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PwC Ten Things Boards Need to Know Now about Higher Education Finances AGB’s National Conference on Trusteeship March 22, 2010 www.agb.org.

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Presentation on theme: "PwC Ten Things Boards Need to Know Now about Higher Education Finances AGB’s National Conference on Trusteeship March 22, 2010 www.agb.org."— Presentation transcript:

1 PwC Ten Things Boards Need to Know Now about Higher Education Finances AGB’s National Conference on Trusteeship March 22, 2010 www.agb.org

2 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC 2 Agenda  Introduction- Lessons Learned from Financial Crisis & Long Experience  Five Lessons from Auditing Perspective  John Mattie, PwC  Five Lessons from Credit Rating Perspective  John Nelson, Moody’s

3 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC Five Lessons from an Auditing Perspective

4 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC  Risk (e.g. financial, compliance, reputational, operational) should be an annual agenda topic  Find the right balance between compliance controls (e.g. research, IRS (990), debt compliance), vs. financial reporting controls  Operating liquidity is a financial risk  Alignment of the operating budget to external financial reports  Integration of University Audit Committee with Medical Center/Hospital Audit Committee Build Business Risk Discussion into the Audit Committee Agenda Slide 4

5 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC  Understand the components of unrestricted net assets “(URMA)” – How liquid is URNA?  What is included in “Investments?” – Donor Restricted Endowment – Quasi - Endowment – Other General Investments  Percentage to Net Asset Change Subject of Market Fluctuation  Forecasting URNA – Alignment with Operating Activities  Greater Sensitivity to Asset Allocation Supporting Fund Balances (e.g. Plant Funds, Working Capital Funds, Strategic Initiative Funds) “Net Assets” Can Be Misleading Slide 5

6 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC  What actually is a “cash and cash equivalent?”  Commitment and Contingency Disclosures (e.g. debt swaps, legal vs moral commitments, liquidity requirements)  Interfund Borrowing and Lending Activities – Where are they?  Unencumbered Fund Balances – How much? What purpose? How liquid?  GASB vs FASB – MD& A Requirements – Operations – Financial Strength – Liquidity Focus on the Balance Sheet – What is included? What is not included? Slide 6

7 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC  Interfund borrowing and financing activities  Borrowing from endowment to support strategic initiatives  Renewal and replacement reserves  Operating margin related to auxiliary activities (e.g., dining operations, bookstore, student housing)  Reconciliation of development fundraising results with externally-reported financial results  Benefit programs—relationship between cash payments, cash funding, and external expense recognition  Financial aid—”hard vs. soft” dollar funding  Physical plant activities—cash investment  Components of endowment payout (e.g., recurring operations, future investment, debt service)  Legal and moral cash flow commitments Ask the “10 Non- Evident Financial Reporting Questions” Slide 7

8 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC  Fair Value Accounting – Ongoing Focus  Convergence of US and International Accounting Standards – Lease Accounting – Pension Accounting  Greater Note Disclosure of Commitments and Contingencies  Alignment of External Financial Reporting with Tax Reporting  Enhancing the Utility of the Statement of Cash Flow What’s Ahead? Slide 8

9 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC 9 5 LESSONS FOR UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE A Credit Rating Perspective

10 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC 10 CREDIT RATINGS: Governance & Management is Key Risk Student Demand Financial Resources & Liquidity Operating Performance Capital Needs, Debt and Other Liabilities Legal Structure Covenants of Debt Governance & Management

11 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC 11 KEY TREND=PUBLICS: Long-Term State De-funding Helps Publics? Governance Change Has Not Changed as Funding Declines  What does Market-Driven mean?

12 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC 12 KEY TREND PRIVATES: Pricing Resistance Finally Here for Many? Competing w/ Publics & For-Profits  M&A, Partnerships on Horizon?

13 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC 13 #1– Re-examine Core Financial Assumptions 1.“ Safest ” Investments Will Always Hold Value   Housing always go up  Money market funds cant “break the buck” 2. “State Of The Art”, Innovative Financial Ideas Are Better   Its OK if I don’t understand the transaction-- I trust my banker  Swaps are a win-win  Public-Private partnerships are win-win 3. Auction/Floating Rate Bonds: Cheapest Way to Borrow   These bonds have never failed; interest rates are only risk  Dealers will always support floating rate debt 4. Big, Diversified Endowment Mangers Know Best   There are “uncorrelated” assets in a crisis  Liquidity is Not Important

14 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC 14 #2: Visionary President Needs More Oversight 1.Compliant Board Enables   Charismatic personality  One of two key board members clear path  Excessive compensation and freedom of action allowed 2.Hires Weak Staff/ Poor Disclosure   Weak, compliant CFO  Not open to external review from press, rating agencies  High turnover of senior staff 3.Financial Damage Builds Over Time   Recurrent operating deficits  Excessive debt and capital spending

