Presents the "Future Timeline," a planning activity to help institutions recognize the events, issues, and trends that are likely to have an impact in the future. In addition to raising issues, the activity helps produce appropriate responses. (EV)

Presents a general framework for financial modeling in college planning, and applies the model to a representative, small, liberal arts college. The model allows administrators to explore the financial consequences of curriculum, staffing, workload, average class size, scholarship, and enrollment decisions in terms of both short- and long-term…

Excerpts from a coming book, "Intentional Design and the Process of Change" identify 13 lessons from the authors' 20 years of experience in change management and strategic planning in higher education. Emphasis is on leadership principles for managing the process of change. (DB)

The major steps a college should undertake in contracting for services, including the initial determination as to whether or not contracting is the best way to provide a particular service, are described. Three general activities that apply to decisions about contracting in most circumstances are: investigating service characteristics; identifying…

Explanation of the technological setting in which college and university financial systems have developed is provided for financial officers, to aid in devising a plan for the chart of accounts and erecting an efficient, logical, flexible financial structure. Topics include software/hardware advances, understanding the demand for financial…

Strategic planning enables colleges to direct discretionary dollars into high-impact areas that can enhance critical core activities, improving output. When the institution can disinvest financial resources in weak or noncritical core areas and redirect them through careful budgeting, it improves its chances for success. (MSE)

Offers a nine-step program to colleges and universities for selecting a consultant, including: (1) deciding what is needed; (2) evaluating in-house skills; (3) using what is available; (4) conducting research; (5) asking consulting firms key questions; (6) evaluating the information; (7) interviewing people; (8) selecting the consultant; and (9)…

Asserts that the complexity of interrelated energy management factors means that business officers have to be more closely involved in assessing and communicating the effects of energy on campus maintenance and operations and utility budgets. Discusses identifying appropriate energy initiatives, developing realistic utility infrastructure plans…

A well-run college or university will seek to accumulate and maintain an appropriate cash reserve or liquidity position. A rigorous analytic process for estimating the size and cost of a liquidity position, based on judgments about the institution's operating risks and opportunities, is outlined. (MSE)

The second part of a two-part article addresses four key issues for higher education administrators to consider as they investigate real estate opportunities. They are (1) market feasibility; (2) development strategy; (3) financing; and (4) governance. Guidelines for innovative real estate projects even during the potentially difficult early 1990s…

Discussion of asset allocation for college/university endowment funds focuses on three levels of risk: (1) the absolute risk of the portfolio (usually leading to asset diversification); (2) the benchmark risk (usually comparison with peer institutions; and (3) personal career risk (which may incline managers toward maximizing short-term returns,…

A plan that offers college employees an incentive to contain health care insurance costs is outlined. It consists of three parts: the institution's offering of coverage for claims above a certain level; an employee deductible; and an accounting system that rewards employees for keeping health care costs down as well as involving them in management…

This article argues that nearly all college and university business and facilities officers can find utility efficiency projects on campus that have at least a 20 percent rate of return on investment, and successfully incorporate them into budgets. These projects are generally more successful when plant operations can retain some or all of the…

It is noted that federal deregulation of the electrical utility industry will allow colleges and universities to buy electrical services from suppliers who provide the best reliability and cost combination. Considerations are examined for the following options: purchasing an existing electrical substation, building a new substation, using on-site…

The "balanced scorecard" approach for making holistic decisions about organizational change offers a framework for analyzing four critical organizational perspectives (financial, customer, internal business, learning/innovation), using specific indicators of success that focus on the organization's vision or mission. It can be used…