1. 3 hard facts
shaping higher education thinking + behavior

2. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP | All rights reserved2
Fact #1
Your institution is on its own
Take decisive action
Partner with faculty, consider
affiliations ― change the
trajectory
Get creative
Innovate in finances, academics,
promotion ― everything
Target demographics
Find out what's important to new
groups ― and provide it
Distinguish yourself
Separate your institution from the
distressed-college fold ― begin
with a realistic view of your
situation

3. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP | All rights reserved3
Fact #2
Opportunity abounds
Seize opportunities in
student growth
1 Demographic groups such as
Hispanic
2 Students in the West and
South
3 Students outside your
geographic reach
Create unique offerings
such as liberal arts + vocational
objectives
Promote your uniqueness
Develop online or hybrid
delivery systems

4. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP | All rights reserved4
Fact #2 cont.
Opportunity abounds
Leverage simplicity
Focus on doing only a few things
― do them well
Identify less-attractive programs
― reduce or eliminate them
Explore new initiatives
As revenue slowly grows, resist
pressure to restore budget
reductions to low-priority
expenses
Instead, use the incremental
revenue for innovation such as
attracting new students and
improving retention
Read the article
Maturing from adolescence into adulthood:
Major factors shaping the sector in 2016

5. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP | All rights reserved5
Fact #3
This may be the decade of the distressed college
Distinguish yourself
Separate your institution from the
distressed-college fold ― begin
with a realistic view of your
situation
Consult with key stakeholders to
learn and gain their support
Determine a projection based on
your current course ― the usual
conclusion is that your current
course is not sustainable
Then think boldly about new
paths consistent with your
mission ― but possibly in sharply
different ways

6. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP | All rights reserved6
Read the article
Maturing from adolescence into adulthood:
Major factors shaping the sector in 2016
See the full report
The State of Higher
Education in 2016

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