Given depleted funding sources and scrutiny over the costs of higher education, institutions across the country are recognizing that traditional modes of operation are not sustainable; many are instead looking at more efficient models of shared operational and administrative services. The reality of established cultures and organizational structures at nearly all institutions make generating these efficiencies a sincere challenge. However, several institutions have successfully navigated these challenges to create shared delivery models that generate efficiencies and guarantee much-needed funding for the academic mission. Wright State University in Dayton, OH has developed a unique model for funding operational and administrative services. Here are two case examples illustrating their approach — and highlighting what you can learn from their model. Example 1: Enterprise Print CHALLENGEWright State was facing rising costs across its print production and office print footprint resulting from antiquated equipment, an outdated capital expenditure model, declining print production volume, idle capacity with heavy investment in fixed costs (i.e., labor and equipment), and decentralized, non-strategic deployment of print devices.SOLUTIONWright State led the development of a consortium for enterprise print services across multiple institutions that would leverage pricing and generate economies of scale. The key elements for deliver were quality, service, value, […]
By Dr. Leslie Madsen, Teresa Focarile, Dr. Tasha Souza, Dr. Lisa Berry After the COVID-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted the spring 2020 semester, Boise State University faculty looked toward an uncertain fall with some trepidation. Because students might have to quarantine for weeks or miss several classes due to illness, instructors realized they would not only need to be ready to shift modalities as they had during spring semester, but potentially teach in multiple modalities simultaneously. To help faculty plan their fall classes, the campus units responsible for supporting instructors’ course design, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and eCampus Center (eC2), worked together to create a three-week Flexible Teaching for Student Success Institute (FTSS). While the collaboration between the two units led to several locally novel developments in the design and delivery of the summer Institute, a simple document template at the heart of the effort proved to be its most significant—and useful—innovation. Drawing on the tenets of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the Flexible Learning and Instruction Plan, or FLIP, expands on the traditional course-design table by: asking instructors to build in adjustability and to provide students with multiple ways to access course content; allow for students to […]
Future Trends in Higher Education A DISCUSSION SERIES SESSION 1 SESSION 2 SESSION 3 SESSION 4 Overview New technologies in higher education continue to race forward, and—from teaching, to equity and inclusion, to the student experience—they are having a profound impact on all corners of campus life. However, despite their significance, there are few discussions spaces designed for enabling leaders to connect with one another, learn from others, and share ideas around how to best prepare and respond. Join us for a free discussion-based series for discovering the technologies and trends impacting higher education across the country. You will learn about the basics of each technology and trend in order to fully understand its potential, as well as how to implement and evaluate each on your campus. In conversation with our panelists and your peers, you will explore questions like: What committees or other initiatives are others proactively putting in place to better understand and prepare their institutions for technological advances? What impact does new technology have on aspects like teaching and learning, equity and inclusion, cost, and learning outcomes? What strategies are institutions employing to evaluate impact? How are faculty and students being supported in that evaluation? The webcasts […]
I have been involved with over one hundred planning efforts on a variety of campuses (including DePaul University, Central Community College, Tarleton State University, Stephen F. Austin State University, The University of the West Indies, Saint Joseph’s University, The University of California, Santa Cruz, Cornell University, Anoka Ramsey Community College). I have had my share of successes and failures with implementation efforts. Both the failures and the successes leave important clues. The success rate for the implementation of strategic plans is dismal, with the percentage of failed implementations ranging anywhere from 63% to 90%. In fact, Robert Kaplan of the Balanced Scorecard fame (1996, 2000, 2008) estimates that 90% of strategies fail due to poor execution. Actually creating strategies and inspiring strategic plans is not hard work. We have many intelligent, dedicated people throughout our campuses who have powerful hopes and aspirations. But having beautiful pictures of the future is not enough; we must be able to produce them. That’s the hard, difficult part of strategic planning. We must become world-class at actually executing our strategic plans. This will not be easy. I want to talk about some practices I’ve learned that work. Here are 10 of the most critical. 1. Always […]
Recently, AI’s program manager Grace Spivak and our director of research and publications Daniel Fusch had the opportunity to interview Steve Kreidler, the vice president of administration and finance at Metropolitan State University of Denver, a public institution enrolling 20,000 undergraduate students. Several years ago, Metro State underwent a transformational strategic planning process and instituted an advisory budget task force that operates in an entirely new way. To learn more, we invited Steve Kreidler to speak with us about: Here are the key findings from our interview… 1. Bringing Transparency to the Budget Grace Spivak, AI. Can you describe how the new budgeting task force builds trust through transparency? Steve Kreidler. Previously, Metro’s budgeting process involved three people in a room (the president, the VP of administration, and the budget director). And this isn’t unusual; it’s common for universities have a small group huddle over the budget without gathering much input. What that leads to is the complete belief throughout the rest of the campus that deals are being made, some colleagues are getting preferential treatment, and that there is more money available than is being distributed. Today, we have a budget task force that includes a representative from each of the formal […]
