As the business officer for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS), Eleanor Stafford has her eyes on the money. That means she is immersed in budgetary matters.
Stafford, who supervises two full-time employees and one temporary worker, advises the dean on budgetary issues. She manages all of the college’s expenditures, budget transfers, lapse salary accounts and the dean’s non-state funding. In addition, Stafford monitors the operating budgets, expenditures and business processes of the college’s 20 units, eight programs and two centers. She noted the challenges are enormous as CLAS is the University’s largest college.
“Every week, I’m constantly reviewing and balancing the dean’s budget,” said Stafford. The beginning and ending of the fiscal years are especially busy times for her, but she noted, “It’s what you do in the middle that affects how you end up. If you’re not reviewing the budget and having conversations with department administrators and the dean, then you risk having funding that isn’t spent properly and in a timely manner.”
Stafford has worked at the University for 20 years. She started out in the English Department when it was located in the Garinger Building. Following a seven-year absence, Stafford returned to the University in the Human Resources Department; she has worked in the Dean’s Office for 10 years.
A 2014 nominee for Employee of the Year, Stafford said she appreciated being singled out for the campus-wide honor. “It was very nice, and it makes you feel as if you’re doing something right and that someone notices your efforts,” she explained. “There’s a lot to keep up with in my job, but I want to excel as my work represents the dean and the college.”
A native of Cabarrus County, Stafford lives in Midland and is a graduate of N.C. A&T University. As the youngest of five siblings, Stafford worked in textile mills to pay for college. Between the money she earned in the summer and various educational grants, she was able to complete a bachelor’s degree in education.
Away from work, Stafford spends time watching her 12-year-old granddaughter Nevaeh participate in youth sports – softball and basketball. She also helps care for her mother, and she loves working in the garden to raise “colorful flowers.”