Johns Hopkins University Financial Report 1998
  
Johns Hopkins University Financial Report 1998

Summary

 
(1) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(a) General

Johns Hopkins University is a private, nonprofit institution that provides education and related services to students and others, research and related services to sponsoring organizations and professional medical care to patients. The University is based in Baltimore, Maryland, but also maintains facilities and operates education programs elsewhere in Maryland, in Washington, D.C. and, on a more limited scale, in certain foreign locations. Education and related services (e.g., room, board, etc.) are provided to approximately 17,400 students, including 9,300 full-time students and 8,100 part-time students, and produce about 11% of the University's revenues. The full-time students are divided about equally between graduate level (including postdoctoral) and undergraduate level. Students are drawn from a broad geographic area, including most of the states in the United States and numerous foreign countries. Undergraduate students from the United States are predominantly from the eastern states. The majority of the part-time students are graduate level students from the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area. Research and related services (e.g., research training) are provided to more than 1,500 government and private sponsors. Grants, contracts and similar agreements produce about 58% of the University's revenues. More than 85% of the revenues from research services come from departments and agencies of the United States Government. Major government sponsors include the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Agency for International Development; these sponsors represent approximately 43%, 31% and 4%, respectively, of revenues from grants, contracts and similar agreements. Professional medical services are provided by members of the University's faculty to patients at Johns Hopkins Hospital and other hospitals and outpatient care facilities in the Baltimore area and produce about 10% of the University's revenues. The patients are predominantly from the Baltimore area, other parts of Maryland or surrounding states.

(b) Basis of Presentation

The financial statements include the accounts of the various academic and administrative divisions, the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), The Johns Hopkins University Press and affiliated organizations which are controlled by the University, including JHPIEGO Corporation, Peabody Institute of the City of Baltimore and the Fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine. Investments in organizations which the University does not control, including Dome Corporation, Johns Hopkins Healthcare LLC and Johns Hopkins Home Care Group, Inc., are accounted for using the equity method. Certain amounts for 1997 have been reclassified to conform to the presentation for 1998. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingencies at the date of the financial statements and revenues and expenses recognized during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Net assets and revenues, expenses, gains and losses are classified based on the existence or absence of donor-imposed restrictions. Accordingly, net assets of the University are classified and reported as follows: Permanently restricted-Net assets subject to donor-imposed stipulations that they be maintained permanently by the University. Generally, the donors of these assets permit the University to use all or part of the income earned on related investments for general or specific purposes. Temporarily restricted-Net assets subject to donor-imposed stipulations that may or will be met by actions of the University and/or the passage of time. Unrestricted-Net assets that are not subject to donor-imposed stipulations. Revenues from sources other than contributions are reported as increases in unrestricted net assets. Contributions are reported as increases in the appropriate category of net assets, except that contributions which impose restrictions that are met in the same fiscal year they are received are included in unrestricted revenues. Expenses are reported as decreases in unrestricted net assets. Gains and losses on investments are reported as increases or decreases in unrestricted net assets unless their use is restricted by explicit donor stipulations or by law. Expirations of temporary restrictions recognized on net assets (i.e., the donor-stipulated purpose has been fulfilled and/or the stipulated time period has elapsed) are reported as reclassifications from temporarily restricted net assets to unrestricted net assets. Temporary restrictions on gifts to acquire long-lived assets are considered met in the period in which the assets are acquired or placed in service.

(c) Contributions

Contributions, including unconditional promises to give, are recognized as revenues in the period received. Contributions received for capital projects or perpetual or term endowment funds and contributions under split interest agreements or perpetual trusts are reported as nonoperating revenues. All other contributions are reported as operating revenues. Changes in the nature of any restrictions on contributions due to amendments to agreements with donors are recognized by adjusting operating and nonoperating contribution revenues in the period in which the amendments are approved. During 1998, approximately $21,250,000 of contributions were reclassified from nonoperating to operating revenues, reflecting changes in agreements with certain donors. Conditional promises to give are not recognized until the conditions on which they depend are substantially met. Contributions of assets other than cash are recorded at their estimated fair value at the date of gift, except that contributions of works of art, historical treasures and similar assets held as part of collections are not recognized or capitalized. Allowance is made for uncollectible contributions based upon management's judgment and analysis of the creditworthiness of the donors, past collection experience and other relevant factors. Estimated collectible contributions to be received after one year are discounted using a risk-free rate for the expected period of collection. Amortization of the discount is recorded as additional contribution revenue.

