Business Affiliates

Since 2008, AffinityLTC, LLC has been a Coalition for College Cost Savings (The Coalition) endorsed program provider, specializing in the marketing and administration of employer and association sponsored Long Term Care (LTC) Insurance programs. AffinityLTC has always been exclusively focused in the LTC insurance marketplace. AffinityLTC has over 100 private Higher Ed clients across the country.

Established in Austin in 1999, Apogee is a leading provider of managed technology services that enable colleges and universities to innovate to enrich the campus experience and foster student vitality. Uniquely positioned to serve higher education, Apogee supports a community of more than one million students and administrators at over 350 colleges and universities nationwide. The company’s comprehensive managed services portfolio includes managed campus networks, residential networks (ResNet), campus engagement, and HDTV and streaming video. Visit Apogee at apogee.us.

Aramark is in the customer service business across food, facilities and uniforms. We create experiences that engage and inspire, we deliver an impact wherever people work, learn, recover and play.

BDO delivers customized accounting, consulting and financial advisory services to clients of all sizes – across industries, throughout the country, and around the world. We understand the changes and challenges facing institutions of higher education, from rising tuition and fees to reduced government funding, and our clients rest assured that their dedicated BDO industry leaders are at the forefront of the higher education conversation. What truly sets BDO apart is our commitment to higher education and our dedication to delivering exceptional client service, without exception. We understand that at its core, our job is about helping – in thousands of different ways, for thousands of different clients – and that we measure success one relationship at a time.

BHDP, an award-winning international architectural firm, is recognized for innovative and inspiring solutions in architecture, planning, interior design, experiential graphic design, project management, and strategic consulting to provide more informed design solutions for our clients.
BHDP’s expertise in the planning and design of Higher Education facilities is founded upon our deep knowledge of the business of higher education and a passion for improving student and faculty experiences. We design places of learning and discovery that inspire thinkers, leaders, and professionals. Our strategic, people-focused approach encourages understanding, collaboration, and innovation, enabling us to further an institution’s mission and strategy through its campus and buildings.

See the results of a national survey of leaders focused on campus master planning conducted by BHDP.

The challenges of higher education will continue at an extraordinary pace. As the industry continues to face these challenges, you will need an exceptional relationship with, and commitment from, a group of accounting professionals who advise you and support your efforts. For over 40 years, Brown Edwards has been dedicated to providing exceptional service and expertise to our higher education clients throughout the mid-Atlantic region. By partnering with our clients and understanding their needs and concerns, Brown Edwards is a true alternative to the “business as usual” approach. And, as a Top 100 firm, you can be sure you have access to industry-leading resources while receiving the personalized service our clients deserve and expect.

As a national full-service CPA and consulting firm devoted to serving nonprofit organizations, CapinCrouse provides professional solutions to organizations whose outcomes are measured in lives changed. Since 1972, the firm has served universities, seminaries, and other organizations by providing support in the key areas of financial integrity and security.

CAPTRUST is an independently owned and operated retirement planning and investment advisory firm headquartered in Raleigh, NC. With over $750 billion in assets under advisory, we serve as fiduciary consultants for 190 educational institutions, representing approximately 850 retirement plans and totaling over $200 billion in assets under advisement in the education sector. As a firm, we work with 40 providers for 403(b), 457, and 401(a) plans — counting TIAA, Fidelity, and Vanguard as our top provider relationships. CAPTRUST has developed the specialized expertise required to help plan sponsors optimize their retirement plans while effectively managing fiduciary risk in a constantly changing environment. We are committed to the independence required for complete objectivity.

Centrica Business Solutions is an integrator of sustainable energy solutions that works with higher education institutions to remove complexity. We deliver a full range of comprehensive energy solutions and services encompassing energy efficiency measures, renewable energy offerings, and demand response services. Our targeted approach to energy implementation establishes goals, identifies opportunities, installs solutions, and ensures support in delivering on financial and environmental agendas.

As a nationally recognized firm, Cherry Bekaert has the resources to take your institution to the next level. Our higher education industry specialists understand the current operating environment and challenges facing independent colleges and universities, so we can help you make the most of emerging opportunities while minimizing compliance headaches. Our capabilities go far beyond audit and regulatory compliance, and include customized solutions in the areas of risk advisory, cybersecurity, data analytics, technology consulting and solutions, compensation and benefits, and international tax services.  Ranked among the largest accounting firms in the country, Cherry Bekaert specializes in offering solutions that impact our clients ability to succeed and grow.

