USU Business Services Highlighted at National Conference

LOGAN, Utah — Keri Shoemaker, financial officer for the Caine College of the Arts, recently returned from presenting at the Western Association of College and University Business Officers annual conference.

Since 1937, WACUBO has provided business officers in the Western region with opportunities for professional development, problem-solving in higher education and knowledge-sharing with colleagues across institutions.

This year’s conference took place on the Big Island of Hawaii and centered around the theme ‘A‘ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia, which translates to “No task is too big when done together by all.”

Shoemaker presented alongside Whitney Pugh, executive director of the Office of Budget and Planning at Utah State University, sharing insights from their combined experience in higher education financial services.

The two submitted a presentation proposal for the 2025 conference, which was accepted, giving them the opportunity to present their work on a national stage.

“We presented information about what we’ve done here within Business Services at USU on training our employees,” Shoemaker said. “We started out by doing an origami exercise, and I purposely did it quickly and without very much instruction to intentionally create a challenge. We compared it to some of the difficulties we face in university training. We shared various ways that business services has trained USU employees over the past thirteen years. We ended the presentation with Pugh giving instructions on how to properly throw a boomerang. We wanted to do something unique, fun, and purposeful.”

Shoemaker noted that this was a particularly exciting opportunity to spotlight the work being done within USU Business Services at a national level — an uncommon but valuable experience.

The conference also offered valuable takeaways for Shoemaker and Pugh to bring back to USU.

“The main speaker, Michael C. Bush, was an inspirational speaker. He talked about the workplace and how to try and keep a positive environment,” Shoemaker said. “His main takeaway was creating community, which I really, really love. I try to do that within my own business services team. I try to create that community.”

This national platform to share USU’s innovative training approaches not only reflects the university’s commitment to excellence and inclusion, but also exemplifies its mission to build community, empower professionals, and elevate the impact of higher education.

For more information about Business Services at USU, visit the website.