If this article proves useful…You can take a deeper dive into this Middle Tennessee State University case study and a case study from Bay Path University in our recorded webcast. We’ve written a lot in past articles about the importance of resilience or “grit” to student persistence, and about what some offices on campus can do to help students—particularly first-generation and PELL-eligible students—build their resilience. Middle Tennessee State University has adopted a remarkably comprehensive and affordable (and therefore replicable) approach to doing so. To learn more, we spoke recently with Vincent Windrow, formerly the University’s Director of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs and now the Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success, and Dr. Rick Sluder, Vice Provost for Student Success at MTSU. They shared with us an in-depth look at MTSU’s REBOUND program: its three key phases, the results it has produced, and practical tips for other institutions that may wish to implement a similar initiative. What MTSU Set Out to Do Enrollment of students at MTSU who identify as either first-generation or are PELL-eligible has increased by 24% over the past five years. Now, nearly 50% of the incoming freshman class each year (1,400 out of 2,800 students) fall into […]
According to the Chronicle, one-fourth of private institutions do business with their trustees’ companies. Potential conflicts of interest involving board members or high-ranking officials certainly are not limited to private colleges, however; North Carolina State University’s termination of Mary Easley and the uncovering of the University of Illinois’ previous board’s interference in the admissions process each represent highly publicized examples. We asked Cindy Lawson, media relations expert and vice president for public relations and communications at DePaul University, for practical tips on what and how to communicate to the public when a conflict of interest involves a member of the board, in order to manage the impact on the institution’s reputation. Be Forthright and Specific “From my experience, the chances of an institution’s reputation remaining intact are far better when that institution is forthright and admits the conflict, shares as much information as it possibly can, and most importantly, describes the measures it is taking to ensure it doesn’t happen again, as opposed to trying to hide it, hoping that no one finds out, or worse — trying to deny it or cover it up once it is exposed.”Cindy Lawson, DePaul University In a case involving an unintentional conflict of […]
Strengthen Your Team with Transformative Retreat Facilitation Design a Retreat That Moves Your Team Forward In higher education, teams are often made up of strong individuals — but without shared vision, trust, and communication, even the most talented leaders can struggle to move the institution forward. A facilitated retreat can transform that dynamic, creating the space your team needs to build trust, align priorities, and reignite momentum. Academic Impressions specializes in retreat facilitation that integrates individual leadership development with practical team development strategies — helping your leaders achieve more together than they could alone. “I never realized how much more we could accomplish together.” Build Trust. Ignite Momentum. Advance Your Team’s Impact. Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. When to Consider Retreat Facilitation A leadership retreat is a strategic investment. Here are clear indicators that your team could benefit from expert facilitation: 1. You have new leaders or a newly formed team. Early trust-building, shared visioning, and establishing team norms and expectations can dramatically accelerate a new team’s effectiveness. 2. Your meetings feel more tactical than strategic. If conversations focus mostly on updates rather than new ideas, planning, or real collaboration, it’s time to step back and reset. 3. […]
Preparing for What’s Next A 6-Part Discussion Series for Alumni Relations Professionals Recorded on October 26, 2023 | Recorded on November 2, 2023 | Recorded on November 9, 2023 Recorded on November 16, 2023 | Recorded on November 30, 2023 | Recorded on December 7, 2023 Join other alumni relations professionals for networking and idea sharing in anticipation of what’s coming next for the industry. Overview Alumni relations professionals have experienced numerous significant changes in recent years. Faced with challenges such as communicating value to other areas of the shop, managing talent and volunteers in a hybrid work environment, interpreting new sources of data and metrics, and continuously adapting strategy to forge more meaningful connections with alumni, many need a space to step back, reflect, and exchange ideas with peers. Join us for an online series to discuss hot topics facing alumni relations professionals just like you. You’ll have space to share pressing concerns, questions, and current practices with others in the field in anticipation of what’s next for the alumni relations profession. Each session will be facilitated by our expert panel: Megan Stevens, Assistant Vice President for Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement, Stevens Institute of Technology Nancy Merritt, […]
With the balance of wealth shifting overseas — and with more colleges and universities increasing their international enrollment — international fundraising is likely to play an increasingly larger role in development at North American institutions. To learn how institutions can get started in such an effort, we interviewed Gretchen Dobson, the senior associate director for alumni relations at Tufts University and the principal and founder of Gretchen Dobson Go Global, a consulting firm focused on helping educational institutions, non-profit member organizations, and consulate/embassy education officers facilitate alumni engagement and advance international programs. Dobson has also authored the book Being Global: Making the Case for International Alumni Relations (CASE, 2011). A TWO-PART LOOK AT THE CHALLENGES After speaking with Dobson, we’re offering these two articles to help you think through some initial steps for getting started with international fundraising: Reaching Them While They’re Students Dobson notes that international alumni are “hard enough just to find”; if you are serious about cultivating lifetime relationships with this growing body of alumni, the key is to begin building the relationship while they are still students. STUDENT PHILANTHROPY The article you’re reading covers some of the opportunities for international students specifically, but the first step […]
