The ABACC Podcast®

The ABACC Podcast®
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Business

The ABACC Podcast is for the people who run the business side of Christian higher education: CFOs, controllers, and business officers who carry the budget, the compliance, and the risk so the mission can move forward. Each episode is an honest conversation with someone who knows this work from the inside, sharing the story behind their calling, the wisdom they've gained along the way, and the encouragement every business leader needs to hear: we are all working through it together. Learn more about the Association of Business Administrators of Christian Colleges at myabacc.org.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Ep. 5 - Weston Wiebe (CFO, College of the Ozarks) - Hard Work and Debt-Free Degrees

    Weston Wiebe came to College of the Ozarks to play basketball, fell in love with its mission, and is now vice president and CFO of the school the Wall Street Journal once called Hard Work U, where every student works and none pays tuition. He walks Bruce through what makes that model work, from student labor to the endowment and annual gifts behind it, and what any business officer can take from it, including the discipline of choosing what to say no to. Takeaways Student work offsets real costs, like in-house custodial and landscaping crews, but the biggest factors are a donor-built endowment and annual gifts.Work program decisions are education decisions, not made on financial metrics alone, and every student's work grade goes on the transcript.What any campus can borrow: teach students to tell their story, translating what they've learned into a resume and an interview."The most strategic thing that we'll ever do is knowing or choosing what to say no to." Say no to 95 percent, and pursue the rest with excellence.Present the information, then let the team, president, and board decide. As a peer told him, "The institution's weight doesn't fall on your shoulders."Chapters 00:00 Meet Weston Wiebe03:35 From basketball to the business office07:37 The same calling in a different office12:51 Hard Work U and the 1930s fruitcake14:47 Work grades on the transcript17:43 Setting expectations on the front end18:56 What makes a no-tuition model work23:51 A missionary's redirected dream25:40 Rankings and the risk of mission drift27:27 Lessons for a tuition-based campus31:19 Saying no to 95 percent33:43 Present the information, then let go37:17 Why he points people to ABACCGuest: Weston Wiebe, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of College of the Ozarks (cofo.edu) The ABACC Podcast is hosted by Bruce Hoeker, Executive Director of ABACC. Learn more at myabacc.org. Know someone who should be a guest? Email bruce@myabacc.org. Join us at the ABACC Annual Conference, February 14 to 18, 2027, in Orlando: myabacc.org/conference This episode is brought to you by CapinCrouse. Since 1972, CapinCrouse has served mission-focused nonprofits, churches, and Christian colleges, and today they work with more than 120 higher education institutions. Learn more at capincrouse.com.

    Ep. 5 - Weston Wiebe (CFO, College of the Ozarks) - Hard Work and Debt-Free Degrees

  2. 3d ago

    Ep. 4 - Keith Ramsdell (President, NACCAP) - The CFO and Enrollment, Part One: Building Trust

    Keith Ramsdell spent almost thirty years on campuses before becoming president of the North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals, and at Ashland University his first goal with CFO Mark Pasteris was simply to make him smile. He says CFOs and enrollment leaders speak different languages, and he guesses the relationship isn't great on more than half of campuses. He and Bruce talk about what each side needs the other to understand, and how trust gets built. Takeaways Build the bridge over a meal. Meetings in each other's offices feel like business, and they can be intimidating on someone else's turf.Expect the gap. Most enrollment leaders have no business background and were taught to count heads. Help them learn what net tuition revenue means.Fund a new idea by cutting the least successful one. Keith did it several times, and it earns a CFO's attention for the next ask.Don't expect your CRM to prove every dollar. Keith says Slate struggles to track how a student came in, and may need a dedicated team to do more.Admit what you don't know. Keith told his CFO, "I don't know what I don't know. And I want you to help me understand what I don't know."Chapters 00:00 Meet Keith Ramsdell04:05 Almost thirty years on campus06:47 The conference that led him to NACCAP10:42 Making the CFO smile14:40 Breaking bread together18:36 From headcount to net tuition revenue21:01 Data that starts the conversation24:38 What enrollment leaders want CFOs to know26:45 Asking instead of faking it29:58 Not the smartest guy in the room32:15 Tracking what works, cutting what doesn't35:44 What Slate can't tell you37:30 How many campuses get this rightGuest: Keith Ramsdell, President of the North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals (naccap.org) The ABACC Podcast is hosted by Bruce Hoeker, Executive Director of ABACC. Learn more at myabacc.org. Know someone who should be a guest? Email bruce@myabacc.org. Join us at the ABACC Annual Conference, February 14 to 18, 2027, in Orlando: myabacc.org/conference This episode is brought to you by CapinCrouse. Since 1972, CapinCrouse has served mission-focused nonprofits, churches, and Christian colleges, and today they work with more than 120 higher education institutions. Learn more at capincrouse.com.

