“In a Fight to Preserve Their Market, For-Profit Colleges Lobby Hard Against …Proposed Rule [on Loans and Pay for Graduates}”   “Accreditation of On-Line University Draws Fire”   These two headlines reflect issues that now only target for-profits but

The classic model of higher education rests on a liberal arts foundation with full-time faculty providing most, if not all, instruction. There are many who are now claiming that this model is no longer viable because a) students want career education that prepares them for a job, and b) the

During the past several years there has been much discussion about changes that may eventually affect student choice in higher education. However, there has been little evidence that these changes have had an effect on enrollment. Now, there is some anecdotal support for the possibility that

Spring is here and so are letters from the Department of Education (DOE) about low scores from their Financial Responsibility Test. The purpose of these tests is to assure Congress that every college receiving federal financial funds has the wherewithal to survive so students can complete their

Every institution strives to achieve economic equilibrium, which in general terms is the state where it has sufficient resources to operate while preserving its assets for future generations of students. The challenge is how to define the concept so that plans can be developed to reach

Many of the anecdotal reports I’ve heard from higher education clients and colleagues this year seem to have a common theme: either enrollments were down or the cost of meeting enrollment targets was higher due to increased discount rates, marketing budgets, or both. Either way, colleges

UPMIFA, the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act of 2006, has been adopted by 33 states. The purpose of UPMIFA is to provide nonprofit organizations with greater freedom in managing their endowment portfolios and spending from the endowment subject to an “overall standard

We have developed over the years a transformative academic program review process we call PRO. It has four interrelated processes. A Mission-centeredness Review that identifies the programs that meet the college’s mission and those that don’t. Mission-centeredness is measured

In 2002, the big issues facing independent colleges and universities were the stock market crashes of 2000 and 2001, tuition pricing, demographics, market competition, and institutional size. Guess what? These problems have not gone away, and now there are new problems facing private

Every day the news media report more economic problems are threatening the financial stability of colleges and universities. We have all seen the news about Harvard University eliminating new hires and shutting down major capital projects because endowments have fallen precipitously