Melissa Morriss-Olson currently serves as provost at Bay Path University, a 3,300 student women-focused institution located in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. As provost, she serves as the institution’s chief academic officer and also oversees admissions, enrollment marketing and analytics, student life and athletics, institutional research and all academic research and support functions.
Throughout her thirty-plus year career, Dr. Morriss-Olson has gained a reputation as a creative academic entrepreneur. While at Bay Path, she has led the re-engineering of the learning community and structure including the development of the Thumbprint—Bay Path’s distinguishing educational aspirations—as well as the Women Empowered as Learners and Leaders (WELL) program. Under her leadership, a new academic structure consisting of schools and colleges has been established and faculty resources have been diversified and strengthened. Dr. Morriss-Olson has led the development and launch of more than twenty new graduate degree programs, resulting in a significant increase in student enrollment.
Dr. Morriss-Olson is a nationally recognized higher education thought leader, speaking and writing often on topics such as higher education innovation, disruption and leadership. Her blog can be found here: The Accidental Provost or you can follow her on Twitter @BayPathProvost
Is it time to launch that new academic program? Here is the ‘art’ and ‘science’ of answering that question.
Academic Entrepreneurship walks you through strategies for identifying, creating, and growing the right academic programs – both the mindset needed and the practical steps. Included in the book are templates, samples, worksheets, and case studies.
Empower entrepreneurship across your institution or system: Order 10 or more copies and receive a $25 discount on every copy you purchase.
This article continues a series focused on Creating an Innovative Institutional Mindset. The previous articles in this series are: The 10 Barriers to Innovation in Higher Education 7 Ways Academic Leaders Can Cultivate Creativity Innovation is all the buzz these days in higher education circles, and it is no wonder. Many mainstream media observers have […]
Also in this series: Is it Time to Launch that New Academic Program? The Art and Science of Answering that Question Feasibility Checklist: The Science of Bringing New Academic Programs to Life Financial Modeling for New Academic Programs by Melissa Morriss-Olson, Bay Path University Sustaining New Academic Programs: 5 Key Factors In my previous articles in […]
This article continues a series focused on Creating an Innovative Institutional Mindset. More articles will follow. The previous article in this series is: The 10 Barriers to Innovation in Higher Education by Melissa Morriss-Olson (Provost, Bay Path University) Creative thinking skills are more important than ever if we are to deal with the vast and complex array […]
by Melissa Morriss-Olson (Provost, Bay Path University) Why is it so difficult to nurture innovation and academic entrepreneurship at a college or university? My keen and longstanding interest in innovation was first fueled by my doctoral dissertation research, conducted in the early 1990s with a focus on small college resiliency. I studied the financial performance […]
Also in this series: Is it Time to Launch that New Academic Program? The Art and Science of Answering that Question Feasibility Checklist: The Science of Bringing New Academic Programs to Life by Melissa Morriss-Olson, Bay Path University Developing a 4-Year Financial Proforma In my previous article,Feasibility Checklist: The Science Behind Bringing New Academic Programs to […]
The best ideas in the world can easily fall off the radar unless you have a process in place for evaluating, vetting and bringing them to life. Also in this series: Is it Time to Launch that New Academic Program? The Art and Science of Answering that Question Financial Modeling for New Academic Programs by […]
Related Articles (these are Member Exclusives): Feasibility Checklist: The Science of Bringing New Academic Programs to Life Financial Modeling for New Academic Programs by Melissa Morriss-Olson, Bay Path University, author of Academic Entrepreneurship: The Art and Science of Creating the Right Academic Programs The challenges facing higher education in recent times are well documented. Never […]
