Articles
What Can Academic Leaders Learn from the Coronavirus?
When I was a young Boy Scout the scout motto “Be Prepared” was drilled into my head. The message I received was that you never know what is going to happen so you better develop a set of life skills that you could practice and put into practice when unexpectedly needed. As an adult I realized that the only constant in life was that it will continue to change and that if I wanted to continue to grow and develop as a successful adult I needed to be willing to change with the times.
Maybe Clayton Christensen Was Right … Disruption is Coming to Higher Education
Today, as we face the worst health crisis in modern times which has disrupted the world in general and higher education in particular, I can see how leadership will play a large role in how higher education transitions in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
Forecasting the Fall, Calamity or Opportunity
Higher Education finds itself at a tipping point where it must make decisions about how it will respond to today’s chaotic world situation … return operations as they were or adjust to a changing world. As of this writing COVID-19 has infected nearly two million Americans, that we know of. Experts are saying that we are at the front end of this pandemic curve as opposed to its end.
Attacking a Big Job with a Small Allotment of Time
This past year I accepted a five-month assignment as interim provost at a community college in the western United States. It was quite an adventure that was a lot of work, a lot of fun and a great relearning lesson. I became aware of the position through the Registry of College and University Presidents. They Registry is an executive search firm that only works on interim positions. One of the attractions of the position was that it was short-term and by contract I would not be allowed to consider the position on a full-time basis. I have gotten good at…
Change is Inevitable, Embrace It!
There is an old saying that the only constant in life is that it will change. If you doubt that, try not to age. We watch young children grow before our eyes. Teenagers become more independent. Young adults strike out in the world and become productive citizens. Couples marry and raise families. Our favorite sports teams change players, coaches and strategies every year to adapt to changes in the sport and to be more competitive. Organizations change personnel, products and operational procedures to grow and ensure profits. Life is a constant cycle of change. We have two choices. We can…
Recognizing and Understanding Power in a Power-Hungry World
If you look up the definition of power you will see that it is a noun or a verb describing an ability or action to influence or move people, places or things. People, and organizations use power to achieve goals and achieve dominance over others.
What is Your Leadership Philosophy?
Do you have a leadership philosophy? Your personal leadership philosophy should be the guideline that you espouse and follow as you lead your team in the operation of your organization.
The Quest for Excellence
“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi Excellence is a quality we can and should all strive for in all of our efforts. If we are doing and being the best we can possible do and be then we will never have a reason to regret our actions or feel bad about our performance. When I was growing up one of my father’s favorite encouragements to me was “you can always do better!” I am sure that my father saw the statement as an encouragement however, to me it was a…
Student Success is 10 Steps Away!
As featured on www.careereducationreview.netBy John King, Ed.D., Independent Education Consultant In today’s challenging educational environment when new students are hard to find, and outcomes are the measure of an institution’s success, colleges today are challenged like never before to improve student outcomes. Rising college costs and student debt call into question not only the value of a college education in financial terms but also the amount of time a student spends completing their education. Students and other stakeholders are looking for a cheaper, faster way to get the education necessary to secure gainful employment and a rewarding career. For as…
Student Retention Begins Long Before the Student Gets to School
In today’s age of gainful employment, emphasis on student outcomes and increased governmental and regulatory scrutiny, keeping students in school and progressing to graduation is more important than ever. Colleges are investing more time and resources to keep students engaged and satisfactorily progressing as new student enrollments get harder and harder to secure. As new student starts decrease, keeping revenue flow through retention becomes critical if a school is to remain viable and profitable. Of course, student retention, aside from the revenue and profit perspective, is critical because the overall success of any career school lies in how many of…
In Search of the Holy Grail of Student Retention
As featured on www.careereducationreview.netBy John King, Ed.D., Independent Education Consultant Throughout my long career in public, not-for-profit and for-profit education, academics have been searching for that one magical tool or process that will ensure student retention, learning and ultimately graduation and employment in a career. In reality however, that magical tool or process is as mythical as the Holy Grail itself. There is no one single tool that will ensure that students persist and learn…it takes an assortment of coordinated tools, processes and people to build a successful student retention program. Over the years I have watched many schools and…
