Financial Affairs is also the CFO of the university (according to the 2020 Board of Trustees By-Laws), and very often they are also the Treasurer of the University, although this is not required)

This collection contains records related to the business and operations of the university, including property assessment and valuation, property titles and sale records, contracts and agreements with outside entities, permits, revenue bonds and loans, budget planning materials, annual reports of the Treasurer, annual reports from departments within the division of Business and Financial Affairs, internal memos and projects, and other materials relating to the financial planning and operations of the institution.

As of 2025, Mark DeLorenzo is the current Vice Chancellor of Business and Financial Affairs (and because of this role he is also the University's CFO), and he was elected Treasurer by the Board of Trustees. From around 2019 to 2023 Leslie Brunelli was the VC of Business and Financial Affairs, CFO and Treasurer. Craig Woody was VC of Business and Financial Affairs and CFO from 1994-2019. Jim Griesemer was the VC of Business and Financial Affairs and CFO from 1990-1994. In the 1980s, Liz Williams was the VC of Business and Financial Affairs, CFO, and Treasurer. In the mid 1970s, Carl Gardner was the VC of Business and Financial Affairs and the Treasurer.

Dates

1859-2015

Creator

University of Denver. College of Business Administration (Organization)

Biographical / Historical

The office of Business and Financial Affairs (BFA) first appears in the University's organization charts as early as 1932 as the "Business Office" and more officially as "Business Financial Affairs" as of the 1940/1950 organization charts. The role of Vice Chancellor of Financial Affairs (who heads this office) first appears in the 1962 organization chart. The functions of Business and Financial Affairs have been carried out by roles connected to both the Board of Trustees and the Chancellor's Office since the early 1900s.

Early in DU's history there was also a Treasurer who had to be a member of the Board of Trustees (according to the 1916 and 1936 Board of Trustees By-Laws). Previously, the Treasurer was specifically in charge of duties such as making an annual full report to the Board of Trustees about finances and recommendations, recieving and making receipts for all money due to the University, pay out money owed by the university, keep complete accounts and records of all financial transactions, and supervise all property of the University. Since the 1975 By-Laws, the Treasurer's duties have been more loosely defined as being "responsible to the Chancellor and to the Board of Trustees for all financial matters."

By the 1948 By-Laws, the Treasurer no longer had to be a member of the Board of Trustees. Although it did still occur this way sometimes. Since the 1980s, it has become increasingly common for the DU Treasurer to be the same person as the Vice Chancellor of Business and Financial Affairs, although this is not required (the VC is appointed by the Chancellor and the Treasurer is elected by the Board of Trustees). As of 2025, the 5 most recent Vice Chancellors of Business and Financial Affairs (Mark DeLorenzo, Leslie Brunelli, Craig Woody, Jim Griesemer, and Liz Willaims) were alternatingly called the CFO of the university, the VC of Financial Affairs, and the Treasurer of the university.

The Vice Chancellor (VC) of Business and Financial Affairs was first stated and given responsibilities in the Board of Trustees 1975 By-Laws, and this VC first appeared in DU Organization Charts in 1962. This Vice Chancellor is appointed by the Chancellor and has “such duties and responsibilities as may be assigned to him by the Chancellor.” As of the 2020 By-Laws, the VC of Financial Affairs has the following responsibilities: “financial planning; policy and control; debt and asset management; aiding and advising the Chancellor and the Provost on budget development and evaluation; and monitoring and control of the budget after adoption by the Board of Trustees and advising the Finance and Budget and other appropriate Trustee Committees, the Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees on financial results as compared with the budget, with prior years and with other appropriate standards.” Additionally, the 2020 By-Laws state that the VC of Financial Affairs is also the CFO for the University.

Before the role of VC of Business and Financial Affairs was created, there was a "Business Manager" role that was established in the 1952 Board of Trustees By-Laws. Similar to the VC, this Business Manager was appointed by the Chancellor and was supposed to have duties related to buildings and grounds, purchasing and concessions, property management, non-academic personnel, and non-academic budget.

The Office of Business and Financial Affairs as we know it now started to take shape in the 1980s and 1990s as the University went through many financial upheavals in order to recover from the financial crisis it was experiencing in the early 1980s. This financial crisis was caused by a combination of declining enrollment and substantial operating deficits.

The office of Business and Financial Affairs is responsible for overseeing the financial management, business operators, and built environment of the University. This office has many smaller departments within it that report up to the VC of Business and Financial Affairs. These departments include the Office of the Controller (at least since the 1962 org. chart), Budget and Planning (at least since 1985 org. chart), the Office of Sponsored Programs (HERE), the Office of Campus Safety (at least since 1995 org. chart), the Bookstore (at least since 1962 org. chart), Facilities Management / Plant and Services / Real Estate (at least since 1940s/50s), Human Resources, Business Services (mail, quick copy, purchasing, risk management), and more.

Extent

42.25 Linear Feet (47 containers)

Additional Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials related to the responsibilities of and created by the University of Denver's Office of Business and Financial Affairs. Their primary role is to oversee the financial management, business operators, and built environment of the University. Thus, materials in this collection mostly cover the following topics: annual reports, real estate, budget, bonds and loans, agreements and contracts, and internal materials. This collection can be added to in the future.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into 6 series.

Series 1 contains annual reports including annual reports of the Treasurer, annual reports of the Office of Business and Financial Affairs, and annual reports from the smaller offices housed within the BFA.

Series 2 houses all real estate materials including administrative materials, maps and blueprints, title abstracts, leases, documentation of property sales and gifts, and property-related financial assets.

Series 3 contains budget reports, budget planning materials, and financial statements of the University.

Series 4 contains bound books documenting revenue bonds and loan agreements between the University and 3 entities: the Colorado Postsecondary Educational Facilities Authority, the Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority, and the City and County of Denver, Colorado.

Series 5 houses materials that document contracts, partnerships, and agreements between the University of Denver and other entities.

Lastly, Series 6 contains all other internal (and miscellaneous) memos, projects, programs, and policies of the DU Business and Financial Affairs Office.

Separated Materials

During reprocessing, many materials were removed from this collection and rehoused elsewhere.

Some folders about legal matters of the University were removed from the Special Collections and Archives and were given to the Office of General Counsel at DU for them to keep safely with their records.

Some materials had to be rehoused into the Board of Trustees Collection (U114). This included endowment materials, Board member insurance materials, the first copies of bound Annual Reports of the Treasurer, microfiche preservation copies of budget materials, and board-approved budget reports.

Materials about Daniel Ritchie's properies and land donations to the University were moved to his personal papers collection (M196). This includes materials that documented the property transfers of his land to the University, but materials related to what DU did with the property after gaining ownership are still housed in this collection (U113) in the Real Estate series.

Materials related to the student Financial Aid Office were separated and moved to the Office of Financial Aid Collection (U128).

Materials from the Campus Safety department (which is housed under the Office of Business and Financial Affairs) were moved to the Campus Safety Collection (U355).

Materials from the Risk Management department (which is housed under the Office of Business and Financial Affairs) were moved to the Risk Management Collection (U327).