(d) Cash and Cash Equivalents

Short-term investments with maturities at dates of purchase of three months or less are classified as cash equivalents, except that any such investments purchased with funds on deposit with bond trustees, or with funds held in trusts or by external endowment investment managers are classified with the deposits and investments, respectively. Cash equivalents include short-term U.S. Treasury securities and other short-term, highly liquid investments and are carried at cost which approximates fair value.

(e) Investments

Investments are stated at their fair values which are generally determined based on quoted market prices or estimates provided by external investment managers or other independent sources. In the limited cases where such values are not available, historical cost is used as an estimate of fair value. Assets of pooled endowment and similar funds are invested on the basis of a total return policy to provide income and to realize appreciation in investment values. Realized investment gains of these funds may be used to support operations provided that the funds have market values in excess of their historical values. The endowment investment pool payout was approximately 4.5% in 1998 and 5.4% in 1997 of average market values. Investment income included in operating revenues consists of income and realized gains and losses on investments of working capital and nonpooled endowment funds (except where restricted by donors) and the annual appropriation of income and realized gains for pooled endowment and similar funds approved by the Board of Trustees. All unrealized gains, any excess of income and realized gains earned over the appropriated amount for pooled endowment and similar funds and income and realized gains restricted by donors are reported as nonoperating revenues.

(f) Investment in Plant Assets

Investments in plant assets are stated at cost or at estimated fair value if acquired by gift, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation of buildings and equipment and amortization of leasehold improvements are computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Land, library collections and certain historic buildings are not subject to depreciation. Title to certain equipment purchased using funds provided by government granting or contracting agencies is vested in the University. Such equipment is included in investment in plant assets. Certain facilities and equipment used by the APL in connection with its performance under agreements with the United States Government are owned by the government. These facilities and equipment are not included in the balance sheet; however, the University is accountable to the government for them.

(g) Split Interest Agreements and Perpetual Trusts

The University's split interest agreements with donors consist primarily of irrevocable charitable remainder trusts for which the University serves as trustee. Assets held in these trusts are included in investments. Contribution revenues are recognized at the date the trusts are established after recording liabilities for the present value of the estimated future payments to be made to the donors and/or other beneficiaries. The liabilities are adjusted during the terms of the trusts for changes in the values of the assets, accretion of the discounts and other changes in estimates of future benefits. The University is also the beneficiary of certain perpetual trusts held and administered by others. The present values of the estimated future cash receipts from the trusts are recognized as assets and contribution revenues at the dates the trusts are established. Distributions from the trusts are recorded as contributions and the carrying value of the assets is adjusted for changes in estimates of future receipts.

(h) Functional Expenses

Costs related to the operation and maintenance of physical plant, including depreciation of plant assets and interest on related debt, are allocated to program and supporting activities based upon periodic inventories of facilities. Fundraising costs were not significant in 1998.

(i) Insurance

The University, together with other institutions, has formed captive insurance companies which arrange and provide professional liability, general liability and property damage insurance for their shareholders. Defined portions of claims paid by these companies are self-insured. The University's annual payments to the companies for insurance coverage are based on actuarial studies and are included in operating expenses.

(j) Agreements with Affiliated Institutions

The University has separate administrative agreements for the exchange of services with Johns Hopkins Hospital and other medical and educational institutions. Costs incurred by the University in providing services to these institutions and the related reimbursements are reported as operating expenses and revenues, respectively, in the appropriate functional and source classifications. Costs incurred by the University for services provided by these institutions are reported as operating expenses in the appropriate functional classifications.

(k) Financial Instruments

Fair values of financial instruments approximate their carrying values in the financial statements, except for indebtedness for which fair value information is provided in note 7. The University's external investment managers are authorized to use specified derivative financial instruments, including futures and forward currency contracts, in managing the assets under their control, subject to restrictions and limitations adopted by the Board of Trustees. futures contracts, which are commitments to buy or sell designated financial instruments at a future date for a specified price, may be used to adjust asset allocation, neutralize options in securities or construct a more efficient portfolio. The managers have made limited use of exchange-traded interest rate futures contracts. Margin requirements are met in cash; however, the managers settle their positions on a net basis and, accordingly, the cash requirements are substantially less than the contract amounts. Forward currency contracts, which are agreements to exchange designated currencies at a future date at a specified rate, may be used to hedge currency exchange risk associated with investments in fixed-income securities denominated in foreign currencies and investments in equity securities traded in foreign markets. The managers settle these contracts on a net basis and, accordingly, the cash requirements are substantially less than the contract amounts. Changes in the market value of the futures and forward currency contracts are included in investment income and were not significant in 1998 and 1997.

