Baker Tilly has provided financial modeling services for complex transactions in support of executive decision making at universities across the country. We deliver the perspective that comes from substantial experience in supporting our higher education clients in significant business decisions, including financial modeling, joint ventures, capital investments, divestitures, and general business case analysis.
In arriving at decisions, stakeholders require a logical and detailed financial framework to best analyze and support decisions. We provide information to enable stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding the expected capital investments, strategic investments, and operational investments (e.g., personnel, technology).
Client experience: Operational reorganization
Institutional challenge A large academic medical center was segregating its various schools into individual entities within the university. The university needed assistance in understanding the impact of segregating these operations, including changes to:
Administrative infrastructure and support
Budgeting processes
Financial tracking and reporting
Information technology systems
Internal controls
Strategic decision making
Capabilities provided Baker Tilly worked with university leaders to understand the desired reorganization structure, and facilitated the decision making process. Our team identified the potential risks, costs, and other considerations throughout the life of the transition (e.g., changes to decision making protocols, planning strategies, implementation programs, and assurance activities). Baker Tilly assisted the university in assessing how this reorganization may affect its strategy in areas such as student enrollment and research funding.
Results With our assistance, the university was able to effectively segregate the two independent schools following a closed-budget model, and absorb the other areas of operations into the university’s consolidated budget model. Additionally, the university identified ways to leverage existing resources to reduce additional costs, and create temporary shared service models to support the new infrastructure until permanent resource solutions could be developed.
Additional financial modeling and decision support capabilities
Budgeting
Business reorganization
New business opportunities
Operational efficiency and cost cutting identification