Corporate Risk Management Inc. is an independent insurance consulting firm providing outsourced risk management services to clients on a fee-for-services basis. As we do not sell insurance, our firm is able to provide objective program review and expert advice in order to help our clients obtain the most comprehensive and competitively priced insurance programs available. Our client services include on-going full service agreements, managed marketing projects and program analysis reports.

With over 50 years of furniture management experience and a dedicated team of Higher Education specialists, CORT offers a wide array of furniture solutions for your campus. Our service varies from full furniture management to temporary project needs. Visit cort.com/highered for more information.

Coursedog offers modern academic operations software that empowers administrators and faculty to execute exceptional educational experiences and meet their strategic enrollment management goals through integrated academic and event scheduling, curriculum, catalog, and course demand projection tools. Today we support over 100 institutions including NCICU institutions like Duke University, Methodist University and Catawba College to streamline their scheduling and curricular operations into a single integrated platform. Academic administrators deserve a powerful, easy-to-use tool that gives them confidence, visibility, and trust that they are executing student-centric, data-driven, cost-efficient academic operations.

CPL provides architectural and engineering services to higher education clients in the eastern US and in NC through our offices in Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte.  Our practice includes unique specialty services:  space utilization/planning; building condition/system surveys; energy audits/planning; and capital/maintenance project planning.   Dining, athletics, residence life, science & technology, renovation of historic campus buildings, and engineering of MEP systems are areas of expertise.

DLR Group is an integrated design firm with the promise to elevate the human experience through design. We have over 30 offices, including Durham and Charlotte. We fully embrace our responsibility to society by designing spaces to emphasize academic learning and social development. DLR Group is deeply rooted in a commitment to understanding our clients through a personal engagement process. Embracing each unique campus culture is vital to the success of every project, and our 360-degree view enables us to fully understand users who will be impacted–including students, faculty, administration, staff, and visitors. Our commitment to sustainability and in-depth research places us on the leading edge of discoveries in the industry. Our team is committed to protecting our planet, and as a result, DLR Group’s average reduction targets of predicted energy use for high-performance designs consistently exceed the national average.

EDC provides Owner’s Representation and Project Management services to institutional owners for the design and construction of their new and renovated facilities. Established in 1990 and based in Midlothian Virginia, EDC has delivered over four million square feet totaling over $600 million of higher education and research and development projects. EDC manages the entire project from preliminary programming and budgeting through construction and occupancy.

First American Education Finance provides NCICU institutions with customized financing solutions at preferred rates. For more than 20 years, First American has served the needs of the education community helping more than 800 schools deliver the best education possible to their students. ​Their unique financing solutions solve school challenges ranging from complex campus projects to technology management – all through a simple and transparent experience.

Examples of First American Programs Include::

• Technology Renewal Program
• Software  Program
• Campus Maintenance  Program
• Energy  Program
• Athletic Equipment Program
• Purchasing Card Program

Fortinet makes possible a digital world that we can always trust through its mission to protect people, devices, and data everywhere. This is why the world’s largest enterprises, service providers, and government organizations choose Fortinet to securely accelerate their digital journey.

FORVIS, LLP ranks among the nation’s top 10 professional services firms. Created by the merger of equals of BKD, LLP and Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLP (DHG), FORVIS is driven by the commitment to use our forward vision to deliver unmatched client experiences. With more than 5,400 dedicated professionals who serve clients in all 50 states, as well as across the globe, FORVIS offers comprehensive assurance, tax, advisory, and wealth management services.

Driven by our food-first philosophy, Harvest Table Culinary Group brings innovative, authentic and personalized food experiences to life for each unique college and university we serve.

We believe everyone should experience the timeless camaraderie of mealtime, the delicious moments that a hand-crafted meal brings. Our world-class chefs and food enthusiasts create dishes to satisfy every nutritional need and evolving appetites for something new, exciting, and enriching.

HRP Associates, Inc. is an environmental health & safety risk management consulting engineering firm that specializes in the fields of environmental and OSHA health and safety compliance, lab safety, industrial hygiene, asbestos, mold, and lead paint consulting, and property acquisition due diligence. To date, we have helped over 300 college and university campuses across the United States resolve their environmental, health and safety risk management challenges. HRP’s professional environmental engineers have been helping private and public organizations meet complex regulatory compliance obligations for over 35 years. Example services include compliance auditing, technical EPA and OSHA compliance training, permitting, Brownfield grant funding, and industrial hygiene testing. HRP works diligently to keep you up-to-date with changes in federal, state, and local EH&S regulatory requirements and provide you with sound and practical solutions that you can realistically implement.