(l) Sponsored Projects

Revenues under grants, contracts and similar agreements with sponsoring organizations are recognized as expenditures are incurred for agreement purposes. These revenues include recoveries of facilities and administrative costs which are generally determined as a negotiated or agreed-upon percentage of direct costs, with certain exclusions. facilities and administrative cost recovery revenues for the academic and support divisions of the University were $135,604,000 in 1998 and $132,038,000 in 1997.

(m) Student Financial Aid

The University provides financial aid to eligible students, generally in a "package" that includes loans, compensation under work-study programs and/or grant and scholarship awards. The loans are provided primarily through programs of the United States Government (including direct and guaranteed loan programs) under which the University is responsible only for certain administrative duties. The grants and scholarships include awards provided through gifts and grants from private donors or from income earned on endowment funds restricted for student aid, as well as general funds scholarship awards. Grant and scholarship awards were $77,928,000 in 1998 and $74,367,000 in 1997 and are netted against tuition and fees revenues.

(n) Income Taxes

The University is qualified as a not-for-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended. Accordingly, it is not subject to income taxes except to the extent it has taxable income from businesses that are not related to its exempt purpose.

(2) Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)

The APL is engaged in research and development work principally under an omnibus contract with the Naval Sea Systems Command of the United States Navy (NAVSEA). Revenues and expenses under the contract with NAVSEA and contracts with other agencies of the United States Government represent substantially all of the revenues and expenses of the APL. The omnibus contract and other contracts define reimbursable costs and provide for fees to the University. The omnibus contract also requires that a portion of the fees earned by the University thereunder be retained and used for various APL-related purposes. The current contract with NAVSEA expires on September 30, 2002. University management expects that a contractual relationship with the United States Navy will continue after expiration of the current contract. In accordance with an agreement between the United States Government and the University, the APL has been designated a national resource. Under the agreement, if the University should determine that it can no longer sponsor the APL or the Secretary of the Navy should determine that the Navy can no longer contract with the University with respect to the APL, the University will establish a charitable trust to provide for the continued availability of the APL. The trust would be administered by five trustees and the corpus would consist of the University's interest in the APL facilities, including land to the extent necessary, and the balances in the University's APL stabilization, contingency and research fund on the date the trust is established, less certain costs. Upon termination of the trust, the corpus, in whole or in part, would be returned to and held and used by the University for such educational or research purposes and in such manner as the trustees and University shall agree. The APL stabilization, contingency and research fund is included in unrestricted net assets and was approximately $180,341,000 and $166,885,000 at June 30, 1998 and 1997, respectively, including net investments in property and equipment of $72,211,000 and $69,781,000, respectively. At June 30, 1998, APL purchase and subcontract commitments were approximately $42,000,000.

(3) Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable, net, are summarized as follows at June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
Reimbursement of costs incurred under grants and contracts $77,916 91,728
Affiliated institutions, primarily Johns Hopkins Hospital 18,473 14,412
Students and others 35,956 28,941
Less allowance for doubtful accounts 516 532
Subtotal 131,829 134,549
Medical services to patients, less allowances of $52,300 in 1998 and $52,000 in 1997 42,200 41,500
TOTAL $174,029 176,049

(4) Contributions Receivable

Contributions receivable, net, are summarized as follows at June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
Unconditional promises expected to be collected in:
    Less than one year
$29,241 22,063
    One year to five years
90,935 143,797
    Over five years
28,274 31,430
    Subtotal
148,450 197,290
Less unamortized discount and allowance for uncollectible accounts 28,046 44,746
TOTAL $120,404 152,544

At June 30, 1998, approximately 25% of the gross contributions receivable were due from nine donors. At June 30, 1998, the University had also received bequest intentions of approximately $77,000,000 and certain other conditional promises to give. These intentions and conditional promises to give are not recognized as assets and, if they are received, they will generally be restricted for specific purposes stipulated by the donors, primarily endowments for faculty support, scholarships or general operating support of a particular department or division of the University.

