Closing Keynote - Charting a Sustainable Course: Financial Leadership for the Modern University

Melik Khoury - Unity Environmental University

As modern higher education institutions navigate the widening gap between revenue and enrollment optimism and spending realities, the role of financial leaders has never been more critical. Join Dr. Melik Peter Khoury, DBA, President and CEO of Unity Environmental University and former CFO, as he discusses the evolution of financial leadership. He examines how emerging tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), are reshaping financial insight, decision-making, and the cost of acquisition, enabling financial leaders to transform from managing overhead to managing return on investment while minimizing institutional risk and maximizing strategic investments. By framing financial transparency as stewardship, Dr. Khoury challenges financial leaders to embrace their role as truth-tellers and align financial decisions with mission, outcomes, and impact.

Learning Objectives

1. Distinguish between revenue optimism and financial reality to more accurately assess institutional risk and long-term sustainability.
2. Reframe their role as financial leaders from managing overhead to managing return on investment, aligning mission, outcomes, and impact.
3. Evaluate how emerging tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), can enhance financial insight, improve decision-making, and reduce the cost of acquisition.
4. Apply principles of financial transparency and stewardship to communicate both positive and negative financial realities with clarity and confidence to presidents, boards, and campus stakeholders.

CPE Available

• 1.5 Credits: Finance