Strategic Resources for Presidents and other Key Decision-makers
Questions and Answers
Dr. John Stevens, Dr. Michael Townsley, and Mr. Bob DeColfmaker 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.
Publications by Stevens Strategy Consultants
| Cash Defines Survival; Cash Is King; Michael Townsley and Bob DeColfmacker |
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| Colleges in Crisis: How Private Colleges and Universities Survive; Michael Townsley and Debra Townsley | Weathering Turbulent Times; Michael Townsley |
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| Financial Strategy for Higher Education: A Field Guide for Presidents, CFOs, and Boards of Trustees; Michael Townsley | Small College Guide to Financial Management; Michael Townsley |
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| Chapter: “Effective Financial Leadership of Stressed Colleges and Universities”; in Turnaround Leading Stressed Colleges and Universities to Excellence; Editors: James Samels and James Martin | Steve Hannagan: Prince of the Press Agents and Titan of Modern Public Relations Michael Townsley |
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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.
