Strategic Resources for Presidents and other Key Decision-makers
Questions and Answers
Dr. John Stevens and Dr. Michael Townsley are available to answer your questions
regarding the overall strategy and financial health of your institution. Please
use the form below to contact us directly. We will respond to your questions promptly,
in most cases within 24 hours.
Books by Dr. Townsley
Senior Consultant Dr. Michael Townsley has written two critically acclaimed books
to help guide college presidents through difficult financial times:
The latest book examines the financial and strategic resources that private colleges
and universities must have in place to withstand the storm. Small college presidents,
CFOs, planners, chief academic officers, and board members will find substantive
guidance here on analyzing financial condition, reshaping strategy, implementing
best practices, weathering rocky periods, and designing turnarounds.
How can I obtain a copy of this book? The Small College Guide to Financial Health
is available from NACUBO.
Financial Resources
Tools for Building Financially Strong and Vital Colleges
This presentation discusses financial strategic principles, keys to financial
strategy, debt management, self-diagnosis of financial condition, and sample financial
goals.
Turnaround
Strategies
Presidents and others will find a concise discussion of the steps needed to build
a strategic turnaround plan. The presentation covers diagnosis, goals, and steps
to designing a turnaround strategy.
Cash Is King
Finance in the short-term always boils down to cash. This paper was presented at
the Presidents Conference for the Council of Independent Colleges in 2002.
Market Driven Strategies
Financial strategy and market strategies go hand-in-hand. Presidents looking to
understand the dynamic relationships between financial and marketing strategies
will want to read this presentation.
Financial Toolbox
Dr. Townsley has taken the ratios, planning sheets, and other financial planning
documents from his book and put them together in a CD as a "Financial Toolbox".
The CD will be available this Spring from NACUBO. It will be useful for Presidents
to give to their CFOs to diagnose the college's financial condition and to plan
and prepare financial strategies. The CD will include worksheets that will permit
the College to select appropriate financial measurements. This toolbox is available
through NACUBO.
Diagnostics
and Strategy
Strategic planning rests on understanding the condition of the college. Presidents
can use this information to begin diagnostic analysis of finances, marketing, academics,
and other areas of the institution.
CFI Worksheet
Chief Financial Officers can use this worksheet to compute a Composite Financial
Index. This generates an index score that suggests relative financial condition.
KPMG and Prager, McCarthy, and Sealy developed the Index to estimate the financial
health of private colleges.
CFI Scoring
Guide
The scoring guide suggests the implications for ranges of CFI scores.
The following case studies illustrate various factors that influence financial condition
and how some colleges have responded to financial stress.
Case Study: New World College
Case Study: Hot Shot College
