Welcome to the Independent. Our firm has demonstrated an unwavering commitment over the past 25+ years to remain truly independent in the higher education consulting industry – something that sets us apart from the rest. So it felt right to let that commitment be the underlying theme to our new blog.
Why is independence so important, anyway?
Well – it’s everything. Especially if you’re a partner to higher education institutions, working on their behalf and advocating for their best interests. What would it look like if we weren’t independent?
If we weren’t Independent…We would be subject to control by others. Our advice, expertise and recommendations would all be slanted to a higher power or influence. How would that make any sense??
If we weren’t Independent…We would require or rely on something or someone else to draw our own conclusions. Anything we put our name towards would not really be our own – it would be motivated by self-interest or to best serve an outside party. Say again??
If we weren’t Independent…We would be financially incented by client outcomes. In our role as trusted advisors, we would inevitably steer institutions towards a result that we would benefit from. How would that work, exactly??
It’s pretty clear to us why being Independent is the ultimate truth in higher education consulting. And we’ll use this blog as a platform to share our thoughts, ideas and perspectives on the challenges facing higher education institutions – all from an independent, unbiased perspective. We’ll weigh in on the issues that matter today – like the evolution of what we call the ‘new normal’ in higher education.
What’s the “new normal” facing higher education?
Institutions have been faced with unprecedented changes in the past few years, and these changes have invariably changed how strategies are developed, decisions are made and budgets are allocated. So how can institutions adapt to the “new normal”?
We believe there are 3 ‘truths’ that every institution needs to embrace:
“New Normal” Truth #1: Cloud is an answer, but not the question. The explosion of cloud-based offerings has caused every CIO, CFO and President to question if “the cloud” is right for their institution. Isn’t it? Maybe so – but maybe no. We think “the cloud” represents a possible solution to technical and business challenges on campus, but institution leaders need to look deeper to understand if it’s right for them.
“New Normal” Truth #2: Enterprise systems are strategic assets. The drivers for technology decisions are changing – institutions need to focus on streamlining processes, building efficiencies, and optimizing their infrastructure and suite of applications. Expectations for enterprise systems have evolved from just providing an integrated administrative system to delivering timely, value-added services built around the user experience. Institutions need to shape their enterprise suite to drive towards these new, higher expectations.
“New Normal” Truth #3: Student Success is an institutional imperative. Every institution needs to respond to the increasing calls for accountability for student completion and retention. The solution isn’t as simple as investing in a technology solution to track objectives and provide early alerts. First, institutions need to look at the roadblocks and barriers they inadvertently have put in students’ paths. Then it’s all about taking a holistic perspective. How is the institution as a whole brought together to understand and support student success?
So how has the “new normal” impacted your institution? These are the things that keep us up at night, and motivate us to help higher education institutions. We look forward to sharing this journey with you.
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