Funding What Works: Data-Driven Budgeting & Program Review with Dean Jean-François Coget (Sacramento State)

What does it really mean to run a college like a high-functioning organization, without losing the heart of higher education?In this episode of Beyond the Quadcast, Dean Jean-François Coget, Dean of the College of Business at Sacramento State, has a candid conversation about data-driven budgeting, program review, and the realities of leadership behind hard decisions. Dean Coget shares how business schools use outcomes data, employer feedback, accreditation metrics, and class efficiency to align resources with student success and workforce demand, while also protecting mission, culture, and trust.You’ll also hear Dean Coget’s honest leadership lessons on listening tours, pacing change, navigating feedback, and why he thinks of leadership as “riding an elephant.”In This Episode:What “data-driven budgeting” looks like day-to-day in a college of businessAACSB accreditation and how it shapes metrics, strategy, and accountabilityUsing outcomes data (including a LinkedIn partnership) to understand graduate career pathwaysWhen to reinvest, redesign, or sunset programs and how to do it transparentlyThe difference between state-supported vs. self-support programs and what “break-even” really meansWhy culture comes before strategy (and how to build trust in decision-making)Leadership lessons: patience, loneliness, not taking feedback personally, and bringing people alongFeatured Guest:Dean Jean-François Coget, Dean, College of Business, California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State)Host / Co-Host:Misty Evans (Host)DeMario Easley (Co-Host)Subscribe & Follow:If you found this conversation useful, follow Beyond the Quadcast for more tools, best practices, and real solutions for higher education leaders.Keywords:Higher education leadership, dean leadership, budgeting in higher ed, program review, enrollment strategy, AACSB, outcomes data, campus culture, academic administration