Funding the Future at Canadian Institutions

Canadian colleges and universities are navigating an increasingly complex financial landscape. Government funding is tightening, international enrollments are fluctuating, and rising operational costs are eroding already thin margins. Against this backdrop, traditional planning models are showing their limits. To ensure institutional resilience, leaders across the sector are rethinking how they forecast, budget, and plan for the future.

Join us for an early look at EAB’s latest research on the future of financial planning and share your perspective on how institutions can adapt. In this session, we’ll preview emerging insights and invite your input on themes such as:

• Building resilience amid fiscal uncertainty: How can leaders plan effectively when financial headwinds are persistent and unpredictable?
• Designing flexible, multi-year budgets: What approaches allow institutions to respond quickly while staying aligned to long-term strategy?
• Financial forecasting for an uncertain future: What strategies help leaders prepare for divergent enrollment, policy, and funding outlooks?
• Ensuring accountability and execution in financial plans: What can leaders do to ensure plans are executed rather than being a compliance exercise?
• Embedding agility in the planning process: What cultural and organizational shifts are required to move from reactive budgeting to proactive financial strategy?

This is your opportunity not only to preview EAB’s research but also to shape it—ensuring our analysis reflects the realities and priorities of Canadian higher education leaders working to secure financial sustainability and academic vitality in a time of profound change.

Session

Click the Register button to sign up.

Attendance is limited to Chief Business Officers or a designee responsible for budget and planning. Registration is limited to two attendees per institution.

• Monday, November 17, 2025 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time