As founding principal of Biddison Hier Ltd., Tom Hier is committed to assisting institutions of higher education in using their resources – physical, financial and programmatic – to advance an institution’s mission and academic, co-curricular and residential goals. Over the years, he has provided a range of planning services to more than 75 institutions, including the Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, Columbia University, Stanford University, Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Washington, Georgetown University, Duke University, Purdue University and the University of Michigan among others.
Specializing in the development of comprehensive approaches for planning and managing institutional resources – academic and administrative facilities, teaching and learning spaces, residential facilities, and other community spaces on campus – Tom has:
- Worked with multiple stakeholder groups within an institution, facilitating meetings and workshops to evaluate and illuminate the alignment between institutional strategic goals and programmatic offerings, and to identify resource allocation implications.
- Developed capital planning and other financial models to assist institutions in understanding financial consequences of institutional decisions, and mapping out prudent resource allocation strategies.
- Planned and programmed space needs for a variety of capital projects (e.g., academic buildings, housing, classrooms, student unions, etc.).
- Pioneered the development of new techniques for space analyses and visualization of classroom utilization data.
- Developed numerous comprehensive space master plans that provide roadmaps for creating, reinvesting in and managing various types of campus spaces – teaching and learning spaces, residential facilities, academic office and support spaces, etc.
- Advised institutions on engagement with and selection of private partners in public-private partnership arrangements.
He is a co-inventor with CollegeNET, a Portland-based scheduling software company, of X25 – a software program that uses visual analytics to help institutions understand space utilization patterns.
Tom has been a principal at Biddison Hier, Ltd. for almost two decades, and brings skills and tools developed previously in economics and tax policy at Price Waterhouse and The Brookings Institution. He also speaks nationally on university resource planning issues. He is a graduate of Brown University (A.B., Economics, magna cum laude) and The Wharton School of Business (M.B.A., Finance, with Honors).
