Small & Mid-Sized Colleges & Universities

A confluence of forces—demographic, economic, and financial—have increased the pressure on colleges and universities, such that analysts regularly suggest that higher education has reached an “inflection point.” To right-size budgets and introduce new programs that will attract students, most institutions are striving to identify extramural funding to supplement endowment and tuition revenue. The ability of many schools to survive may depend on the capacity of academic leaders to collaborate with their counterparts in advancement. The importance of this relationship—between academic leaders and advancement—was obvious during my time as a provost and an academic administrator, when I was frequently asked to be the interlocuter between my colleagues in advancement and faculty who could partner with them.