In the first two parts of this series, I presented the structural features of Responsibility Centered Management (RCM), how money flowed throughout an RCM campus, and how campus costs were covered in this decentralized budgeting system. It is now time to discuss some of the “political” aspects of RCM, namely campus (from faculty to the top) attitudes that determine the success or failure of RCM. There are institutions where RCM has operated successfully for years as well as institutions where it has failed and been replaced very quickly.

Not Just a No-Show: Understanding Faculty Absence at Graduation
Each spring, university campuses are spruced up: Lawns are mowed and stages assembled, and rows of chairs fill the arena. Graduation is a time-honored tradition, celebrating students’ hard work and