(5) Investments

Investments are summarized as follows at June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
Cash and short-term investments $89,061 83,937
United States government and agency obligations 305,893 202,234
Other debt securities 282,722 311,839
Common and preferred stocks 892,885 721,001
Limited partnership and similar interests 46,383 59,984
Mortgages and notes receivable and other investments 112,848 103,045
TOTAL $1,729,792 1,482,040

Investments are professionally managed, primarily by outside investment organizations, subject to direction and oversight by a committee of the Board of Trustees. The Board has established investment policies and guidelines which cover asset allocation and performance objectives and impose various restrictions and limitations on the managers. These restrictions and limitations are specific to each asset classification and cover concentrations of market risk (at both the individual issuer and industry group levels), credit quality of fixed-income and short-term investments, use of derivative securities, investments in foreign securities and various other matters.

Investment income is summarized as follows for the year ended June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
Dividend and interest income $51,382 45,911
Net realized gains 134,642 75,298
Net unrealized appreciation 62,833 73,976
Increase in interests in perpetual trusts 5,765 3,619
Investment management fees (5,395) (4,633)
TOTAL $249,227 194,171

At June 30, 1998 and 1997, assets of endowment and similar funds, including cash and cash equivalents and investments, amounted to $1,373,155,000 and $1,156,598,000, respectively. Certain assets of endowment and similar funds are combined in a common investment pool known as the Endowment Investment Pool (EIP). Purchases and disposals of shares in the EIP are made based on the market value per share at the end of the quarter during which the transaction takes place. At June 30, 1998 and 1997, assets of the EIP, including cash and cash equivalents and investments, amounted to $1,346,255,000 and $1,107,582,000, respectively. At June 30, 1998 and 1997, other investments include $91,796,000 and $83,684,000, respectively, of investments held by the University under deferred compensation agreements. Such amounts approximate the University's related liability to employees which is included in obligations under deferred compensation agreements and other long-term liabilities. At June 30, 1998, investments having a fair value of $11,798,000 were pledged as security for the payment of unemployment claims and investments having a fair value of $9,078,000 were pledged as security for certain bonds and notes payable. At June 30, 1998, commitments for purchases of investments were approximately $156,000,000.

(6) Investment in Plant Assets

Investment in plant assets, net, is summarized as follows at June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
Land $35,018 35,018
Land improvements 14,762 14,762
Buildings and leasehold improvements 897,198 832,827
Equipment 315,230 336,227
Library collections 98,573 91,136
Construction in progress 36,300 47,023
Subtotal 1,397,081 1,356,993
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization 638,269 602,388
TOTAL $758,812 754,605

(7) Indebtedness

Under terms of a master note agreement with a commercial bank, the University may borrow up to $50,000,000 under a line of credit for APL working capital purposes. Advances under the line of credit are unsecured, due on demand and bear interest at a rate which varies based on certain specified market indices. No advances were outstanding at June 30, 1998 and 1997.

The University is obligated with respect to the following issues of bonds payable at June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
Maryland Health and Higher Educational Facilities Authority (MHHEFA) issues:
Revenue Bonds of 1979, 5.40% to 6.40%, due January 2009 $4,235 4,640
Revenue Bonds of 1982, 59% of prime interest rate, due July 1997 -- 69
Revenue Bonds of 1983, 6.00% to 9.88%, due July 2013, net of unamortized discount of $1,693 and $1,857 28,132 28,758
Revenue Bonds of 1985 (APL/STScI Project), 67.22% of prime interest rate, due October 2000 2,413 3,213
Revenue Bonds of 1985A, 6%, due July 2010, net of unamortized discount of $2,473 in 1997 -- 8,187
Revenue Bonds of 1985, 73.32% of prime interest rate, due January 2001 2,500 3,500
Refunding Revenue Bonds of 1988, 5.30% to 7.50%, due July 2020, net of unamortized discount of $683 in 1997 -- 192,512
Refunding Revenue Bonds of 1997, 4.50% to 5.625%, due July 2027, net of unamortized discount of $240 and $244 14,745 14,741
Subtotal 245,216 255,620
Other issue--Fifth Off-Street Parking Serial Bonds, Series A, 4.26%, due October 2009 198 214
Total bonds payable $245,414 255,834

