Financial Consulting and Interim CFO Services for Higher Ed

Relieve the
financial pressure
on your school.

Gain a fresh perspective on your higher ed institution’s financial challenges, and find a clear path for protecting its future.
Schedule a Call

It’s clear your institution is
financially unhealthy, but it’s
hard to see why.

In spite of everyone’s best efforts, there are questions your team still can’t answer.
01
If enrollment slips again, how long do we really have before we’re forced into cuts?
02
Why does our budget feel disconnected from our enrollment numbers?
03
Which programs and departments are actually sustainable, and which aren’t?
04
What metrics would actually tell us if this institution is viable five years from now?
05
When the hard decisions come, will we have the data to defend them?

Find financial clarity and build a
hopeful future for your school.

Our higher ed financial consulting and interim CFO services support your efforts to...

Restore

the financial health of your organization.

Replace

financial fears with data-informed strategies.

Renew

your school’s focus on mission and innovation.
Schedule a Call

We know you’ve tried everything you can think of.

Your team has worked tirelessly to understand what’s happening. You've analyzed your data, asked the questions, and run the numbers twice (at least). And yet, there’s still fear in the air that unwelcome surprises are hiding in your financial reports.

Sometimes the thing you need most is a fresh perspective from someone who understands your world. That's what CFO Colleague's financial consulting and interim CFO services provide.

We’ve been
where you are.

Our financial consultants are true colleagues who’ve served as higher ed CFOs and Controllers.
They’ve felt the pressure you’re under. They know what it’s like to make decisions that impact students, faculty, and staff while holding everyone’s needs in the balance. Every consultant on our team shares your sense of mission and devotion to the people you serve.
- Jessica Ryals, CEO and Scott Spear, COO
Let's Talk!

Find a true colleague
in strengthening your
financial future.

Services include:
Using specialized higher ed financial planning tools, our financial consulting team works alongside yours to pinpoint the issues that are hard to see from the inside. CFO Colleague consultants are truth-tellers, not sugar-coaters, and we help you use those truths to protect your future.
Tell Me More

13+

Years in Service

225+

Institutions Served

1

Mission to Support
the Future of Higher Ed

Who We’ve Helped

“

CFO Colleague helped us create a five-year forecast that informed and improved our operational and strategic plans. Our investment in their insight was invaluable and, in my opinion, the best money we’ve spent all year.

– Mr. Rick Taphorn, Chief Financial Officer, Bryan College (TN)
“

We had concluded that our next step was to wind down operations and sell off our campus. The fact that we are still here is a testimony to CFO Colleague’s work on our behalf. Today, we have a good grasp of where we are headed, thanks to the forecasting model that he provided and are addressing the primary issues that caused the crisis in the first place.

– President, Private College (US)
“

As colleges and universities grapple with new realities and the institutional pinch-points of today’s competitive landscape, a rigorous and comprehensive approach is needed to align and allocate resources for maximum benefit.

– Dr. Daniel J. Martin, President, Seattle Pacific University (WA)

Download a complete suite of our higher ed financial planning tools.

For free.

Our mission is to support the future of higher education. Period. And we believe experience should be a shared asset in our community. We’ll send you six powerful tools for forecasting, assessing sustainability, measuring the financial impact on non-traditional students, and more. (See the complete list here.)

We’ll also add you to our Partners’ Perspective Newsletter, which gathers the best, recent writing on higher ed finance in one handy place for you, twice a month.

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Your information will be kept safe and will not be sold to anyone. Unsubscribe at any time to the newsletter.

Here’s how our partnership begins.

1
...
Schedule a Call
with our team to find the right services for your current situation.
2
...
Gain Clear Sight
into your financial data and identify the threats to your sustainability.
3
Restore Financial Health
and build strategic plans based on realistic financial forecasts.
Schedule a Call

Read
The Confident Campus Controller

CFO Colleague CEO and Owner Jessica Ryals shares her experience in higher education finance, offering practical insights enriched with real-life case studies.
Your work is my roadmap that I have been missing.
- Paula
I wish I'd read this twenty-five years ago.
- Book Mom
It's like she's inside my brain.
- Janet Edwards
Buy Now

Book CFO Colleague
to Speak at Your Next Event

Like you, we came from an educational background, and we love to teach! There are few things we love more than sharing what we’ve learned with other higher ed financial leaders.
Recent topics have included:
Managing a Viable Higher Ed Business Model
The Confident Campus CFO
The “New” Zero-Based Budget: Ratios to Drive Institutional Performance
Contact Us

The truth

will set you free.

You don't need another opinion. You need a colleague who'll tell you the truth and help you act on it.
We help you see your financial reality with clarity and precision, so you can make realistic plans and get back to the work of building an enduring, hopeful legacy for your school.
Schedule a Call
Partners’ Perspective Newsletter

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