    Ep. 4 - Keith Ramsdell (President, NACCAP) - The CFO and Enrollment, Part One: Building Trust

  3. Oct 28

    Ep. 3 - David Hoag (President, CCCU) - The CFO, the President, and Why Every Dollar Matters

    David Hoag, president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, was making $13,000 a year in admissions at Asbury when its CFO required 3% of every check for retirement; what he put in over nine years is now worth over $300,000. He has always worked at his relationship with the CFO, because presidents are only as good as the financial information they have. He and Bruce talk about stewarding every dollar, shared services, and the CCCU's fight in Washington. Takeaways Presidents are only as good as the financial information they have. Develop your relationship with the president, and "brutally tell the truth.""Every dollar matters." One faculty load report showed the cabinet that a nine-hour load instead of twelve meant $3,000 for another instructor.A budget gap can't simply become the annual fund goal. Take out non-repeatable gifts, like estate gifts, and work from a three-year average.The real savings come from sharing back-office systems like an LMS or ERP, over a million dollars, not from buying toilet paper together.Federal aid is often a school's biggest donor, and the earnings test could put Title IV at risk. Help your president bring lawmakers to campus.Chapters 00:00 Meet David Hoag03:34 From Asbury admissions to the CCCU07:18 The legendary CFO who said no10:25 What CFOs carry that presidents don't12:40 Only as good as the CFO's information14:43 Compliance is not just the CFO's problem16:31 Faith, stewardship, and the annual fund goal18:41 Better together through shared services23:35 Associations practicing what they preach25:26 What the CCCU is doing in Washington32:25 Every dollar matters34:33 How the CCCU is in your corner36:34 Build the relationship and tell the truthGuest: David Hoag, President of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (cccu.org) The ABACC Podcast is hosted by Bruce Hoeker, Executive Director of ABACC. Learn more at myabacc.org. Know someone who should be a guest? Email bruce@myabacc.org. Join us at the ABACC Annual Conference, February 14 to 18, 2027, in Orlando: myabacc.org/conference This episode is brought to you by CapinCrouse. Since 1972, CapinCrouse has served mission-focused nonprofits, churches, and Christian colleges, and today they work with more than 120 higher education institutions. Learn more at capincrouse.com.

    Ep. 3 - David Hoag (President, CCCU) - The CFO, the President, and Why Every Dollar Matters

  4. Oct 26

    Ep. 2 - Philip Dearborn (President, ABHE) - What a Good President Needs from a Good CFO

