Executive Insight. Academic Impact.
We provide highly unique business-focused expertise to university boards, university administrators, and legislative leaders concerning higher ed. We close the gap between academia and the business issues universities face in an increasingly competitive and turbulent industry.
Only 2% of university presidents have C-Suite business experience - you will find that expertise here at CEOHigherEd. ​
Financial Performance
Enrollment declines, cuts to state appropriations, heavy tuition discounting, increased staffing and healthcare costs, increased overhead as universities expand student support services and security, large enrollment shifts in program demand coupled with slow response to program consolidation, organizational restructuring, and new program introduction, staggering deferred maintenance in capital as well as IT infrastructure, and much reduced funding to support research - all of these factors place significant downward pressure on university revenues, margins as well as balance sheets. Small and regional institutions with narrow markets are especially vulnerable with higher admission rates, low yields, rising discounts, and negative operating margins now common warning signs. We can help provide greater clarity to the challenges of financial effectiveness and fiscal performance.
The Fiscal Side of Athletics
The fiscal side of college athletics is crucial today because big money now directly shapes which programs survive, which athletes schools can attract and keep, and even how the broader university and local community function. Recent legal changes (NIL, revenue sharing, the House vs. NCAA settlement) mean athletic departments must treat athletic compensation as a substantial, ongoing expense rather than an incidental benefit. Schools in major conferences can now share 20-30 million dollars per year with athletes which forces them to either grow revenues or cut elsewhere. Only a small portion of Division 1 departments were operating in the black even before this shift, so these new athletic labor costs further magnify this existing budget deficit and on going stress. All of this pushes collegiate athletics closer to a professional sports model, where financial strategy is inseparable from competitive success. Understanding and managing the fiscal side of athletics has become and will continue to grow as a central task of university leadership and governing boards. We can support their efforts to ensure sustainable fiscal models that engender success of their athletics programs.
Governance
Board governance is vital to universities because boards safeguard the university's mission, ensure fiduciary stewardship, and provide strategic oversight and accountability in a highly competitive and turbulent environment. Boards are ultimately responsible for educational quality, the financial integrity and stability of the university. They focus on strategy and the performance of university leadership teams. Accrediting bodies explicitly tie good board governance to accreditation and access to federal aid. There is a strong link to high-performing independent boards with institutions that are more resilient, financially sustainable, and able to adapt to change. We can support outstanding board performance and impact across key university priorities.
Capital Investment
Moody's projects that the roughly 500 institutions it rates need 750-950 billion dollars over the next decade in capital needs to address deferred maintenance and modernizing facilities and IT infrastructure. Some studies estimate the backlog is roughly 140 dollars per gross square foot and now often approach 'critical' thresholds where system failures become more likely. We can help support the development of multi-year capital renewal plans that balance major maintenance with new construction and create sustainable funding streams based on data-driven asset management models.
Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is often difficult for universities because they operate in a highly decentralized, consensus-driven cultures where key stakeholders -faculty, staff, students, boards. administrators, external partners - often have competing priorities and values. Metrics and data used to inform plans is often incomplete, not shared or monitored. Perhaps the most important driver of successful university strategic plans is that they are actionable - translate broad priorities into specific objectives, action steps, timelines, dashboards, funding and responsible parties. Planning must be continuous and outcome-driven not episodic or decorative. We have decades of experience in that kind of strategic planning.
