Jan 24th 12 Posted by Bob Sevier

A Subtle Shift of Tsunami-Size Proportions

Over the last 12 months, I have noticed a subtle shift in the willingness of boards and senior leaders at colleges and universities to take a realistic look at core issues of cost, mission, and economic sustainability. Interestingly, while these conversations began some years ago with examinations of extracurricular, co-curricular, and administrative issues, they are now slowing, perhaps grudgingly,... read more

Oct 31st 11 Posted by Bob Sevier

This, That, and the Other

Believe it or not, I actually try to make a cogent point or two with my columns. This column, unfortunately, does not have that lofty goal. Rather, it is a compilation of “stuff” that I have seen, read, or witnessed over the past year. Perhaps there is an insight or two for you herein (or at least a smile).   From an academic dean: “We try to avoid faculty upsetment here. We don’t want... read more

Sep 13th 11 Posted by Bob Sevier

Integration 3.0.

Those of you who have read my articles know I am a big believer in integration. During a recent project, however, a client said something that really set me thinking. “It seems to me,” she said, “that there is easy integration and hard integration.” She went on, “It is relatively easy to integrate all the messages in the admissions office. The people there generally understand the need for... read more

Aug 9th 11 Posted by Bob Sevier

When to Conduct Research

I am routinely asked about when is the best time to conduct research. When dollars are tight but the need for insights is high, it is easy to see why this question might be on the minds of many. Here is my response. First, conduct research when you are making million-dollar decisions. A few years ago I was asked to complete a study for a school in the East that had four regional campuses but, following... read more

Jul 7th 11 Posted by Bob Sevier

The Lesson of the Honda Accord Hybrid

In 2005, Honda launched a hybrid version of its popular Accord. While sales of the Toyota Prius skyrocketed, sales of the Accord hybrid failed to meet expectations. From a marketing perspective a big question is “why?” Here’s the answer. While the Accord hybrid technology was comparable to the Prius in many ways—and superior to the Prius in some, Honda made a fatal mistake: They wrapped all... read more

Apr 21st 11 Posted by Bob Sevier

The Impact of Culture On Change

The other day I was eating dinner with a client and we wandered onto the topic of how organizational culture impacts change. Based on his long experience with planning and implementation, he made a profound statement: “Culture eats change for breakfast.” In other words, no matter how good the idea, how important the need, or how clear the crisis, if you don’t acknowledge and deal with the organizational... read more

Apr 14th 11 Posted by Bob Sevier

The Flying Squad

I have this fantasy. I am a member of a flying squad, a group of highly trained people who travel to emergencies and quickly resolve the situation. If you are a fan of English murder mysteries (which I am), you know that most flying squads involve highly trained police: The best forensics people, the best interviewers, the crime scene investigators. Each person is highly trained, highly motivated,... read more

Mar 18th 11 Posted by Bob Sevier

It’s Time to Build a Better Mousetrap

The recent Moody report reminded everyone (as if they needed reminding) that much of higher education is in a financial free-fall. The report (see link http://www.nhhefa.com/documents/moodys2011OutlookforU.S.HigherEducation.pdf), which came out in January 2011, cited three primary reasons for the financial difficulty:  Weakened prospect for net tuition revenue growth causing market shifts favoring... read more

Feb 8th 11 Posted by Bob Sevier

Qualities in a New President

Last week I was called by a headhunter who was helping a client find a new president. I get these calls a lot and they usually begin like this, “What are the four or five most important qualities we should look for?”  I invariably tell them to look for someone who is: A visionary A leader A team builder A fundraiser I’ve addressed most of these qualities in past, so let me be brief.  First,... read more

Nov 9th 10 Posted by Bob Sevier

The Need for Alignment

The issue is, of course, alignment. In other words, how do today’s colleges align their vision with a declining and competitive resource base? Historically, this has not been a challenge. Colleges have either received sufficient tuition dollars, state dollars, or donated dollars to cover their expansive visions. For the foreseeable future, however, there are not enough dollars for the 3,600 colleges... read more