In this timely book, financial consultant and experienced college administrator Mike Townsley examines the financial and strategic resources that private colleges and universities must have in place to withstand the storm. Small college presidents, CFOs, planners, chief academic officers, and board members all have a hand on the tiller and will find substantive guidance here on analyzing financial condition, reshaping strategy, implementing best practices, weathering rocky periods, and designing turnarounds. Readers will learn: (1) Current financial conditions and statistics for private colleges and universities; (2) Economics of markets, prices, and constraints that drive private institutions; (3) Common financial structures; (4) Model practices employed in a well-run business office; (5) Typical business models that are the framework for strategy, operations, and finance; (6) Recommended policies and procedures to safeguard against disaster; (7) Strategic planning for optimum performance; (8) Leadership qualities and characteristics; (9) Warning signs of financial distress; (10) Comparative case histories of private colleges that have succeeded and failed; (11) Lessons learned from college closures and steps for dramatic turnarounds; and (12) A set of principles for building and sustaining strategic momentum. Looking ahead to looming financial pressures, Townsley offers advice on maintaining a forward momentum detailing specific measures for monitoring performance and posing top-of-mind questions that will help financial officers maintain the vigilance required to turn a problem into an opportunity. Well illustrated and documented with the latest statistics, "Small College Guide to Financial Health: Weathering Turbulent Times" includes a CD with several tools and templates for analyzing and designing a winning financial strategy. Appended are: (1) Strategic Planning Components; (2) Financial, Marketing, and Management Diagnostics; (3) Financial Measures; (4) Financial Management Ratios; (5) Financial Benchmarks; (6) Financial Aid: Net Tuition Rates and Net Tuition Revenue; (7) Composite Financial Index; (8) Data Sources; and (9) Massey and Hopkins's Economic Model. A bibliography and an index are included. Individual chapters contain endnotes. (Contains 14 figures and 34 tables.)