The new calendar year is upon us and, while it is not usually the fiscal year end for most colleges and universities, it is a good time to consider resolutions nonetheless. This is the time in our cycle of activities when budgeting is in full force. A prediction is made of this year’s grads and of […]

We know it as a horizontal piece of wood or metal at the base of a doorway, allowing for a seal to be created at that juncture. American homes typically have thresholds for exterior doors while in Europe, nearly every door, inside and out, has one – and my toes can confess that they are […]

Your Ohio factory makes a cast iron base for exterior light poles. Because of how heavy the product is and the expense of shipping overseas, your entire market is in North America where you offer free shipping to retailers. The factory is profitable, but the second shift has room for more orders. A European distributor approaches you […]

It may have been twenty years ago when the idea of “branding” became an obsession of higher education.  We studied it, engaged consultants to refine it, created roving teams of artistic police to protect it and acted as if a new and highly rigorous discipline had been discovered that would take us to the next […]

When I was in private industry a couple of decades ago, most of our sales came from existing customers.  If, for any reason, one of our long-term relationships was in trouble, we dispatched whatever resources needed to reattach that customer to the hive. Entering higher education, it was fascinating how bifurcated our relationship was with […]

I normally write about higher education but today I meander into an area of avocation - cars.  Bear with me. It was a big gamble.  Pickups had been made of steel since, well, the Model T. But steel is heavy and a tendency toward rust makes for an unattractive rolling billboard a decade into the […]

Most of us file taxes, providing reams of personal financial information to federal and state governments. A few years ago, the IRS created a Data Retrieval tool or DRT where our personal information can be accessed by third parties, like mortgage bankers, to support lending decisions. It's also used for higher education,  Around four weeks […]

Every mission statement includes a common theme – students.  Though some appear to concentrate on fundraising, athletics, endowment, service to society or faculty scholarship, the primary reason for our institutions to exist is the transformation of students. So, if the desire is to reflect financial performance in a common metric, with the goal of leveling […]

Traveling from one place to another, a common theme has arisen in the quest to garner more students; “Let’s add a sport or two.” The rationale is that coaches are pretty good at delivering a roster of athletes and if the sport is brand new to the institution, it represents additive students.  These newfound athletes […]

I recall a conversation with a retired Kodak exec some twenty odd years ago.  His former company had decided to shed off all non-core assets and focus on “imaging” or, more specifically, the production of film.  His thought on digital photography was that it would be a slow adoption process for the consumer - maybe […]