A growing number of U.S. colleges are turning to retired military officers to lead their institutions, valuing their backgrounds in strategy, management and crisis response. Leaders say their new roles reflect a continued commitment to public service and developing future generations.

Historical barriers to funding and support aren't stopping HBCUs from finding key partners to drive innovation in the classroom and back-end operations.

If you've worked in enrollment for more than a minute, you know the ground keeps moving under your feet. Fewer students. More scrutiny. A world where "AI" and "ROI" get tossed around in the same sentence as "application funnel." Strategic Enrollment Management used to focus on managing the process: recruit, admit, yield, repeat. The job now stretches far beyond that. It involves steering a complex system that balances institutional mission, market realities, and rapid technological change. So how do you lead when everything — students, staffing, policy, even purpose — feels like it's in motion? You start by asking better questions.

Many of us are conditioned to think that merging or being acquired is a sign of institutional failure but there are noticeable exceptions.