Joshua Burgher takes a big view of higher education finance, and he has the experience to back it up. In nearly two decades in higher education, he has been a chief operating and financial officer, a senior vice dean, a faculty member, and a builder of programs and services for students.
“I’ve been fortunate to have had exposure to a broad set of different roles within the university,” said Burgher, who joined Fordham on July 1 as vice president for finance and assistant treasurer.
He transitioned his career into higher education in 2007 after working as a management consultant at EY and other companies. An Indiana native, he is the son of two elementary school teachers, and he and his wife are raising three school-age children. He is also a student himself, finalizing his Ph.D. at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, focusing on a topic close to his heart: the potential for universities to achieve financial sustainability and have a positive impact on society.
Why did this role appeal to you?
Because it called for being a strategic partner across campus and working collaboratively to further the mission of the University. I think that the work that Fordham does to be active in communities and around the world is really important. It’s great to be able to spend my days working with service- and mission-driven individuals and supporting the education of leaders who will address the world’s environmental, economic, and social challenges.
What unique experience do you bring to the role?
My background’s definitely different compared with a lot of finance VPs. I have taught, conducted research, and been involved in leading and supporting a lot of aspects of the university—enrollment, financial aid, student success. I’m also focused on financial sustainability, both in terms of efficiently allocating financial resources and identifying new revenue opportunities.
Not all finance VPs have doctorates. Why are you pursuing one, and what’s your focus?
I started my Ph.D. program because I was working with faculty who were research active, which was something I wanted to understand better. I have a lot of respect for faculty and researchers in higher education, and it’s been helpful for me to have that context as I’m out there supporting them.
The title of my dissertation is “Enhancing Social, Environmental, and Economic Impact Efforts In and Through Universities,” and it offers a framework and tools for universities to plan for and realize their desired impact. For instance, I proposed a measure for how a center within a university could track their impact on reducing recidivism in the criminal justice system. The U.S. has one of the highest rates of recidivism in the world, and there are efforts out there to address that through employment and education opportunities. Quantifying the impact of efforts such as this provides support for strategic planning and investment.
It seems like a challenging time to be in higher education finance, given national trends. How do we invest in top-notch academics while also adapting to new revenue constraints?
It is a challenging time for higher education as we try to balance the achievement of our mission with long-term financial sustainability. It’s critical to consider the overall portfolio of programs, research, and initiatives underway, along with their individual impacts on the mission and on financial sustainability, and by proactively managing our investments in this portfolio, we can achieve pretty much anything. For example, an individual program may not have a positive financial impact; however, it could be very important for our mission and important to include in our portfolio. It’s also a matter of investing in students, faculty, and research, which makes Fordham, from a brand perspective, more attractive to prospective students as we see people achieve the objectives that they have for their education.
What’s been your favorite role outside of finance?
I love teaching and being in the classroom. I taught for over a decade, and for a couple of years I was a full-time faculty member teaching management and applied analytics classes. It’s just great to see where the students come in and then where they end up.