IMA is a national risk management and commercial insurance broker.  IMA has a property & casualty insurance program that is endorsed by The Coalition for College Cost Savings and is designed specifically for private institutions.  IMA also specializes in employee benefits and student and athletic insurance.  IMA has clients in all fifty states and has offices throughout the country. IMA has a 100% success rate in driving down net costs for private colleges.  To learn more about IMA’s complimentary preliminary assessment, please contact Nick via the contact information provided below.

Jenzabar’s mission is to support education by enabling institutions of higher education to thrive, grow, and achieve student success. We help our clients align their technology solutions with their unique missions and goals—to generate the maximum return on their technology investments. Across the entire institution, our software and services enable our clients to deliver on the promise of higher education.

The Higher Education Studio of McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture partners with colleges and universities to support their growth in smart and fiscally responsible ways by providing master planning, architectural and interior design services for academic, athletic, and student life facilities. With 7 regional offices, including Asheville and Charlotte, our team members have served as trusted advisors and partners on hundreds of campuses throughout the Southeast. We design environments that advance culture, create community, and enhance the campus experience.

Millennium Advisory Services, Inc. is a SEC registered investment advisory firm that provides 403(b) retirement plan services for private institutions of higher education throughout the eastern and mid-western United States. We work with other professional fiduciary partners offering a turn-key retirement plan solution to individual educational institutions as well as Multiple Employer Plans.  Our solutions are designed to help plan sponsors meet their fiduciary obligations on both the participant level and the plan level. We provide communication and education services for plan sponsors as well as financial planning, fiduciary advice and professional asset management for plan participants and high net worth individuals. Millennium’s mission is to help plan sponsors deliver a retirement plan to their employees that truly changes participant behavior and drives meaningful retirement outcomes, helping participants and their families achieve their personal and financial life goals.

NCICU’s members gain expert outside guidance and solid solutions for transforming themselves by engaging Mindstream. Our record of success with private not for profit colleges and universities demonstrates a history of refocusing strategy, boosting efficiency, and streamlining processes, while transferring knowledge to key stakeholders across the institution and maintaining each school’s unique culture. Our services include:

INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION: Strategic planning, Mergers & Acquisitions, Operating Model Design, Zero-based Redesign, Advanced analytics, Change Management.

COST TRANSFORMATION: Zero- based Budgeting, Shared Services, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Process Improvement & Redesign, and Staff Classification and Compensation plans.

ACADEMIC TRANSFORMATION: Academic Portfolio Reviews, Market Research, & Faculty Classification and Compensation plans.

ADMISSIONS AND ENROLLMENT TRANSFORMATION: Admissions and Enrollment reviews, Market Research, and Predictive/ Prescriptive Analytics.

National Management Resources Corporation was founded in 1978. National provides services exclusively to private education institutions. Services include physical plant maintenance and repair, custodial, landscape, event planning and setups, security, and construction management. National tailors its services to meet the needs and goals of the clients they serve. With National, you can rest assured that your facilities look their best or recruitment, retention, and advancement.

neteffect technologies, established in 1991, is based in Charlotte, NC and provides premiere IT support throughout the Carolinas and beyond.  As a trusted IT advisor, we specialize in offering an array of IT solutions, services, and support to our clients.  To include: managed services, security, virtualization, cloud computing, system design and integration, telecom, and more. With neteffect technologies, you’ll enjoy reliable, cutting-edge IT services whenever the need arises. Please consider neteffect technologies to be your valued partner:  to augment your staff with scalable, ongoing support.  Our team of support professionals is available to assist you promptly and efficiently.

Paycor Empowers Leaders to Build Winning Teams. For nearly 30 years, Paycor has focused on Taking Care of Customers First. That singular focus guides us to this day. We offer a unified HCM platform, with payroll at its core, that streamlines and optimizes nearly every aspect of an organization. From the way leaders recruit and onboard, to the way they engage, train, and retain employees, we help our customers make a difference.

Pharos Resources provides a comprehensive approach to improve student outcomes. Our unique software and approach will strengthen early alert, student care, and retention on your campus. Through Relational Retention engagement, our relationship-focused perspective, you will identify at-risk students, eliminate campus silos, increase student engagement, and enrich your culture of student success.

SageView is an employee-owned and independent SEC-Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) with over 270 employees located in more than 30 offices nationwide. Our firm provides unbiased retirement plan and wealth management consulting services to clients throughout the U.S.

