October 14, 2004

UCSD Vice Chancellor Named 2004 Distinguished Business Officer
By National Association For College, University Business Officers

By Shannon Casey

Steven W. Relyea, vice chancellor for business affairs at the University of California, San Diego, has been named the 2004 Distinguished Business Officer by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). The Distinguished Business Officer Award is NACUBO’s most prestigious honor.

"Steven Relyea is highly deserving of this significant honor," said Marye Anne Fox, chancellor for UCSD. "He is a progressive and visionary business administrator who has played a major role in streamlining and enhancing the effectiveness of UCSD's campus administrative operations." Thanks in large part to Vice Chancellor Relyea's efforts, UCSD has become a prototype in higher education for its innovative business practices."

Each year, NACUBO recognizes one or more business officers, who, during the course of their careers, have made outstanding contributions to business and financial management in higher education, normally over a number of years. Nominations are submitted by NACUBO members to the Awards Council, recipients are selected in the spring, and the award(s) are presented at NACUBO’s Annual Meeting. Relyea, one of only two recipients of this honor, accepted his award at the NACUBO Annual Meeting earlier this summer.

Over the last several years, Relyea and his management team have received numerous honors for their work at UCSD. In 2003, Relyea’s integration of a performance management program at UCSD led to the university’s induction into the Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame. UCSD is the first and only university to have received this honor. In 1999, the group was honored as the sole winner in the education category of USA Today’s Quality Cup Award, in recognition for streamlining business practices, effectively decreasing costs and increasing productivity on campus. In that same year, NACUBO honored Relyea’s management team with its first place award for innovation.

Relyea, who serves as the chief business officer at UCSD, which has an annual operating budget of $1.8 billion, is chairman of the board of directors for the Better Business Bureau of San Diego. He also serves on the NACUBO Research Universities Council, and is leading a team to develop a new business architecture for the University of California system. Relyea is a co-author of the book “Campus Financial Systems for the Future,” and served on the advisory board for several publications, including “A Guide to Managing Federal Grants for Colleges and Universities” and “College and University Business Administration.”

In his role as vice chancellor for business affairs, Relyea, who joined UCSD in 1986, oversees campus-wide administrative operations, including financial services, human resources, facilities, purchasing, administrative computing, telecommunications, housing, food services, police, bookstores, environmental health and safety, and other campus administrative functions.

For more information visit http://www.nacubo.org/x241.xml.

Media Contact: Dolores Davies, (858) 534-5994