Effective collaboration between administration, academic officers and faculty is crucial for effective leadership at colleges and universities. Enrollment levels, academic freedom, financial viability and student success could all be affected if these individuals don't team up to develop and implement an effective strategy. I recently had firsthand experience on how close collaboration between the chief […]
After six colleges and universities in the Boston Consortium launched a self-insurance program in 2012, healthcare costs at Wheaton College ceased their upward spiral. Health premiums at the small liberal arts college had been increasing by 7 percent annually, but now costs have remained flat for the past four years. “We’ve changed the trend line […]
Colleges or universities looking to join a higher education consortium have two major options: alliances that are regionally based or those focused on a common goal. Schools that choose to participate in a regional consortium have the advantage of being able to easily meet with other members to discuss common issues. “If I were looking […]
As we speculated last year, the shift to the use of families’ Prior-Prior Year (PPY) financial data on the FAFSA has come to pass. Starting in October of 2016, the FAFSA will be available for students to complete for college enrollment in the 2017-18 academic year. This shift has far-reaching implications not only for timing […]
When endowment returns are way down, it’s not exactly prudent to spend the same percentage of the endowment for institutional operations each year, with the assumption that target investment payoff percentages will return. And, right now, down they are. Endowment investment returns fell from an average of 15.5 percent for Fiscal Year 2014 to 2.4 […]
The traditional MBA, the flagship of graduate business education for more than a century, is losing ground as applicants increasingly turn to online degrees and specialized master's programs in business-related fields. The decline in enrollment in full-time, two-year MBA programs has prompted business schools to roll out a wave of new graduate programs, from one-year […]
There are some 4,140 colleges and universities in America. If each spends an average of $50,000 per year in presenting speakers and lecturers–this becomes an annual investment which exceeds $200 million. In the campus public speaker marketplace, the majority of presenters receive fees and compensation of about $10,000 per engagement. Some receive $25,000+ and some […]
It was clear starting in 2013 that an aging, on-premise, analog phone system would not cut it anymore for Campbellsville University in Kentucky. The institution, which sits an hour and a half outside of Louisville and serves over 3,500 students, needed to ensure reliable phone service for all departments across a main campus and three […]
Carine Feyten Chancellor and president, Texas Woman's University Topic: Safety and security Trend: Campus safety certainly is going to get more attention from senior administration—and how we are perceived by prospective students and their families will impact their "buying decision." Finding the right balance of open and enjoyable campus life and controls that might mitigate […]
As colleges and universities move into 2016, campus finance leaders may wish for a crystal ball to help with preparations in the coming year. Unfortunately, a crystal ball is not in the budget. Most colleges and universities will continue to face financial hurdles, and although there is much crossover, certain issues will be more or […]