15 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC 15 #3: A Good CFO is Hard to Come By 1.Old Weak Model CFO Ill-suited for Today’s Risks   Need independent, capable CFO  Not Banker-dependent  Understands complexity, communicates simplicity 2.Truth Teller, not a Spinner   Not President or Board-dominated  Can speak to faculty and gain respect  Credible with auditors, investors, lenders, rating agencies, regulators 3.Leader, Looks Ahead, Anticipates Tough Budgets Before Needed-->  May prevent/reduce needs for furloughs, layoffs, other cuts  Avoiding debt/capital project overreach

16 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC 16 #4: Universities: Great Business Model…But 1.Survived Last Crisis in 1980s/early 1990s   Predictions of doom & gloom; “Baby-bust Generation”  Deferred maintenance, tuition discounting, belt-tightening 2.Universities Are Inherently Stable   Students pay upfront/ 2-4 years largely locked in  Donors/Government subsidies not tied to explicit performance 3.Universities Are Central to Economy Now   Educate/develop youth-- Train labor force of all ages  Research/Development “Engines” for regional economies 4.For-Profit Success Points to Weakness of Traditional Model->  Gross underutilization of facilities during day and seasonally  Poor service to students/Lagging in Technology  Tenure and consensus enemy of efficiency

17 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC 17 #5: Prepare for Longer Term Risks 1.Student Market Pricing Resistance Is Rising:  Crisis today for many small privates?  Risks may play out for years for publics  Publics can hold low-income students harmless 2.Government Funding Will Decline; Taxes Increase:  States have no money; reconsidering tax-exempt status  Federal $ in doubt: Pell grants, Research grants, Tax-credits 3.Political Tolerance of Higher Education Waning:  Industry Does Poor Job Explaining Itself  Career planning/ Placement Service to students must improve 4.Market-Driven Globalization is Happening:  Students, Faculty, Donors, Research Grants  M&A / Partnerships Resisted by Boards- may be unwise

18 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC 18 Questions/Discussion

19 AGB Annual Meeting March 22, 2010 PwC 19 © 2009 Moody ’ s Investors Service, Inc. and/or its licensors and affiliates (collectively, “ MOODY ’ S ” ). All rights reserved. ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW AND NONE OF SUCH INFORMATION MAY BE COPIED OR OTHERWISE REPRODUCED, REPACKAGED, FURTHER TRANSMITTED, TRANSFERRED, DISSEMINATED, REDISTRIBUTED OR RESOLD, OR STORED FOR SUBSEQUENT USE FOR ANY SUCH PURPOSE, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN ANY FORM OR MANNER OR BY ANY MEANS WHATSOEVER, BY ANY PERSON WITHOUT MOODY ’ S PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT. All information contained herein is obtained by MOODY ’ S from sources believed by it to be accurate and reliable. Because of the possibility of human or mechanical error as well as other factors, however, all information contained herein is provided “ AS IS ” without warranty of any kind. Under no circumstances shall MOODY ’ S have any liability to any person or entity for (a) any loss or damage in whole or in part caused by, resulting from, or relating to, any error (negligent or otherwise) or other circumstance or contingency within or outside the control of MOODY ’ S or any of its directors, officers, employees or agents in connection with the procurement, collection, compilation, analysis, interpretation, communication, publication or delivery of any such information, or (b) any direct, indirect, special, consequential, compensatory or incidental damages whatsoever (including without limitation, lost profits), even if MOODY ’ S is advised in advance of the possibility of such damages, resulting from the use of or inability to use, any such information. The ratings, financial reporting analysis, projections, and other observations, if any, constituting part of the information contained herein are, and must be construed solely as, statements of opinion and not statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, sell or hold any securities. NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, COMPLETENESS, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE OF ANY SUCH RATING OR OTHER OPINION OR INFORMATION IS GIVEN OR MADE BY MOODY ’ S IN ANY FORM OR MANNER WHATSOEVER. Each rating or other opinion must be weighed solely as one factor in any investment decision made by or on behalf of any user of the information contained herein, and each such user must accordingly make its own study and evaluation of each security and of each issuer and guarantor of, and each provider of credit support for, each security that it may consider purchasing, holding or selling. Moody ’ s Investors Service, Inc. ( “ MIS ” ), a wholly-owned credit rating agency subsidiary of Moody ’ s Corporation ( “ MCO ” ), hereby discloses that most issuers of debt securities (including corporate and municipal bonds, debentures, notes and commercial paper) and preferred stock rated by MIS have, prior to assignment of any rating, agreed to pay to MIS for appraisal and rating services rendered by it fees ranging from $1,500 to approximately $2,500,000. MCO and MIS also maintain policies and procedures to address the independence of MIS ’ s ratings and rating processes. Information regarding certain affiliations that may exist between directors of MCO and rated entities, and between entities who hold ratings from MIS and have also publicly reported to the SEC an ownership interest in MCO of more than 5%, is posted annually at www.moodys.com under the heading “ Shareholder Relations — Corporate Governance — Director and Shareholder Affiliation Policy. ” Contact: John Nelson Managing Director 212.553.4096 John.nelson@moodys.com John A. Mattie National Education & Nonprofit Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers 646-471-4253 john.a.mattie@us.pwc.com


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