According to a schoolwide email sent Jan. 7 by Chancellor Kim Wilcox, the search to fill the position of vice chancellor for business and administrative services (BAS) has ended. Set to fill that position is current CFO and Vice Chancellor for Planning and Budget Gerry Bomotti, who had already taken the new responsibilities in the interim.
“My goals are to serve the campus to the highest extent possible, meaning our students, faculty and staff,” said Bomotti in an email to the Highlander. “At the same time we will be able to save costs and be able to reinvest those funds into high priority needs for UCR.”
According to both Wilcox and Bomotti, this appointment will coalesce Bomotti’s responsibilities into the position of “Vice Chancellor for Planning, Budget and Administration. This merges the previous units of Planning and Budget and Business and Administrative services,” wrote Bomotti. His responsibilities include developing budget plans, facilities services, real estate and building planning, as well as financial research.
Although he has only spent one year at UCR, Bomotti’s long experience in the world of academia includes filling comparable roles at public universities throughout the country, such as senior vice president for finance and business at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “I have had experience with all the areas I am now responsible for, and it is very useful to know some viable solutions (and areas to stay away from) when similar issues arise here at UCR.”
Regarding his future challenges, Bomotti stated, “I hope we can see some continued improvement in the condition of our campus facilities – there has been great progress already and our facilities staff have really stepped up with summer deep cleaning and a host of other activities to better maintain the buildings we all use.” He went on to mention working to improve the UCPath system, which has affected some students and employees in the UC system due to technical errors. Bomotti also wrote of improving the services of all administrative units throughout UCR, “such that each client that we engage with is given high quality and responsive service – even if we can’t fix their issue immediately it is important to earn their respect.”
The chancellor’s letter addressed how this merger can help “optimize our financial, planning, and administrative operations in support of our strategic goals.” More efficient use of finances is a priority of Bomotti’s, as he stated: “In a time when many administrative organizations are growing, it is nice to see some are shrinking as well, and taking those resources to invest directly into activities that will benefit our faculty, staff and students.”
