This event for advanced-level accounting and finance professionals offers the latest information on trends and best practices in financial accounting and reporting, managerial analysis, and leadership issues for all types of institutions.
The program features plenary speakers as well as smaller sessions to address special topics. Roundtable exchanges—broken out by managerial and technical topics of interest to all types of institutions— allow participants to share ideas. This forum serves as both an annual update and future outlook where participants hear and engage in discussions on timely subjects impacting the higher education community.
AccountingWorkshopCPE AvailableAccounting and Financial Reporting
Prerequisites: 1–2 years of experience as a professional in higher education or a related private industry.
Audience: Mid-level personnel within the college/university business office.
Advanced Preparation: None
Delivery Mode: Group Live
Fields of Study: Accounting, Accounting (Governmental), Auditing, Finance, Taxes, and Specialized Knowledge
Length: 12 sessions at 60–75 minutes each
Estimated 12.5 CPE Credits
See Schedule for CPE details for each session.
NACUBO is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website www.nasbaregistry.org.
Welcome and General Session—Student Success: Front and Center
General Session: Washington Update
IRS and Payee Compliance
Mastering ACH Security: Navigating Compliance and Outsmarting Fraud
Ensuring successful student outcomes was identified as one of five top business issues by NACUBO member institutions in 2023. Dr. Renick shares strategies that have worked at Georgia State University and thoughts on how higher education can do better.
Tim Renick, executive director, National Institute for Student Success, Georgia State University
Sunday, April 28 • 2:15–3:15 pm ET
NACUBO’s vice president of policy and research will provide a dive deep into the present political landscape of Washington and insights on the political climate and potential budgetary, tax, and regulatory changes.
Liz Clark, vice president, policy and research, NACUBO
Sunday • 3:45 pm Sessions
April 28 • 3:45–5 pm ET
Mastering ACH Security: Navigating Compliance and Outsmarting Fraud
Numerous departments and systems within universities manage sensitive banking information and engage in ACH transactions. During this session, panelists will unravel the mechanisms of fraud, outline essential ACH Rules, provide insights into enhancing policies and procedures to proactively identify and prevent fraud, and explore the various locations where ACH data manifests (or conceals itself) within university operations.
Susan Slinkard, investment manager, director of cash management, University of Arkansas
Understand how new regulations are affecting students, transactions, transcripts, institutional financial responsibility, and more.
Bryan Dickson, director, student financial services and educational programs, NACUBO
Sue Menditto, senior director, accounting policy, NACUBO
Monday General Session
Balancing the Books and Bytes: Debating the Impact of AI in Higher Education
Monday, April 29 • 8–9 am ET
ChatGPT assisted with this session title. Are there other tasks that artificial intelligence (AI) can help higher education with? Can colleges and universities leverage generative AI to improve planning, budgeting, and reporting? What are the benefits and potential pitfalls to be aware of in the ever-evolving landscape? This creative session explores AI to educate and helps business officers think about how it may change their worlds.
Orkun Toros, assistant vice president and chief budget officer, The University of Texas at Dallas
Monday • 9:30 am Sessions
April 29 • 9:30–10:30 am ET
FASB staff provide insight into board deliberations and projects that will impact public higher education.
Jeff Mechanick, senior project advisor—not-for-profit organizations, FASB
GASB staff provide insight into board deliberations and projects that will impact public higher education.
Alan Skelton, director of research and technical activities, GASB
Joseph Wicklund, project manager, GASB
Monday • 10:50 am Sessions
April 29 • 10:50–11:50 am ET
GAAP (FASB) Questions Answered
This session will provide answers to questions that NFP institutions care about, clarify the proper accounting that should be followed in a variety of situations, and share operational examples from campus experts. Audience members are encouraged to come ready with questions and situations that need to be addressed.