    Philip Dearborn started in admissions at Lancaster Bible College for $16,000 a year, stayed 26 years and became provost, and now serves 171 institutions as president of the Association for Biblical Higher Education. From that seat he sees what makes the partnership between a president and a CFO work, and what quietly breaks it. He and Bruce talk through both sides of the table: what presidents need from their business officers, and what CFOs should expect in return. Takeaways Presidents want honesty first: no spin, no surprises, and never being the last to hear about a problem.Report the numbers neutrally, then stay in the room. The CFOs presidents trust bring the problem and a possible solution together.Giving the CFO a seat at the cabinet table is the president's job. "Your CFO is not your bookkeeper."A no can hold five yeses. Tell the whole story, wins included, so the CFO isn't only the bearer of bad news."The higher you go in leadership, the fewer truth tellers you have around you." Build trust across the cabinet, starting with coffee with your chief academic officer.Chapters 00:00 Meet Philip Dearborn03:35 From admissions to provost to ABHE06:28 Patterns across 171 institutions08:25 What a good president needs from a good CFO12:43 Neutral on the numbers, part of the solution15:11 Becoming a strategic thought partner17:09 Who gives the CFO a voice18:38 Saying no without being the downer in the room24:35 The trap of perpetual fall28:01 Why CFOs need a network30:12 What a CFO should expect from a president32:17 Healthy and toxic cabinets35:12 Advice for a new president and a new CFO39:18 A word of thanks to CFOsGuest: Philip Dearborn, President of the Association for Biblical Higher Education (abhe.org) The ABACC Podcast is hosted by Bruce Hoeker, Executive Director of ABACC. Learn more at myabacc.org. Know someone who should be a guest? Email bruce@myabacc.org. Join us at the ABACC Annual Conference, February 14 to 18, 2027, in Orlando: myabacc.org/conference This episode is brought to you by CapinCrouse. Since 1972, CapinCrouse has served mission-focused nonprofits, churches, and Christian colleges, and today they work with more than 120 higher education institutions. Learn more at capincrouse.com.

    Ep. 2 - Philip Dearborn (President, ABHE) - What a Good President Needs from a Good CFO

  5. Oct 8

    Ep. 1 - Welcome to The ABACC Podcast®

    Bruce Hoeker, Executive Director of ABACC, spent three years sending job applications without so much as a no thank you, until a posting in his church bulletin led him to his first job in higher ed, at Grace Christian University. His first ABACC conference sent him home with 50 new ideas and a life-changing discovery: it's not just us. This podcast exists because the job keeps getting harder and too many business officers feel alone, and Bruce wants them to know they aren't. Takeaways Every school is struggling in the same areas. Knowing that changed how Bruce did his work and how he thought about his institution.The business officer's job is much harder than it was even five years ago. Bruce doubts a 29-year-old from a bank, as he was, could do it today.You are not alone. Even with the board, your president, and the finance and audit committee watching, other business officers are doing the same work.Every job Bruce held taught him something he would need at ABACC. "It's not just up to me like I thought it was.""You are part of God's work." For your institution to flourish, you need to flourish too.Chapters 00:00 Meet Bruce Hoeker02:19 Three years of applications and silence03:07 A job posting in the church bulletin04:42 Fifty ideas from his first ABACC conference06:03 It's not just us06:34 Saying no to ABACC, then yes09:20 A career God arranged11:30 Why the job keeps getting harder12:59 Why this podcast existsHost: Bruce Hoeker, Executive Director of ABACC (myabacc.org) The ABACC Podcast is hosted by Bruce Hoeker, Executive Director of ABACC. Learn more at myabacc.org. Know someone who should be a guest? Email bruce@myabacc.org. Join us at the ABACC Annual Conference, February 14 to 18, 2027, in Orlando: myabacc.org/conference This episode is brought to you by CapinCrouse. Since 1972, CapinCrouse has served mission-focused nonprofits, churches, and Christian colleges, and today they work with more than 120 higher education institutions. Learn more at capincrouse.com.

  • 5 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
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About

The ABACC Podcast is for the people who run the business side of Christian higher education: CFOs, controllers, and business officers who carry the budget, the compliance, and the risk so the mission can move forward. Each episode is an honest conversation with someone who knows this work from the inside, sharing the story behind their calling, the wisdom they've gained along the way, and the encouragement every business leader needs to hear: we are all working through it together. Learn more about the Association of Business Administrators of Christian Colleges at myabacc.org.

Information

  • Creator
    The ABACC Podcast®
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The ABACC Podcast®
  • Show Website
    The ABACC Podcast®

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