Category: Pilbara Insights

Strategic Academic Resource Management in Higher Education: Evaluating Courses and Forecasting Programs

Why Evaluating Courses and Forecasting Programs Is Critical As universities navigate increasing complexity and financial pressure, academic leaders are seeking more data-informed ways to evaluate programs and forecast resource needs. In the fifth episode of Pilbara Insights, host Lea Patterson speaks with Fred Reich, Corporate Management Accountant at the University of Wollongong, to unpack this […]

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Managing University Research Portfolios: Insights from Professor Alan Pettigrew

Why Managing University Research Portfolios Matters for Institutional Success Managing a university’s research portfolio is far more than allocating funds, it’s a strategic exercise that shapes an institution’s research identity, academic reputation, and financial sustainability. Universities face increasing complexity due to constrained government funding, competitive grant environments, evolving academic roles, and emerging global research priorities. […]

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Understanding University Budget Models: Incremental, RCM, and Strategic Planning

This article is written for senior leaders in higher education, including vice-chancellors, provosts, deans, chief financial officers, and institutional planners. It assumes an advanced understanding of university operations, strategic planning, and the nuances of higher education finance. Why Budget Models Matter for University Strategy University budget models are more than accounting tools. They are strategic […]

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The Critical Role of Program Review and Optimisation in Higher Education

How Leading Universities Balance Mission and Financial Sustainability In today’s higher education environment, where institutions face funding volatility, increased regulatory scrutiny, and shifting learner expectations, program review and optimisation has evolved into core strategic functions. These processes are no longer solely about quality assurance or academic benchmarking; they now serve as vital tools for aligning […]

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Academic Resource Management: A Strategic Imperative for Modern Universities

Why Academic Resource Management Matters More Than Ever Universities across the globe are facing an inflection point. The financial pressures of declining government funding, rising operational costs, and increasingly complex learner demands are forcing institutions to rethink how they manage their academic resources. At the heart of this challenge lies academic resource management, a discipline […]

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How hard is it to run a university?

Very…but let’s elaborate. Professor Bill Massy, professor emeritus of education and business administration and former vice president and vice provost at Stanford University, states in his book “Resource Management for Colleges & Universities” that all colleges and universities are governed by an “internal economy”, which he defines as: “A university’s internal economy is the network […]

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Tough Financial Times in Higher Ed? – These two must-have reports will help!

TLDR: The last 10-15 years of low interest and low inflation were great but are now gone. You need the financial performance of every academic program and course available for review at any time. Comprehensive financial reviews of academic programs can no longer be done every 3-5 years, they need to be done at least […]

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The Evolution of Activity-Based Costing

From the Australian Navy to Universities.  Reducing implementations from multiple years to multiple weeks.  The perception that Activity-Based Costing (ABC) is overly complex, prone to failure, and largely abandoned was once widely held and, unfortunately, not without basis. However, the landscape of ABC has significantly transformed over the past two decades, marking substantial advancements in […]

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Pilbara Insights SOC 2 Type II Compliance

We are excited to announce that we have achieved SOC 2 Type II compliance in accordance with American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) standards for SOC for Service Organizations also known as SSAE 18. Achieving this standard with an unqualified opinion serves as third-party industry validation that Pilbara Group provides enterprise-level security for customer’s […]

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Emissions Reduction not just Reporting!

Last week I presented at the CAM-I quarterly meeting 11-13 September 2023 in Tyson’s Corner, VA.  I was thrilled to be joined by Professor Robert Kaplan (Harvard University) and Mike Mahoney (CEO E-Liability Institute) who co-presented with me and provided an overview of their E-liability methodology. We also celebrated CAM-I’s 50th anniversary, it was great to […]

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