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PERSPECTIVES FROM THE FIELD | 2014 www.gatesfoundation.org | 1
HIGHER EDUCATION
TRANSFORMATION
Part 1: Perspectives from the Field
We are in a new era for higher education. Institutional
leaders must adopt new strategies and models to
survive and thrive and to guarantee a sustainable,
successful future for their institutions and their
students. This means offering students an education
that is more affordable, personalized, and relevant.
Institutions are not only grappling with better methods
and innovations to accommodate students’ needs, they
are also struggling with economic pressures to define
the value of a degree, increase college completion
rates, and provide high-quality education, while
lowering tuition costs.
We partnered with the strategy consulting firm
McKinsey & Company to conduct in-depth interviews
with more than 100 higher education experts and
leaders at four-year colleges and universities to
identify key themes for successful changes.
Interviewees included institution presidents and
provosts who are dedicated to staying in front of the
changing higher education landscape, policy and
thought leaders who have studied and contributed to
the evolution of higher education, and members of the
private sector who are becoming more interested and
immersed in the restructuring of higher education.
From our conversations, we identified three key
themes about what it takes to define a clear and
unique value proposition. We also learned about the
emerging, promising choices certain institutions are
making to meet the needs and demands of today’s
students, amidst changing economic dynamics. These
conversations helped surface models of
transformational change that are leading to noticeable
results for students – in particular, the new student
majority.
Today’s higher education students are different from
college students 25 years ago. The once traditional
college goer has been replaced by a new student
majority—low-income students, first-generation
college students, and students of color. And with this
ever-diverse student population comes new demands,
requiring more personalized interventions and
technologies to address their changing needs and
goals.
Getting Ahead of the Curve How can colleges and universities stay ahead of the
curve and uphold the promise of a valuable degree to
their students? Institutional leaders pointed to three
distinct themes they think should be considered to
manage the increasing and inevitable changes in
higher education.
Most leaders acknowledged that a one-size-fits-all
strategy is no longer sufficient to be successful or
sustainable in today’s world. In other words,
institutions must define a differentiated value
proposition and be deliberate in the execution
against it – which usually means making tough
choices and tradeoffs. Leaders highlighted promising
choices certain institutions are making to ensure
student results.
“This is the university for the 21st century adult
learner…we aspire to be the provider of choice for adult learners by meeting students
where they are – academically, geographically”…and offering quality
instruction and the assessment of learning.”
- John Ebersole, President of Excelsior College
PERSPECTIVES FROM THE FIELD | 2014 www.gatesfoundation.org | 2
Another theme among institutional leaders was a lack
of dramatic reshaping of their institutions. While
almost all colleges and universities are experimenting
and tweaking their models, few institutions have
radically restructured their postsecondary experience.
The third common theme among institutional leaders
is that transformation is not easy; it is a long,
challenge-filled process that requires unwavering
dedication and visionary leadership. The leaders
interviewed suggested a set of recommendations to
help institutions overcome hurdles they might face
during strategic changes, such as engaging
stakeholders early and often, using data to
communicate and provide validity, and prioritizing
what matters most for the institution and students,
among others.
“I’ve always hoped this work we do will inspire other schools to do their own version, or
rather, own flavor.”
- Dan Porterfield, President of Franklin & Marshall College
“We’ve done this pretty much the same way for, not decades but centuries and I think the
door opened by the digital revolution is opening us to a whole new clientele that’s really going to change the profile of higher
education for the better.”
– Nancy Zimpher, Chancellor of SUNY
The graphic above illustrates a framework of issue areas for institutional leaders to consider explicitly and in relationship with
each other to ensure they make decisions that best align with their institution’s goals, and help each institution organize and
operationalize a value proposition.
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing
countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks
to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle,
Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren
Buffett.
© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries.
PERSPECTIVES FROM THE FIELD | 2014 www.gatesfoundation.org | 3
Institutional Snap Shot | Georgia State University
Georgia State University (GSU) is a leader in increasing
student access and completion using data-driven student
supports, but that has not always been the case.
In 2003, GSU’s faculty and leadership recognized that
GSU was falling short in its mission to serve the
surrounding Atlanta community. After a year-long
strategic visioning process, GSU refocused its value
proposition on the promise of student success and
completion for a diverse, urban population historically
prone to dropping out. Not only did GSU define a
concrete value proposition, it also organized interventions
based on its strategy and was deliberate in the execution,
including data analysis and measurement of successes.
GSU has been managing this major strategic shift for 10
years with two waves of initiatives. The first initiatives
were organizational transformations in support of student
success, including a new leadership role of Vice President
of Enrollment Management and Student Success,
overseeing the offices that interact with students from
application to graduation. The second wave was a
portfolio of interventions developed to increase
enrollment of underserved groups and likelihood of
student success. Both were based on robust analytics and
evidence.
GSU leadership increased student access and completion
by focusing on transformation using four of the 10 major
value propositions: student profile, primary student focus,
affordability, and student supports. Using the value
proposition framework, GSU was able to make strategic
choices that best aligned with the goals of the institution
to ensure increased student success.
A few of the interventions implemented by GSU included
a restructured, proactive academic advising system to
provide predictive analysis and targeted coaching for
students and timely feedback for advisors, and the Keep
Hope Alive Program dedicated to provide financial
support and coaching to help students regain lost
scholarships.
As a result of GSU’s commitment to using data and
measurement and implementing initiatives to drive
student outcomes, it has seen significant progress toward
the goals of diversity and completion. Notably, GSU has
had an increase in students eligible for Pell Grants, now
58 percent, and six-year graduation rates, from 32 percent
in 2003 to 54 percent in 2014.