Special Adviser to President Rao Retires

When Dick Bunce came to Virginia Commonwealth University to serve as executive director of the Department of Assurance Services, he told the man who hired him that he was only going to be here “three to five years.”

That was 23 years ago, and Bunce spent the majority of them directing the audit, management advisory services and compliance functions of the university and the VCU Health System Authority. For the past two years he has served as special adviser to VCU President Michael Rao.

Bunce retires Feb. 1. He remembers the day he was hired by then-President Eugene Trani, who asked Bunce how he should view the assurance services function.

“I told him we were like the umpires in a baseball game,” Bunce said. “We did our best work when nobody noticed.  But then I asked that when people might not appreciate our work -- and let the president know it – that he wait for the replay and most often we’d be right.

“I hope that was the case over these many years,” Bunce said.

During his tenure, Bunce was responsible for the continuing evaluation of the university and health system’s operating environments, risks, policies, procedures and practices and the development and execution of appropriate audit and compliance plans. He directed special projects and investigations.

He also established VCU’s Business Practices Framework to assist departments in the self-assessment and strengthening of business practices at both the central and departmental levels.

Bunce previously served as audit director in the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Office of the Auditor of Public Accounts

He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and an MBA from VCU.

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