The Revenue Bonds of 1979 are secured under a collateral security agreement which provides for a security interest in certain investment securities and requires that the market value of such securities exceed a specified level. At June 30, 1998, investment securities with a fair value of $8,064,000 were held by the trustee under the agreement. The Fifth Off-Street Parking Serial Bonds are secured under a loan agreement which provides for a mortgage on certain of the University's property and equipment. The Revenue Bonds of 1983, 1985 (APL/STScI Project), 1985, 1997 and 1998 are unsecured general obligations of the University. The loan agreement relating to the Revenue Bonds of 1983 provides for limitations on the amount of indebtedness the University may incur. The Refunding Revenue Bonds of 1988 were originally issued to advance refund portions of the Revenue Bonds of 1983 and 1985A. The net proceeds were irrevocably placed in trust pursuant to escrow agreements and used to purchase government securities which are payable as to principal and interest at such times and in such amounts as to pay all principal and interest on the refunded portions of the Revenue Bonds of 1983 and 1985A. Accordingly, such portions of those bonds are considered to have been extinguished and neither the indebtedness ($45,535,000 at June 30, 1998) nor the irrevocable trusts are included in the balance sheet. The Refunding Revenue Bonds of 1998 were issued to refund the Refunding Revenue Bonds of 1988 for which the University and MHHEFA have no further liability. In addition, the undefeased portion of the Revenue Bonds of 1985A was repaid prior to scheduled maturity from funds on deposit with trustees. While these transactions will result in substantial savings in interest costs, the University recorded extraordinary losses on early extinguishment of this debt of approximately $8,864,000 in 1998.

The University is obligated with respect to the following notes payable at June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
MHHEFA note due February 2001 $522 718
MHHEFA note due November 2015 53,050 54,557
MHHEFA note due February 2025 14,729 15,016
MHHEFA note due November 2020 18,571 18,903
MHHEFA note due July 2026 6,447 6,479
Note due June 2002, 10% 5,835 6,977
Note due December 2002, 7.91% 11,850 12,000
Note due July 2004, 3% (government subsidized effective rate) 574 640
Note due June 2012, 8.90% 2,754 2,866
Note due December 2019, 8.88% 82,035 83,252
Total notes payable $196,367 201,408

The MHHEFA notes are part of a pooled loan program issue of MHHEFA. The notes are unsecured general obligations of the University and bear interest at a variable rate (4.30% at June 30, 1998). Under terms of the loan agreements, the University may be required to provide security for the loans in certain circumstances. The notes due June 2002, December 2002 and June 2012 are unsecured general obligations of the University. Under terms of the related loan agreements, the University may be required to provide security for the loans in certain circumstances. The note due July 2004 is secured by mortgages on certain of the University's property and a collateral account with a trustee in which investment securities having a fair value of $1,014,000 at June 30, 1998 have been deposited. The note due December 2019 is secured by certain of the University's property.

The aggregate annual maturities of the bonds and notes payable for the five years subsequent to June 30, 1998 are as follows:

1999, $14,288,000; 2000, $15,356,000; 2001, $14,745,000; 2002, $14,725,000; and 2003, $24,192,000. Total interest costs incurred and paid on the bonds and notes payable were $30,740,000 in 1998 and $30,315,000 in 1997. The estimated fair value of the University's indebtedness is determined based on quoted market prices for publicly-traded issues and on the discounted future cash payments to be made for other issues. The discount rates used approximate current market rates for loans or groups of loans with similar maturities and credit quality. The carrying amount and estimated fair value of the University's indebtedness are summarized as follows at June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
Carrying
amount
Estimated fair value Carrying amount Estimate fair value
Variable rate loans $98,232 98,232 102,455 102,455
Fixed rate loans 343,549 379,281 354,787 385,715
Total $441,781 477,513 457,242 488,170

Fair value estimates are made at a specific point in time, are subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of judgement. The University is not required to settle its debt obligations at fair value and settlement is not possible in some cases because of the terms under which the debt was issued.

(8) Refundable Advances from the U.S. Government

Funds provided by the United States Government under the Federal Perkins, Nursing and Health Professions Student Loan programs are loaned to qualified students and may be reloaned after collections. These funds are ultimately refundable to the government and are included in obligations under deferred compensation agreements and other long-term liabilities. These advances totaled approximately $28,113,000 and $26,948,000 at June 30, 1998 and 1997, respectively.

