Collaborative Thinking: How to Build and Sustain College Consortia

by Sarah K.A. Pfatteicher

Overview

A blueprint for what's possible when higher education institutions embrace collaboration over competition.

In Collaborative Thinking, Sarah K. A. Pfatteicher offers an insightful guide to the transformative potential of consortial thinking in higher education. With extensive experience leading one of the largest and oldest higher education consortia, Pfatteicher presents a framework for fostering collaboration that transcends the competitive mindset dominating many campuses today.

The book examines how consortial partnerships—whether sharing academic resources, administrative functions, or cultural programs—can amplify institutional strengths, promote cost efficiencies, and tackle enormous societal challenges like climate change and social inequality. Combining real-world examples with practical guidance, Pfatteicher explores the structures, funding models, and leadership strategies that drive successful collaboration. She emphasizes the skills and motivations needed to create and sustain these partnerships, from building trust and shared purpose to committing resources and adapting to evolving needs. The book also offers cautionary tales of attempted collaborations gone awry—and how to avoid such missteps.

Collaborative Thinking provides a blueprint for creating effective consortia and also demonstrates how the principles of collaborative leadership can strengthen stand-alone campuses. In an era of rising costs, demographic shifts, and global challenges, this book makes a compelling case for the power of working together to reimagine the future of higher education.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421453323
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	09/02/2025
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.59(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Sarah K. A. Pfatteicher is the Executive Director of Five Colleges, Incorporated—a consortium of Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst—and serves on the executive committee of the Association for Collaborative Leadership.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Dedication
Better Than We Are: Consortial Thinking in a Competitive Landscape
1. Why and How We Collaborate (Motivation)
2. "Things Can Be Done" (Optimism)
3. Governing Together (Generosity)
4. Building a Backbone (Commitment)
5. Cautionary Tales from the Consortial Front Lines (Attention)
Conclusion: People, People, People, and Resources
Bibliography
Acknowledgments

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Certain to be required reading for all consortial staff and their boards.
—Cole Woodcox, former Executive Director, Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges

Amid a rapidly changing higher education landscape, this book makes a compelling case for why college and university consortia are more critical than ever, while offering a roadmap for fostering interinstitutional collaboration aimed at making higher education more resilient, efficient, equitable, and future ready. It is insightful, timely, and essential.
—Lynn Pasquerella, President, American Association of Colleges and Universities