Charlene Sweeney, associate vice president and university controller, Brown University
Nicole Tirella, vice president for financial operations and university controller, Boston University
Richard Cole, partner, FORVIS
Compensated Absences: What Institutions Need to Know
This session will provide an overview of the accounting rules established by GASB Statement 101 along with examples of how required calculations are expected to function. A deep dive into early implementation efforts at Michigan State University will review compensated absence programs and a detailed description of the changes that will be necessary under the new standard. Participants will hear a proposed approach for estimating future use of compensated absences, come away with an implementation action plan, and an understanding of organizational effort and financial reporting impacts.
Shea Bryant, manager of financial reporting, Michigan State University
Brian Greko, partner, Plante Moran
Jeff Pohler, manager, Plante Moran
Monday • 1:15 pm Sessions
April 29 • 1:15–2:15 pm ET
Change Management can Sustain Transformational Change
Organizations that are able to successfully implement and sustain transformational changes tend to be agile, flexible, and adaptable organizations with a culture where it is safe to fail. A complete paradigm shift is required, and research indicates that Transformational Change does not have a high rate of success. This session will convey how organizational change management can be successful in higher education. Hear how to engage and empower students, faculty, staff and those most affected by necessary change overall.
Jo Ann Kern, director, office of transformation realization, Tarleton State University
GLBA and Student Financial Aid Compliance Updates
During this session, panelists will provide attendees with an understanding of the updated GLBA and Student Financial Aid Compliance changes. The experts will discuss required program components, including how to manage and monitor vendor relationships, develop incident response plans, and evaluate internal effectiveness. Additionally, there are significant changes on the horizon due to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) simplification. Audience members will also learn about major changes and best practices that can help institutions comply.
Allison Davis Ward, partner, CapinCrouse LLP
Lisa Saul, partner, CapinCrouse LLP
Chris DuKate, partner, CapinCrouse LLP
Higher Education Tax Update
Tax issues abound on campus and are ever-changing. Join us for this multi-subject session to learn about hot tax topics including:
Information reporting (1099-K thresholds, etc.)
And much more!
Joel Levenson, assistant vice president for tax, payables, and procurement, University of Central Florida
Tracy Paglia, partner, Moss Adams
Monday • 2:30 pm Sessions
April 29 • 2:30–3:30 pm ET
A Conversation About Fraud
Business officers need to be aware of potential schemes to defraud higher education institutions by using AI to perpetrate the fraud. This session will cover how internal control metrics can be used to mitigate the potential harm and loss that could be sustained by the institutions. Panelists will also present practical recommendations and what you can do if you find yourself involved in an AI-perpetrated fraud situation.
Folashade Abiola-Banjac, principal, CLA
Learn More About F&A: Recoveries, Strategies, and Efficiencies
COVID and inflation have had a significant impact on F&A Cost Rate Proposals and related recoveries. Areas most affected include the treatment of research expenses, F&A base years, environmental health, safety, and facilities, associating salaries to sponsored projects, off-site research, personnel layoffs, and so forth. These changes must be understood for there to be effective strategic planning. This session will review strategies to maximize indirect cost recoveries and other sponsored project revenue streams for the future.
Caroline Beeman, director, Maximus Higher Education Practice
Mira Levine, senior manager, Maximus Higher Education Practice
Behind the Numbers: Unveiling the Process of Chart of Accounts Governance
COA is the backbone of financial accounting, reporting, and organizational controls. In this session, the University of Iowa will share the application they developed to manage requests for new chartfields and accounts. The presenters will also share how this application integrates with other applications at the University and the importance and integration of roles in the COA governance process through this application. They’ll also share their methods for routing requests to the appropriate approval paths within the workflow to ensure proper oversight of general ledger accounts.
Tammy Buchmayer, Senior Business Analyst, Financial Systems
Carolyn Gritton, Assistant Director, Financial Systems
Rachel McGuire, assistant vice president and university controller, The University of Iowa
Monday • 4 pm Sessions
April 29 • 4–5 pm ET
Bridging the Gap Between Advancement and Accounting
Auditors have seen the gap between advancement and accounting departments firsthand with multiple clients. This session will list many of the common reasons for the gap and give an overview of the good, the bad, and the ugly from experience at multiple institutions. The presenters will also share some of the best practices for developing healthy communication, functioning reporting, and integrated systems between the two departments.
