Bomotti mixes responsibility, fun as VP

Gerard Bomotti has his own pillar in the middle of the

Administrative Services office.

His staff calls it the “Bomotti Hall of Fame.” It is a mixture

of pictures – mostly with his head superimposed on other people’s

bodies – taped to the side of the pillar, with quotations and

inside jokes with his staff.

“Humor is important in the workplace,” said Linda Wardlow,

Bomotti’s assistant. “And Gerry has a great sense of humor.”

With all the responsibility Bomotti has being vice president for

Administrative Services, he might need to have a little fun

sometimes.

He is the man behind most of the programs that affect funding

for academics at CSU, including finance, budget, human resources,

payroll, parking, purchasing, physical planning, accounting and

institutional analysis.

“I get to be responsible for all those issues,” Bomotti said.

“So if there is a problem with the building, sometimes somebody

will call me. If there are issues with finances, many times I will

go down to the legislature and meet with legislative groups about

our need for state funding.”

A typical day can have Bomotti sitting in six to seven hours of

meetings, talking with the president and other administration

members about projected enrollment and modifying the tuition or

graduation requirements.

“I come in early and leave late,” he said.

While working the long hours, Bomotti’s focus is caring for the

CSU campus.

“He is one of the most honest and caring people on campus, he

always puts the interest of the university first,” Wardlow said. “I

don’t think you’ll find anyone that knows more about the university

than Gerry, whether it be financial or the way it operates.”

Wardlow said he loves chocolate and rhubarb and encourages his

staff to make and bring in treats.

“He’s a great person to work for,” she said.

Bomotti came to CSU in 1993. He served for five years before

that as vice president for Administrative Services at the

University of Arkansas, when the opportunity arose for a job in

Fort Collins.

Growing up in a rural area near Portland, Ore., Bomotti attended

school in a two-room schoolhouse until the sixth grade.

“The town I grew up in was so small — this is no joke, it

sounds like a joke, but it’s true — that we didn’t have a post

office, and we had to have the mailing address of the next closest

city,” Bomotti said. “The name of that city was Boring, Ore.”

He attended Oregon State University, where he graduated with a

bachelor’s degree in mathematics and statistics. He went on to earn

his master’s in mathematics and statistics at Washington State

University, intending to be a faculty professor.

While applying for jobs after graduate school in 1975, he sent

in an application that had been misfiled as a professor position in

Juneau, Alaska.

He was hired as a statistician and financial aid adviser for the

University of Alaska-Southeast. In three years, he worked his way

up to be one of the top 15 people in the faculty and served for six

weeks as acting chancellor.

He then moved to Anchorage, Alaska, and worked in higher

education for 11 years. He was hired in 1980 as vice president for

Administrative Services at Anchorage Community College.

In 1985 he was put on paid sabbatical to earn his doctorate at

the University of Michigan, where he met his wife, Sally.

She then moved with him back to Anchorage, but being a native of

New York City, she wanted to leave.

“Alaska is a place that people either love or hate. I really

loved it, she really hated it,” Bomotti said. “So 16 months, eight

days, four hours and 12 minutes or something – she knows the time –

later, after she arrived, we moved out and went to the University

of Arkansas.”

With a 15-year-old daughter making her way through high school,

Bomotti cooks with his family when he has time. He and his

daughter, Samantha, are presently growing an herb-and-tomato garden

for their Italian home-cooked meals.

He said he and his daughter camp on the weekends at Rocky

Mountain National Park, with his wife, who is not a big fan of

camping, joining them for breakfast in the mountains on Sunday

mornings.

Recently, most of his days in the office are spent facing higher

education budget woes.

He has presented bills to the legislature and spoken on behalf

of CSU President Larry Penley on ways to help alleviate the

problem.

Bomotti believes the answer to higher education’s budget

problems is that changes need to be made to the Colorado

Constitution and several of its amendments.

By this, Bomotti is referring to the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights,

which limits state income; Amendment 23, which funds K-12 education

and the Gallagher Amendment, which affects property tax.

“Higher ed is at risk right now because of these constitutional

(amendments), but inevitably, if these constitutional changes are

not made, the entire state budget will go to K-12 education. There

won’t be any money for anything other than K-12 education,” he

said.

Although he does not have the opportunity to work closely with

students, Bomotti said the most rewarding part of being vice

president for Administrative Services is watching students enjoy

his work on the campus’s physical development.

“You spend several years working on a project and then get to

see students making use and liking the space,” Bomotti said.

He said his future university goal is to continue creating

solutions to problems that present themselves.

“I’ve done this type of work for a long time and I very much

enjoy it. I’m hopeful that I can continue to serve this institution

in this capacity.”