Have you ever wondered why experts like Forbes and Bloomberg estimate that between 80-90 percent of entrepreneurial initiatives fail? American higher ed surely has, and universities are now investing in startups by connecting them to business incubators, product development accelerators, and other higher education-based launchpads. As small business entrepreneurs, we observed early on that many […]
In the ongoing debate over the rising cost of higher education, collaboration frequently emerges as a proposed path forward. Despite the allure of savings and efficiencies, efforts to follow the strategy often fall victim to both conceptual and implementation flaws. Two institutions, a higher education association and private liberal arts college, have managed to navigate […]
The college presidency is a high-risk occupation. The old challenges—fundraising, strategic planning, managing enrollment, protecting students—are still there, along with newer trials involving demographic shifts, flatlining family incomes, access, and compliance to growing governmental regulation. The list goes on. It's a wonder anyone wants to do it. Yet the ranks of new college presidents continue […]
Much of what we read today about higher education tends to dwell on constraints and reductions, but at least one sector of academe is actually growing. New medical schools are in various states of planning, development and accreditation, while existing schools are expanding class sizes, portending perhaps the greatest increase in this sector since World […]
Do today’s employee benefit packages resemble those that colleges and universities offered in the past? Hardly. Wellness benefits have transformed into all kinds of unique offerings, ranging from on-site vegetable gardens to fitness centers. Meanwhile, traditional “do-everything-for-me” benefits have disappeared. Schools now expect employees to take action, change behaviors and make decisions that positively impact […]
Texas A&M University’s campaign to raise $4 billion for research, facilities and scholarships represents the largest-ever fundraising effort in a state known for going big. It’s also the second largest effort announced by a higher education institution. The “Lead By Example” initiative, scheduled to run through 2020, will allow the university to recruit and retain […]
Nearly a decade in the making, the new science building at Clayton State University in Georgia adds a much-needed 58,610 square feet of learning facilities to campus. The building nearly triples the school’s lab space, creating more efficient facilities to accommodate increasing enrollment. CHALLENGE: Clayton State’s enrollment has grown to more than 7,200 students from […]
The University of Vermont offers its students allergen-free, gluten-free and kosher food stations—plus cage-free eggs, fair trade coffee and locally sourced organic food (including Vermont maple syrup). Hunger cravings can be satisfied at any of three dining halls and 12 retail locations on campus, yet meal prices haven’t increased at rates higher than the cost […]
Oregon’s 17 community colleges expect a jump in fall 2016 enrollment, when the first group of eligible students takes advantage of the state’s new free tuition plan created this summer. With it’s Oregon Promise program, the state joined Tennessee and the City Colleges of Chicago in a movement that some believe will spread as states […]
When Quinnipiac University’s aging door readers had outlived their usefulness, Sandip Patel, financial systems specialist, and John Meriano, associate vice president for auxiliary services, knew they had reached a turning point with its QCard campus card system. “The door readers basically made the decision for us,” said Patel. “They were coming to end-of-life and we […]
