Surviving To Thriving: A Planning Framework for Leaders of Private Colleges & Universities

by Joanne Soliday, Rick Mann

Overview

Through the tumult of socio-economic, political, and ideological shifts exerting pressure on higher education in the United States, leaders need effective, practical tools to guide their institutions toward relevance and sustainability. Surviving to Thriving has served as that guide for independent college and university presidents, cabinets, and boards of trustees around the country since its release in 2014. With an updated introduction, this second edition offers a framework to inform institutional planning and thinking with students always at the center. Authors Joanne Soliday and Rick Mann consider and apply the nine elements of Credo’s Thriving Framework® through which institutional health can be examined and improved

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599328904
Publisher:	Advantage Media Group, Inc.
Publication date:	01/08/2018
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

JOANNE SOLIDAY has spent more than 35 years in private higher education. A first-generation college student at West Virginia Wesleyan College, she received a bachelor’s degree in education. She also holds a M.Ed. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC – Chapel Hill) in special education, and pursued graduate studies at Duke Divinity School. During an 18-year tenure at Elon College (now Elon University), Joanne threw her passion into developing the Elon Fellows programs and Elon Experiences, heightening alumni engagement, and developing the Elon Society. Joanne’s time at Elon represented a crucial period of growth and transformation of the college into a nationally-acclaimed university. Joanne then returned to her alma mater, West Virginia Wesleyan College, to serve as the vice president for external relations. Her experience with and belief in private colleges and universities steered Joanne to consulting, where she founded Credo, then Performa Higher Education, with President Tom Gavic. She has spent the last 15 years working with more than 200 private colleges and universities.

DR. RICK MANN brings a rich background as a leader in higher education, having served in both the U.S. and Asia as a faculty member, provost, and president including eight years as the president of Crown College (MN). Rick currently serves as professor of leadership and strategy as well as director of graduate and professional studies at the Skinner School of Business and Technology of Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN. Rick also serves as a senior affiliate consultant with Credo. His research and professional interests are in talent management, strategy, strategic planning, and applications of a balanced scorecard for private colleges and universities. Rick received a B.S. degree from Western Michigan University, an M.Div. from Ambrose University College (Canada), an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Ohio State University.

Table of Contents

Foreword xvii

A Tale of Two Colleges & Two Hundred More 1

The Thriving College Framework 10

Courageous & Collaborative Leadership 13

Cabinet Issues: I've Got Your Back

Presidents Who Stay

Board Members: Engaged & Strategic

Collaboration & Urgency: Decide Already!

The Right People in the Right Places

Embracing Innovation

Vision 37

Mission: The Purpose

Vision: The Direction

Values: The Core

Who Owns All This?

Get Help!

Institutional Self-Esteem 51

Seven Builders of Institutional Self-Esteem

Institutional Story 61

Organizing for Success

Market Research: Do Your Homework!

Brand: Define Your Story!

Value Proposition

Outcome, Outcomes, Outcomes

Segmentation

Habit of Reflection & Intentionality 75

Numbers, Numbers Everywhere

Dashboards & Scorecards

Better Than Last Year

The "A" Word

Do Your Research

We Did Something Right!

Culture of Planning & Innovation 87

Don't Major on the Minor!

Planning is Messy, & Necessary!

What Will It Look Like?

Where is the Strategy in Your Strategic Plan?

The New Normal

Asking the Right Questions

Should We Swat the SWOT?

Net Revenue & Strategic Finance 103

To Grow or Not to Grow: Is It Optional?

Admissions: A Whole New World

Retention: Keeping Them Once We Have Them

Fundraising: A System, Not a Person!

Viable Alternative Revenue Streams

Academic Efficiency: The Last Frontier!

Your CFO as a Partner

Linking Planning & Funding

The Value Proposition/Scholarship Dilemma

Student Learning & Success 129

What Does Student Learning & Success Mean?

The "It's Not Us, It's Them" Myth

Innovative Teaching & Learning

Active & Experiential Learning

Value Proposition in a Student Success Chapter?

So What Makes a Difference?

Transformative Environments 147

Aligning Environment with Mission & Values

Curb Appeal & First Impressions

Is Your Welcome Experience Really Welcoming?

Transformed Spaces are Just as Important as New Buildings!

What's New in Educational Facility Design?

What About Those Residence Halls?

Action Follows Belief 163

About Credo & The Thriving Framework Inventory 167

Further Endorsements & Valued Partnerships 171

What Presidents are Reading 177

References 181

Editorial Reviews

If you are on senior staff, read this book. If you are a new college president, read this book. If you are an established college president, read this book. I have done each of these and have benefited greatly each time. Higher education in America is changing. Reading this book is a solid first step in preparing for that change. —D. Mark McCoy, Ph.D, President, DePauw University

I have found Surviving to Thriving to be an invaluable resource for our institutional planning process. This book does for private higher education what Good to Great did for business. —Dr. Andrew P. Manion, President, Marian University

The first time I read Surviving to Thriving was an amazing experience for me! I was finally reading a higher education planning manual written by practitioners with years of experience. And, most importantly, Joanne Soliday was not just suggesting that we keep doing the same old things with new labels. This book is an absolute must for college or university leaders who truly want to create a culture of innovation on their campuses. —Dr. Bill Katip, President, Grace College and Seminary

From the Publisher