Ethan Knox

Matthew Schofield ’03, MPA ’11, and his mission to keep campus running

By Ethan Knox ’20 on SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 @BingUNews

Does getting your textbook from the Union Bookstore or finding the stapler you only just realized you need sometimes feel like a magic trick? For that, you can thank Matt Schofield ’03, MPA ’11.

“Every day is different, but you get used to the fact that it’s different. You learn to adapt and move on the fly. The number one goal of this institution is to get students admitted, get them educated and have them graduate,” he said. “My job is to make it so students don’t have to know what’s going on behind the scenes and ensure that certain operations are seamless. Without getting in anyone else’s way, my job is to provide the ingredients, so that the staff, deans and academic faculty can cook their meal.”

Schofield is not a magician, but he does procure everything you need to be successful here on campus, from nursing catalogs to outside vendors. His title — senior director of procurement and analysis in the Purchasing Office — is the latest role he’s held on campus, after a nearly 20-year tenure.

His role is a combination of duties from accounts payable and purchasing — once two separate departments, he helped bring them together since their work aligns so closely, he said. The bulk of his role oversees the procurement process: going out, working with a vendor, getting a product and bringing it on campus — whether it be a service or a good — and paying for it. 

“In practice, it’s not as simple as that,” he said. “The higher the dollar amount, the more complex. I also work on applying New York state rules to those agreements, and the analysis side of my job is helping with financial reporting and trend analysis in terms of reports for SUNY and our research expenditures, which helps us maintain our R1 research status as an institution. Everything that happens on this campus isn’t just a snap of the finger, though we try to make it seem that way.”

Schofield, who first earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Binghamton’s School of Management in 2003, grew up in the local Union-Endicott area with a father whose advice was to follow a career path in accounting. 

He believes that guidance paid off — Schofield said that the School of Management taught him discipline. Because it is a field that is black and white — debts and credits — he quickly learned to follow the book and find a solution. 

Then, in 2011 as an employee at Binghamton, Schofield decided to return for a degree in public administration from the College of Community and Public Affairs. Engaged to be married and taking night classes, he said that the decision to pursue this degree rather than a degree in business administration wasn’t a simple one, but that he ultimately opted to diversify his portfolio. Not only could he use his new skills across the University, but he felt that the amount of interaction he had with public organizations warranted a deeper dive into their operation.

“A lot of this job is coming up with new ideas and policy review analysis. I owe my skill at that to my master’s,” Schofield said. “I asked myself, ‘Do I really want an MBA, or if I stay at this public institution, do I want to be a public administrator?’ I have my business and numbers background, and I work in a public institution with constant policy review, analysis and implementation at all different levels. The education from the public administration side really rounds out my profile.”

Though he loves his work and finds it fulfilling, another big role in his life is preparing his three children for their adult lives. His goal there, he said while laughing, is to make sure that at least one ends up as a student at Binghamton.

“I am a number one advocate of the local kids getting on this campus and seeing what it offers. I was as guilty as anyone; you drive up and down Vestal Parkway through the ages of 1 to 18 without ever actually coming up Bartle Drive,” he said. “I can guarantee you, if this campus and what it has to offer was an hour away, quite a few people from here would apply. I wish that people knew what this place has to offer, just a few miles down the road from wherever they live.”

Ensuring that the campus remains in the top of its field is a big ask, but it’s one that Schofield works toward every day. He notes that over each student’s college career, it’s likely they’ll all touch something brand new. 

Although he doesn’t need credit, he hopes that these big improvements remind the community of the impact and need for the University as an economic driver.

“As much as you try to stay underground, to make it seamless to the students, I wish that people knew what it takes to run the university,” he said. “I wish I knew that as a student. And I wish not only all our students, but the people surrounding the school, knew the impact that this university has on the Southern Tier. There is so much more happening than just keeping the lights on.”