(9) Net Assets

Under generally accepted accounting principles for external financial reporting by not-for-profit organizations, unrestricted net assets are those which are not subject to donor-imposed restrictions. The practices used by the University for internal financial management and reporting purposes differ in certain respects from the practices prescribed for external financial reporting purposes, particularly with respect to the timing of recognition of the release of donor-imposed restrictions on contributions and related investment income and gains. In addition, certain net assets classified as unrestricted for external financial reporting purposes are designated for specific purposes or uses under various internal operating and administrative arrangements of the University. As a result, substantially all of the net assets classified as unrestricted in the balance sheet as of June 30, 1998 and 1997 have been invested in property and equipment or are designated for specific uses. Unrestricted net assets consist of the following at June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
Net investment in property and equipment, excluding APL $231,645 228,089
APL stabilization, contingency and research fund 180,341 166,885
Funds designated for divisional and departmental support 1,033,013 842,830
Student loan funds 10,631 10,380
Total $1,455,630 1,248,184

Temporarily restricted net assets consist of the following at June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
Contributions designated for departmental and divisional support or facilities $144,917 149,039
Split interest agreements 21,322 19,516
Land subject to time and purpose restrictions 13,188 13,188
Total $179,427 181,743

Permanently restricted net assets consist of the
following at June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
Perpetual endowment funds $482,379 $459,286
Interests in perpetual trusts 43,069 37,304
Split interest agreements 14,384 17,826
Total $539,832 514,416

(10) Affiliated Organizations

The Johns Hopkins Health System Corporation (JHHS) JHHS is incorporated and governed separately from the University and is the parent entity of an academically-based health system which includes The Johns Hopkins Hospital, The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and certain other related organizations. The University and JHHS have established a Board of Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) to direct, integrate and coordinate the clinical activities of the two organizations. JHM does not have the authority to incur debt or issue guarantees and its annual budgets require the approval of the boards of trustees of the University and JHHS. Johns Hopkins Hospital (Hospital) The Hospital is a member of JHHS and serves as the primary teaching facility of the University's School of Medicine. Because of the closely-related nature of their operations, the University and Hospital share facilities and provide services to each other to fulfill their purposes more effectively. The sharing of facilities and services is negotiated annually and set forth in a Joint Administrative Agreement (JAA). Costs charged to the Hospital under the JAA, related primarily to the provision of professional medical services by the University, aggregated approximately $57,200,000 in 1998 and $53,800,000 in 1997. Costs charged to the University under the JAA, related primarily to rental of space in Hospital facilities under a renewable one-year lease, aggregated approximately $37,200,000 in 1998 and $36,300,000 in 1997. Dome Corporation (Dome) Dome is a for-profit, corporate joint venture of the University and JHHS which is 50% owned by each institution. Dome provides property management and development and certain other services to its owners and others. Costs charged to the University by Dome, related primarily to property rentals and management services, aggregated approximately $13,500,000 in 1998 and $11,300,000 in 1997.

(11) Pension and Postretirement Benefit Plans

The University has several pension plans, primarily defined contribution plans, that are available to substantially all full-time employees. The policy of the University is to fund pension costs as accrued. Pension expense was $54,373,000 in 1998 and $53,983,000 in 1997, including $18,183,000 and $16,843,000, respectively, related to pension plans for employees at APL. The University has a retiree benefits plan that provides postretirement medical benefits to employees who meet specified minimum age and service requirements at the time they retire. The University pays a portion of the cost of participants' medical insurance coverage. The University's portion of the cost for an individual participant depends on various factors, including the age, years of service and time of retirement or retirement eligibility of the participant. The University has established a trust fund for its retiree benefits plan and intends to make contributions to the fund approximately equal to the annual net postretirement benefit cost, including amortization of the transition obligation over a period of 20 years from July 1, 1993. The postretirement benefit cost includes the following components for the year ended June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
Service cost 2,009 2,077
Interest cost on accumulated postretirement benefit obligation 6,891 7,118
Amortization of transition obligation 2,562 3,104
Actual return on plan assets (5,208) (4,134)
Other, net 2,882 3,053
Total $9,136 11,218

The status of the University's postretirement benefit plan is summarized as follows at June 30 (in thousands):

1998 1997
Accumulated postretirement benefit obligation:

    Retirees and beneficiaries
55,936 46,494
    Other fully eligible participants
13,418 14,367
    Other active participants
33,437 26,232
    Subtotal
102,791 87,093
Plan assets at fair value (41,446) (31,736)
Unrecognized net loss (17,538) (8,716)
Unrecognized prior service cost (772) (849)
Unrecognized transition obligation (38,426) (40,988)
Accrued postretirement benefit cost $4,609 4,804

