Discusses insights from the Institutional Operating Measures Forum, sponsored by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) and the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative. Discussions continued the debate about the value--and the feasibility--of a standard operating measure for colleges and universities.…

This article describes activity-based costing (ABC) and how this tool may help management understand the costs of major activities and identify possible alternatives. Also discussed are the traditional costing systems used by higher education and ways of applying ABC to higher education. (GLR)

Summarizes highlights of the Government Accounting Standards Board's proposed standard for college and university accounting, known as GASB 35. Topics addressed include enterprise fund financial statements, reporting of state appropriations, segment reporting, effective dates, and infrastructure assets. (MSE)

A university's financing choices cover many shades of gray. Some off-balance-sheet financing uses no debt capacity, while others represent or imply full financial commitment. Many others fall in between. The choices made by a number of institutions in financing facility expansions or improvements are discussed, and the Moody's Investors Service…

An effort to enhance quality and efficiency at the University of Florida was designed to produce quick results without involving many employees and focused on the accounts payable department. Flowcharting identified inefficiencies and pinpointed opportunities for improvement in labor-intensive processes, mailings, check registers, reports,…

Discusses what independent institutions of higher education said when surveyed about financial reporting practices and the desirability of an operating measure. Describes findings concerning who reports an operating measure, what is included as operating revenue, what is included as operating expense, how related disclosures are handled, and the…

Elements in the effort to make the annual Nova University (Florida) audit more time efficient included gaining agreement with the auditors for a specific closing date; coordinating efforts of various departments involved; identifying and eliminating major obstacles; streamlining procedures when needed; and continuous coordination and monitoring of…

An approach used at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Massachusetts) to explain the complexity of budget balancing to the institutional community is described. The model used facilitates the determination of necessary conditions for achieving budget equilibrium and suggests some approaches to restructuring expenses to ensure equilibrium. Four…

The first two stages of the financial audit required by federal Circular A-133, for nonprofit institutions receiving $100,000 or more in federal funding and cost-type contracts, as implemented by the University of Southern California, are described. Audit observations, issues emerging from the experience, and recommendations for other colleges and…

A revision in the federal regulations governing audits of student financial aid programs will require changes in present practices concerning student aid "servicers" that administer financial aid in small institutions and may lead to modifications in servicing contracts and financial terms. The new requirements are described in detail. (MSE)

The first years of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) pilot project to collect benchmark data on college costs and service levels are discussed, focusing on lessons learned, needs identified, current use of the results, and the project's place in the association's long-term research plan. (MSE)

A National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) task force has developed a process guide, list of policy issues and unsolved questions, and recommendations for colleges and universities to use in complying with the reporting requirements of the Tax Relief Act of 1997, which provides parents of college students with tax…

The value-added statement (VAS), relatively unknown in the United States, is used in financial reports by many European companies. Saint Bonaventure University (New York) has adapted a VAS to make it appropriate for not-for-profit universities by identifying stakeholder groups (students, faculty, administrators/support personnel, creditors, the…

Nova Southeastern University, Florida, has implemented a variety of techniques of cost containment for campus credit card transactions. These include restricted card acceptance parameters, careful merchant rate negotiation, increased automation of transaction processing, and sophisticated processing techniques. The university has demonstrated…

North Dakota State University has adopted automated timekeeping to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of payroll processing. The microcomputer-based system accurately records and computes employee time, tracks labor distribution, accommodates complex labor policies and company pay practices, provides automatic data processing and reporting,…