We have been advising retirement plans, participants, and households since 1989. SageView serves over 1,900 retirement plans and 4,000 households totaling more than $150 billion in client assets. Our advisors each have extensive experience in the financial industry ranging from large scale retirement plans to high net-worth households.

Security Marketing Group is excited to partner with NCICU to serve the great colleges and universities in NC.  We provide innovative strategies around Student Loan Financial Planning, Long Term Care, Communication, and Specialty Rx for self-funded groups.  Our clients see positive outcomes on Staff & Faculty retention and improved financial, physical, and mental health for their team.  Our average forgiveness on student loans is $1M per 100 employees & average savings on Rx is $250 annually per employee.

Founded in 1901, Southern Bank is a state-chartered commercial bank in North Carolina and Virginia. With approximately 60 locations across the eastern half of North Carolina and southeast Virginia, it is the largest community bank (assets below $10 billion) in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. From its inception in 1901 with $10,000 in total assets, Southern Bank now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern BancShares (N.C.), Inc. With its corporate headquarters still located in downtown Mount Olive, North Carolina provides a broad range of financial services to businesses, individuals, professionals, agriculture and the medical community through a network of approximately 60 branch offices, mobile and online banking, treasury management services, wealth management and a broad ATM network in North Carolina and Virginia.

Helping secure the future for millions

TIAA was founded in 1918 to help teachers retire with dignity. That mission grew to include those in healthcare and more, creating reliable income for their futures while they work to make a difference today.  Our commitment to doing the right thing—for our customers, employees and communities—has never wavered, and is why today, we’re an industry leader in building financially sound futures.

 Truist is a purpose-driven company dedicated to Lighting the Way to Financial Well-Being for the people, businesses, and communities it serves. Truist leads a national movement inspiring Americans to build financial confidence. Headquartered in Charlotte NC, the Company has two business segments: Consumer and Wholesale. It operates an extensive branch and ATM network throughout the high-growth Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states, along with 24-hour digital access. Certain business lines serve consumer, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients nationally.

Transact Campus Inc. provides NCICU campuses with an enabling agreement (pre-negotiated master terms) and aggressive year-one discounts on hardware and software. We provide solutions for securing campuses with access control and video surveillance; giving campuses the convenience of a true cashless environment; tracking attendance in the classroom; and offering students a secure and easy way to make purchases on and off-campus using just their ID card or mobile credential. Our unified credential methodology includes using the ID card, mobile phone, and biometrics. Transact also provides a diversified payment solution through Payment Software for Tuition Billing, Payment Processing, Payment Plans, Refunds, and eCommerce Storefronts. These solutions leverage innovative technologies to improve the transaction experience for both students and higher education campus financial services teams. Over 65% of all NCICU campuses use Transact.

United Bank, founded in 1839, is a community bank with dual headquarters in the DC Metro Region and Charleston, WV. With a history of safe, sound and secure banking practices, we pride ourselves on our ability to develop and nurture relationships, and we are committed to providing each relationship with an unmatched level of service. Our network spans across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, offering nearly 250 offices, with 47 full-service banking locations in North Carolina.

USI Insurance Services serve over 500,000 clients meeting their property & casualty, employee benefit, personal risk and retirement needs nationwide. We have more than 150 years of consulting and brokerage experience. At USI we work to Understand the specific needs of our clients, to provide an unparalleled local Service experience, and to Innovate with cutting edge solutions so our clients can continue to invest and grow.

USI Higher Education Team has over 35 Years of Experience working diligently with Universities & Colleges:

• Dedicated analytics, underwriting, account management and compliance experts make up USI Student Insurance Division team.
• USI has formed a dedicated higher education practice group focused on the challenges and nuances that can have an impact on institutions nationwide.
• USI Student Insurance Division currently provides insurance coverage for over 50 Colleges, Universities, and State Systems throughout the United States.

The Virtual Care Group (VCG) provides nationwide holistic well-being solutions for higher-ed institutions. Our telemedicine, teletherapy, life coaching, and on-demand crisis counseling services are UNLIMITED and available 24/7 at no cost to your students. We offer customizable and affordable solutions staffed by Board-certified physicians and licensed counselors.

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP’s multi-disciplinary Education Team has served institutions of higher education for 30+ years, helping them meet business, legal and regulatory challenges. We support the full range of legal needs in the education industry and are active with a number of organizations, including the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), Colleges and University Personnel Association (CUPA) and the North Carolina Bar Association Education Law Section.