Executing a Debt-Free Higher Education Turnaround with Real Estate

When every board discussion centers on deficits, deferred maintenance, or another "strategic realignment," higher education leaders start asking what it would take to fix the system instead of just managing decline.

In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Beth Martin, President of Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU), who led her institution through a complete financial and operational turnaround—eliminating institutional debt through strategic real estate use, risk planning, and sound financial governance.

Martin's experience offers a rare look at what it takes to execute a true higher education turnaround. She shares how NDNU's leadership aligned governance, mission, and financial strategy to not only survive but rebuild a sustainable model focused on graduate and online growth.

This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, trustees, CFOs, and institutional leaders facing financial strain, considering asset monetization, or preparing for large-scale organizational change.

Topics Covered:

• How NDNU executed a debt-free turnaround through real estate strategy and risk planning

• Applying business planning and systems theory to higher education transformation

• Managing institutional debt while investing in academic and technological infrastructure

• Governance structures that enable speed, trust, and accountability during turnaround

• Aligning presidents, boards, and sponsoring orders in complex financial transactions

• Leading cultural and organizational change while maintaining mission and morale

Real-World Examples Discussed:

• NDNU's 46-acre land transaction that retired institutional debt and funded new programs

• Sequencing real estate sales to support strategy instead of short-term survival

• Governance reform guided by a skills matrix and board-chair alignment

• Realigning academic programs around graduate and online learning

• Faculty and staff engagement during institutional transition

Three Key Takeaways for Leadership:

1. Treat land monetization as strategy, not salvage. Link every major financial decision to a defined business plan and measurable outcomes.

2. Integrate business and risk planning into every turnaround. Build contingencies for timing, regulation, and accreditation challenges.

3. Strengthen governance alignment. A unified president and board chair, supported by a skills-based board, determine turnaround success.

Read the transcript: https://changinghighered.com/debt-free-higher-education-turnaround-strategy-real-estate/

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