Nick Henry, vice president of business and operations, Clayton State University
Kimberly Haynes, senior manager, Mauldin and Jenkins, LLC
Jon Schultz, partner, education practice leader, Mauldin and Jenkins, LLC
Building a Budget and Planning Culture
Panelists from Georgetown University (GU) will present a roadmap for transforming an institution’s financial planning and analysis function. Speakers will also share the practical steps GU took to align its campuses on approaches to planning and analysis, building out a new budgeting tool, aligning the organization and shifting resources to more strategic and more centralized functions, and stabilizing the infrastructure through continued shared governance and policy/system refinement.
Stella Apekey, senior associate vice president for budget, treasury and financial management, Georgetown University
Alyscia Eisen, vice president and chief business officer, Georgetown University
Kate Seabold Brannon, director of financial planning and analysis, Georgetown University
Effective Communication Through the MD&A
Turn your MD&A into one of the most impactful sections in your financial statements. During this session, panelists will share ideas for enhancing key MD&A sections. Campus experts will also discuss their change approach, successes, and obstacles faced along the way.
Theresa Ashman, associate vice president, University of Utah
Steven Phillips, controller, University of Utah
Chris Leach, accounting policy analyst, NACUBO
Tuesday General Sessions
Effective Financial Presentations
Tuesday, April 30 • 8:30–9:30 am ET
Hear strategies for communicating financial information with clarity. You'll also learn tools and techniques for impact and influence when explaining financial results.
Melissa Marshall, TED speaker and communications expert, Present Your Science
Audit Compliance for FY24
Tuesday, April 30 • 11 am–12 pm ET
During this session, AICPA Government Audit Quality Control members will discuss the process for vetting and incorporating new compliance requests from federal agencies. They will also share what to expect in 2024 and review future pipeline topics and concerns.
Kim McCormick, partner, Grant Thornton
Lindsey Oakley, partner, FORVIS; Chair, GAQC
Tuesday • 9:40 am Sessions
April 30 • 9:40–10:40 am ET
GenAI and Automation: Shaping the Future of Higher Ed Finance and Accounting
This session will explore the transformative impact of generative AI (GenAI) and automation on financial management, financial reporting, and audit processes within higher education, specifically workforce implications. The presenters will delve into the latest trends and developments that are reshaping traditional finance and accounting processes. They’ll also provide detailed examples of generative AI and automation and offer practical advice about navigating the risk, ethical, and governance considerations associated with adopting these technologies.
David Gagnon, partner, U.S. audit sector leader, higher education and other not-for-profits, KPMG LLP
Sommer Frazier, managing director, finance transformation, KPMG LLP
This session will feature an interactive discussion between the panelists and with audience members. The panelists will cover some of the unique accounting and reporting challenges for higher education institutions. Attendees will also learn about current events and operational challenges, including the most recent news headlines impacting the higher education industry (enrollment challenges, school collaborations and closings/mergers, inflation, etc.).
Terri Albertson, vice president for finance and administration, Ursinus College
Andrew M. Paluf, assistant vice president of finance and controller, University of Notre Dame
Cheryl L. Soper, controller and assistant vice president for financial operations, University of Michigan
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NACUBO's Group Rate for the 2024 Higher Education Accounting Forum: $225 single/double (plus applicable taxes)
The deadline to reserve a room at NACUBO's Group Rate is Friday, April 5, 2024
This meeting is your opportunity to reach chief financial officers, controllers, treasurers, vice presidents of finance, administration or financial reporting, finance directors, accountants, auditors, and other staﬀ within college and university finance services who focus on financial planning and reporting, auditing, federal compliance, and accounting standards. This event brings together campus and industry accounting experts and offers an opportunity to share effective strategies, showcase solutions, and have provocative discussions.