A recent exercise in reviewing mission and vision statements of universities revealed to me that many schools are obligated to include research, world class teaching, second-to-none experience and a student…
Business Schools
Five Tips to Stand Out in Today’s Competitive Custom Training Market
Catherine Jones | Associate Vice President of Workforce Development, McHenry County CollegeIn today’s crowded custom training marketplace, employers are demanding more from outsourced providers than merely a quick, easy and affordable training solution. Companies are looking to colleges and universities with…
Today’s business education marketplace has approached the saturation point on competition. Offering a vanilla curriculum provides little incentive for students and/or businesses to value the product produced by the school.…
Democratizing the MBA: Positioning Tuition-Free Business Education
Russell Winer | William Joyce Professor of Marketing at the Stern School of Business, New York UniversityGraduate-level business education programming is often considered to be reserved for the elite, but the University of the People (UoPeople) is looking to democratize access to the MBA credential. The…
Chivas Regal was a middling scotch whiskey brand struggling to make sales, so they doubled their price and, according to legend, doubled their sales. It’s a story that has made…
Keys to Competing and Expanding Online (Part 2)
Alex Sevilla | Associate Dean and Director of the Heavener School of Business, University of FloridaIncreasing numbers of education providers—both accredited and unaccredited—are entering into the online space. This is especially true in the business education market, which is already well developed and crowded.…
Increasing numbers of education providers—both accredited and unaccredited—are entering into the online space. This is especially true in the business education market, which is already well developed and crowded. Standing…
Differentiation Through Diversification: Dual Degrees in the Business Education Market
Diane Miller | Associate Dean of the Goodman School of Business, Brock UniversityThe global business education marketplace is immensely competitive at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Institutions in the United States, Canada and Europe are all working to differentiate themselves and their…
“Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.” - Thomas Edison If you have been to any Ted Talks, keynote addresses, webinars, conferences, or book signings…
Exploring the Impact of the Amazon Effect on Higher Education
David Frayer | Director of Executive Programs at the Eli Broad College of Business, Michigan State UniversityThe “Amazon effect” is a phrase used to describe a number of different competitive impacts created by Amazon and its highly effective value chain and online business model, especially as…
The decision to pursue a graduate business degree is a major one as it represents a substantial investment of both time and money. Once you’ve decided to obtain an advanced…
The Case for Blending: Four Reasons Why Business Schools Should Consider Going Hybrid
Gonzalo Freixes | Associate Dean of Professional MBA Programs at the Anderson School of Management, UC Los Angeles—Co-written with George Ingersoll | Director of Hybrid Learning Initiatives at the Anderson School of Business, UC Los Angeles— Today, with over one third of U.S. college students enrolled in…
Establishing pathways to the workforce is becoming a high priority for today’s higher education institutions, and especially professional schools that prepare graduates for success in specific industries. In the corporate…
Student Experience Central to Differentiating in the Online Marketplace
Daniel Wright | Interim Dean of the Villanova School of Business, Villanova UniversityWith the rise of online education and the increasing number of students who opt for eLearning, today’s colleges and universities need to clearly distinguish themselves in the marketplace. According to…
The business school marketplace today is more competitive than it has ever been, and this is true not just for on-the-ground providers but for online providers as well. The…
Exploring Pricing Issues for High-Quality Online Programming
Ross Dickens | Dean of the College of Business and Global Affairs, University of Tennessee at MartinAll insights below reflect the experience at the University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin) and within its College of Business and Global Affairs (CBGA). The answers are not meant…
Increasing numbers of working professionals are finding ways back to higher education and they are taking advantage of the innovations that have shaped the marketplace. No longer constrained to…
Hybrid Format Solves Online’s Student Engagement Challenges
Robert T. Monroe | Director of the Online Hybrid MBA Program at the Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon UniversityAs students become increasingly non-traditional, the demand for highly convenient, flexible approaches to degree completion is rising. However, it’s critical that, in providing such flexible options for learners, institutions don’t…
Despite the proven strength of online programs and their capacity to deliver extremely high-quality educational opportunities to students who cannot attend a face-to-face program, students still tend to carry misconceptions…
Personalization Key to the Online Business Student Experience
Mike Burton | Campus Dean and Assistant Professor of the Forbes School of Business, Ashford UniversityWith increasing numbers of students looking to climb the corporate ladder and earn leadership positions, demand for high-quality, graduate-level business education has skyrocketed. That said, with so much of the…
The higher education marketplace is no longer local or even regional. Colleges and universities now have a global reach like never before, and are striving to meet demand from students…
Maintaining Branch Campuses and Online Offerings Maximizes Institutional Footprint
Ronald Nordone | Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs at the LeBow College of Business, Drexel UniversityThe business and management education marketplace is fiercely competitive, and institutions have to push harder than ever before to attract highly qualified prospective students from across their service areas and…
Higher education institutions nationwide are looking for ways to expand their reach and serve students not just in their localities but also across their regions and across the country. However,…
Navigating Approvals: How to Get High-Quality Programs to Market More Quickly
Cheryl Oliver | Associate Dean of Professional Programs at the Carson College of Business, Washington State UniversityStudents, employers and government officials all want higher education to be more responsive to market changes and transformations. While faculty are creating programs that are responsive and relevant to market…
Today’s management education marketplace is currently defined by an unprecedented level of volatility and competitiveness. The rapid convergence of a myriad of factors and conditions have resulted in a global…
Innovation Critical for Business School Long-Term Success
Susan Gilbert | Dean of the School of Business and Economics, Mercer UniversityAre business schools immune from the forces of disruptive innovation in higher ed? “Oh, I wish!” said the Business School Dean. The recent announcement that Sweet Briar College—a well-regarded liberal…
There is no shortage of criticism of higher education, including that it costs too much, teaches the wrong things, fails to prepare students for the real world, and no longer…
Three Ways Proprietary Institutions Offer Students More Than They Pay For
Laura Bristow | Former Center Dean of the Keller School of Business, DeVry UniversityIn today's climate of high postsecondary tuition, prospective students are asking whether college is worth the investment, challenging colleges and universities across the board—both traditional and proprietary—to prove an ROI.…
The disruptions and competitive pressures impacting US higher education are, at least in part, the result of an industry that possesses neither the capacity nor, increasingly, the will to adapt…
Three Ways to Build Student Accountability Through Great Customer Service
Laura Bristow | Former Center Dean of the Keller School of Business, DeVry UniversityThe balancing act of customer service and student accountability can be a delicate one. We do think of our students as customers, but if an institution enables students’ bad habits…