Off The Cuff: Susan Turcotte
July 8, 2020
Our CCRI faculty and staff are a diverse group with many fascinating hobbies and interests that keep them busy during their free time off campus. Welcome to "Off the Cuff." Every other week, we'll profile a member of our CCRI family to find out what makes them tick. Hopefully, their stories inspire others and help us develop new connections and friendships with our CCRI colleagues.
The switch to working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic affected both faculty and staff members at CCRI, including the Bursar’s Office, whose employees had to adjust to working from home despite responsibilities that had otherwise never been accomplished off campus.
In this week’s “Off The Cuff,” we catch up with Susan Turcotte, the Assistant Controller
of the Bursar’s Office, who helped navigate the staff through times while the college
implemented its new online billing feature for the first time.
Tell us a little bit about what you do at CCRI and how long you have been with the
college?
I have been at the College since February 2019. I came from RIC where I spent 22
years in the Accounting Office. I am responsible for the Bursar Offices at the 4
campuses. We do the billing for students and 3rd parties, process payments, manage
the payment plans, work with collection agencies on past due accounts. I am here
to support the Bursar team; together, we have been able to bring forward some great
ideas, such as the past due payment plan.
What is the biggest challenge the bursar’s office faced during the transition to working
remotely?
We have had to re-think the way we work, shifting more to electronic means, E-billing,
E-refunding, E-mails, Signal Vine Texting & sharing files using OneDrive. We have
made thousands of calls to students using our personal cell phones and home phones;
in an effort to maintain privacy, we block the caller ID.
Was the switch to online billing (or e-billing) something the college had been planning
prior to the pandemic?
We had discussed switching to e-billing only, but, no date had been set. There were
several concerns: Students may not check their CCRI email on a regular basis and
parents would not be aware of a balance because they would not see a bill.
What was the most difficult part of the inevitable transition?
Getting the word out. For summer session, our team called all students who were billed
to let them know about the change. We also worked with Marketing to create postcards
that were mailed to students who received an e-bill. For the Fall term, we will continue
mailing post cards to students who receive an e-bill.
How proud are you of how the department has stepped up during the pandemic, whether
it’s reaching out to students or assisting in the e-billing process?
I am extremely proud of the Bursar Office! The way we work has changed and every
member of our team has been willing to adapt. In May, we refunded Cares Act financial
aid awards to qualifying students. We called over 3,000 students to request they
set up e-refunds, 756 students were successfully enrolled. E-refund (direct deposit)
is the quickest and safest way to receive a refund. Whether the calls are for e-billing
or e-refunds, once we reach a student, they ask questions on many topics; we become
their lifeline to CCRI. We do our best to help them with all of their needs.
Has this brought members of your department closer together in terms of communicating
and working cohesively as a unit?
I meet with the Assistant Bursars daily via WebEx and they meet with their folks as
well. We have a daily connection that we didn’t have while at separate campuses.
It has become common for us to text one another with questions or issues. I also
send out emails with updates and changes to keep everyone informed and on the same
page.
We would love to hear your story, too! Email us at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured in a future edition of “Off the Cuff” or want to nominate a co-worker.
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