The discount rates used to calculate the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation were 7.00% at June 30, 1998 and 7.75% at June 30, 1997. The expected long-term rates of return on plan assets were 8.5% in 1998 and 1997. The trend rates for growth in health care costs used in the calculation for 1998 were 8%-11% for 1999 for participants under age 65, and 8% for 1999 for those over 65; these growth rates are assumed to decrease gradually to 5%-7% in 2003 and to remain at those levels thereafter. The health care cost trend rate assumption has a significant effect on the postretirement benefit cost and obligation. An increase of 1% in the assumed annual health care cost trend rates would increase the aggregate service and interest cost components of postretirement benefit cost for 1998 by approximately $1,100,000 and increase the reported accumulated post retirement benefit obligation at June 30, 1998 by approximately $12,000,000. The plan assets consist primarily of investments in mutual funds managed by an independent investment management organization.

(12) Lease Commitments

As described in note 10, the University leases certain facilities from the Hospital under a renewable one-year lease which provides for a rent equal to the cost to the Hospital of providing and maintaining the facilities. This lease has been renewed for the year ending June 30, 1999. The University leases certain other facilities used in its academic and research operations under long-term operating leases expiring at various dates to 2014, subject to renewal options in certain cases. Certain of these facilities are leased from Dome or other affiliated organizations. The aggregate annual minimum rents to be paid to the expiration of the initial terms of these leases are as follows at June 30, 1998 (in thousands):

Affiliates Others Total
1999 $13,254 5,451 18,705
2000 11,364 4,335 15,699
2001 11,208 3,514 14,722
2002 11,082 3,059 14,141
2003 11,003 2,126 13,129
After 2003 72,787 11,596 84,383
Total $130,698 30,081 160,779

(13) Other Commitments and Contingencies At June 30, 1998, unexpended research and training awards committed to the University by sponsoring agencies were approximately $533,000,000. These awards are not recognized as assets, but they will be collected as expenditures are made in accordance with the related agreements, which typically have terms of one year. At June 30, 1998, the University had the following additional financial commitments and guarantees relating to affiliated organizations:

* Subject to various terms and conditions, the University and JHHS have jointly and severally agreed, on the occurrence of certain events, to either assume the obligations of Patient First Corporation (Patient First) under a loan agreement with a commercial bank or purchase the bank's interest in the loan agreement. Patient First is developing a network of primary care sites in central Maryland. The maximum amount of the credit facility available under the loan agreement is $24,000,000; there were no amounts outstanding at June 30, 1998.

* The University has guaranteed payment of 50% of amounts borrowed by Johns Hopkins Home Care Group, Inc. under line of credit agreements with a commercial bank. The maximum amount available under these agreements is $7,500,000; the amount outstanding at June 30, 1998, was approximately $5,200,000.

* The University has guaranteed payment of a specified percentage of annual debt service payments (up to an annual maximum of approximately $385,000) due under a loan issued by MHHEFA to JHHS to finance the acquisition of Howard County General Hospital. This guarantee continues until maturity of the loan in 2033.

* The University has guaranteed payment of up to $2,500,000 of debt obligations Dome may incur under terms of a credit enhancement agreement relating to financing of certain properties, and together with JHHS, has agreed to provide Dome with funds required, if any, to meet its obligations under the agreement. The University is a party to various claims and litigation in the ordinary course of business. In addition, amounts received and expended by the University under various federal and state programs are subject to audit by governmental agencies. In 1997, the Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services (OIG), advised the University that as part of its national program to determine compliance with Medicare guidelines, an audit would be performed of billings to Medicare for services of faculty teaching physicians from 1991-1995. The audit began in 1998 and is in progress. Management believes the University has made a good faith effort to comply with Medicare billing guidelines, but that the guidelines were unclear, excessively detailed, lacking consistent application and, in some respects, contrary to published regulations. It is possible that the OIG's interpretations of the guidelines with respect to the nature, extent and/or specific content of the records needed to support billings to Medicare may differ from the University's. Depending on the results of the audit, OIG may seek restitution of Medicare payments as well as damages. In the opinion of management, adequate provision has been made for possible losses on claims and litigation matters, where appropriate, and their ultimate resolution will not have a significant effect on the financial position of the University.

 
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