Assistant Dean of Financial Services Betty Byrum Retires

After 12 years of leading business services in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and 31 years of service to the State of North Carolina, Assistant Dean of Financial Administration Betty Byrum is retiring on August 1.

Byrum, who first joined NC State in 1993, has held several positions at the university during her tenure before assuming her current role in 2010. The list includes serving as associate executive director of business and financial services and chief fiscal officer for the Alumni Association and assistant vice provost for finance and business in Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications. She was also a student services assistant and administrative manager in the Department of Animal Science and a student services assistant and personnel assistant in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Her past experience also includes four years in the U.S. Army as a communication specialist.

“Betty has displayed expertise, competence and professionalism in business services, elevating the reputation of the college across the university,” says Deanna Dannels, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “Her work with the human resource and finance teams over the past 12 years has led to increased consistencies in business processes, proactive plans for strategic alignment of resources with priorities, and principled policies and standards of practice. 

“Betty’s leadership has been invaluable in shaping the college’s business services and hence, her work has been critical to the college’s overall ability to accomplish its goals. I am grateful for her commitment to the college, for her constant and steady wisdom and expertise and for her unwavering commitment to equity and fairness.”

During her tenure as assistant dean, Byrum also has:

• Built a record of innovation in our college and on our campus. Her concepts and achievements have become models for campus-wide improvements in business services.
• Guided the college through state-mandated budget cuts, various changes in funding models and major university-wide policy changes. This includes leading restructures and consolidations that saved the college significant costs. 
• Implemented a college-wide tool for departments and units to actively and strategically plan expenditures and fiscal year closure.
• Reorganized business services in the college in a manner that ultimately resulted in each academic department having the dedicated support of a business services coordinator.
• Built and fostered an experienced team of business services professionals that provide training and guidance to department and unit coordinators while maintaining required controls and procedures to ensure compliance with college, university and state requirements. 
• Encouraged colleagues to create time- and energy-saving innovations that reduce the time and effort needed to get things done while increasing accuracy and speed.

A member of the administrative and executive leadership teams, Byrum was the recipient of the college’s 2013 staff award for excellence for her selflessness, leadership, innovation and exceptional service to the college.

Byrum earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from North Carolina Wesleyan University and received a Master of Business Administration from East Carolina University.

“It has been an honor to lead the business services team in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences these last 12 years and to have worked with Deans Jeff Braden and Deanna Dannels,” Byrum says. “It has also been my pleasure to serve the citizens of North Carolina in the roles that have been entrusted to me and to have served in the armed forces over the course of my professional life. I am looking forward to a vibrant retirement while traveling, enjoying life and spending quality time with family and friends.”The position held by Byrum was reclassified into two separate roles. In December 2021, the college named Stephanie Carter as its new assistant dean for human resources administration, and in June 2022, the college named Sharon Herring as its new assistant dean for financial administration.