For Immediate Release:

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Last week, the president of Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, announced that prospective students can now apply for admission simply by submitting a two-minute video explaining why they should be admitted to Goucher. No more essays, no recommendations, no transcript. Just look into your iPhone and make your case.

This summer the president of a small southern liberal arts college started a campaign to clarify her school?s ?value proposition,? as it struggles to attract enough qualified students. And the dean of a Pac-12 university?s liberal arts college, concerned about a large drop in humanities majors, has launched a signature program to reinvent the way the school prepares undergrads for the job market.

What?s wrong with the responses of these higher ed leaders? They?re implementing solutions without clarifying and committing to WHAT their school?s future should look like. In strategy terms, these leaders have refused to decide what the institution wants to become before focusing on how it should get there.

It?s understandable they want to take action. College presidents and university deans feel great pressure to respond to the assault on liberal arts caused by a sagging job market for new grads, sky high tuitions that are spooking parents, and unimaginable student debt.

But, like a lot of leaders, they?re falling into the trap of implementing solutions without clarifying strategic objectives. In consulting to higher ed leaders, I recommend three things they should be doing first. These lessons are relevant for executives in most industries.

1. Focus on defining ?what? you want your school to become.

Strategy must supply a picture of what your institution wants to look like in the future. It?s a framework to guide decisions that shape the direction and nature of your organization. Getting there invariably requires input from the Board, which may not be prepared for this critical discussion. But if you only focus on new admissions campaigns, career development courses and post-graduation success stories, you?re confusing how your school will get there with your vision for the school's future.

Part of the process of defining future objectives ? the ?what? of strategy ? is collecting detailed data on your current strengths and sources of competitive advantage. Don?t fall for random anecdotal stories. Do some meaningful research on how your program is actually perceived by graduates and employers.

2. Plan on incorporating new technologies as an integral part of your school?s future.

One of my collaborators is the head of a digital marketing agency, which works regularly with Big Ten universities. He is continually surprised by how slow his academic clients are in adapting to the changing technology landscape. Whether it is engaging with prospective students, current students, or alumni, you must become better educated about the information processing expectations and habits of the people you want to influence.

3. Anticipate the resources and time needed to manage major institutional changes.

Leaders in many liberal arts colleges will have to make major organizational changes to survive and thrive in the decade ahead. But they often don?t realize how little they know about the practical aspects of managing change. Do you know what it takes to implement a major institutional transformation? Do you need coaching in this area? Don?t wait until it?s too late.

Would you like to jump-start or reinvent strategic initiatives essential to the future of your school? As author of Graduate to a Great Job, learn more about the consulting services that draw from my ongoing research and work with leaders in liberal arts schools by clicking here.