Your mission is to educate, enlighten and inspire. We can help, with services to meet all your higher education compliance and advisory needs.

Your mission is based on lofty goals. But in an industry faced with limited financial support, declining enrollment, and extensive regulation, that mission can easily become bogged down. Add the challenges of adapting to an increasingly digital world (not to mention a pandemic that accelerated that process dramatically!) and you’ve got a tough row to hoe.

James Moore is the CPA and advisory firm of choice for your industry. Our dedicated Higher Education Services team is committed to solving your toughest problems. There’s a reason so many college- and university-related organizations coast to coast trust us to help them achieve their goals. You can too.

Who We Serve

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Campus

Find individualized solutions to meet the unique challenges of your varied services, ensuring each contributes maximum value to campus-wide operations. 

  • CFO & Controller's Office
  • Contracts & Grants
  • Financial Aid
  • Auxiliaries such as housing, transportation & parking
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Direct Support Organizations and Affiliated Organizations

Enjoy customized support for the organizations that support your institution, to enhance long-term growth and financial stability.

  • Foundations
  • Research Foundations
  • Financing Corporations
  • Faculty Practice Associations
  • Other Higher Education-Related Organizations
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The business of collegiate athletics is tough and competitive. Get the edge you need with advisory services from pros with the experience to help you win at this game.

  • Athletic Departments
  • Athletic Associations
  • Booster Clubs
  • Conferences
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Access the niche-specific knowledge you need to meet the strict compliance regulations of managing a successful public broadcasting-related organization.

  • TV and Radio Stations
  • University Licensees
  • Foundations

What makes us different?

While accounting is our primary language, we’re also fluent in the business of higher education. Our longstanding commitment to serving the industry gives us the niche-specific knowledge and experience to develop solutions for your toughest financial and operational challenges. From athletics and academic scholarships to parking and research foundations, our higher education CPAs can help you improve accounting, optimize processes and ensure compliance. Think of us not only as a qualified CPA firm, but also a strong business partner and year-round resource committed to helping you achieve more every day.

Measurably Better

We make life easier for entities across the country that share your challenges. We serve:

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90+ Higher Education-Related Entities Nationwide

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40+ College and University Foundations

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30+ Collegiate Athletic Organizations

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20+ Public Broadcasting Stations

We’re here for you wherever you are.

You expand the world for others, but you don’t have to travel far to find the expert support you deserve. As the go-to firm for higher education institutions nationwide, James Moore brings ideas that make your life easier wherever you are.

Our Solutions for Higher Education

Audits and other assurance services are key tools to prove your financial records are compliant and your procedures are sound, whether you’re demonstrating this fact to grant funders, regulators or your own board. James Moore offers you a full range of assurance services covering everything from employee benefit plan audits to NCAA-agreed-upon procedures.

Don’t wonder if your accounting is GAAP-compliant or your research grants are at risk. Whether you’re focused on debt finance compliance or simply need a financial statement audit, our experienced higher education CPAs bring the highest level of expertise and the latest knowledge to deliver efficient assurance services built around your individual needs.

With as many moving parts and different functions as your institution, complying with tax reporting can get complicated fast. Sponsorships? Merchandise sales? Donations? Alternative investment income? Unrelated business tax (UBIT) compliance alone can be incredibly complex, with its plentiful pitfalls and vast potential for missteps.

James Moore’s higher education tax professionals bring you extensive experience and up-to-the-minute understanding of all the latest rules regarding nonprofit tax compliance. From effective storytelling with Form 990 that makes an impact on donors to scrupulous compliance with evolving UBIT rules, we help take the headaches out of tax for higher education institutions nationwide.

  • Tax Preparation
  • UBIT Consulting
  • State and Local Tax Consulting
  • International Tax Consulting

In today’s highly competitive and increasingly digital environment, keeping your institution safe and financially sound is no simple matter. Concerns like cybersecurity, data analytics and business process optimization have become critical priorities. Are you ready for the complex challenges of competing in the post-pandemic economy?

From traditional needs like due diligence and internal control assessments to insightful strategies that help you discover innovative solutions and defuse the latest threats, James Moore offers you a full spectrum of advisory services. Let us help you adopt a proactive stance to meet emerging challenges and make informed decisions to keep your institution strong in a changing world.

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Higher Education Affiliations

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Katie Davis, CPA, LSS Certified

Partner

With nearly 20 years of experience, Katie is a partner at James Moore and dedicates a majority of her time serving higher education institutions, collegiate athletic departments, foundations and other university-related organizations. She leads the firm’s Higher Education and Collegiate Athletics industry teams, which serve more than 100 higher education organizations (including 40+ athletic departments) nationwide. She is an active member in CABMA and NACUBO.

Katie’s work in higher education goes beyond traditional accounting services. As a thought leader and valued advisor in the industry, she drives discussions on the issues faced by colleges and universities nationwide. Her passion is in the collegiate athletics niche, and she is nationally recognized as an advocate for the financial voices in the business of college sports. She co-hosts the firm’s News & Brews Sports Biz podcast series and makes regular appearances on other industry broadcast programs and publications. Katie works closely with her clients and enjoys bringing solutions to them that improve their operations and redirect their limited resources to the things that matter most. Certified in Lean Six Sigma, she helps her clients create efficient, thorough and sustainable systems for long-term success.

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