The often-used businesses term "right-sizing" has in recent years become common in higher education. Though sometimes used as a euphemism for "downsizing," it more rightly refers to an effort to optimize enrollment, human resources, programs and facilities—in other words, fixed costs. There are a host of factors that should go into the analysis when an […]

In the business world, products sometimes price themselves out of the market and provide an opening for competitors. Because of strong demand for what they offer, universities have long been able to raise tuitions without triggering this effect. But today we have controversy about the burden of student loans (a movie expose, “Ivory Tower,” opened […]

Strategic planning is a serious business. At Emerson College in Boston, it's also been turned into an online game that everyone on campus can play. The private college with 3,700 students tapped its own Engagement Game Lab to create a series of question-based missions that allow students, faculty, staff and alumni to share ideas about […]

From cashing in on beer sales at football games to providing community members with a safe way to trash old electronics for a fee, administrators are looking beyond tuition and endowments to make up for budget shortfalls. Typically, there have been three types of alternative revenue sources, says Shandy Husmann, managing director of Huron Consulting […]