The landscape of higher education in the United States currently comprises 5918 institutions serving approximately 18.1 million students. Among them, 1833 are small institutions with full-time equivalent enrollments of 3000 or less. In this article, the authors examine financial and enrollment challenges facing small institutions and the potential…

Through the lens of change management theory, this article focuses on transforming institutional culture at small institutions through grant opportunities. Federal discretionary grants, such as the Department of Education's Title III, Strengthening Institution Program (SIP), provide financial resources for new initiatives to improve student…

Alignment of revenues and expenses at small, private, nonprofit colleges and universities is a growing challenge for leadership at these institutions. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate what strategies the researcher's university has implemented to potentially lead itself to financial sustainability. Participants and data…

The purpose of this study is to understand how strategy and strategic decision-making have contributed to financial strength at those small, private, non-profit, less-selective, tuition-dependent institutions with small endowments that have established financial stability. Interviews were conducted of participants at three institutions, including…

This study examines how Chief Student Affairs Officers (CSAO) make sense of their role engaging with fundraising at small, private, liberal arts institutions with endowments below the median endowment size of $140.2 million. Specifically examining how they make sense of engaging with fundraising and how they have gained knowledge or experience in…

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), there were 3,982 degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States in the 2019-2020 school year. Of these, 1,625 were public institutions and another 1,660 were private, nonprofit institutions (four-year and two-year schools). The private, nonprofit sector plays an…

At Zane State, guided pathways has served as a framework for bringing multiple changes together to support student success. The college has placed particular emphasis on helping students enter and stay on a program path by connecting them to faculty and advisors called success coaches from the start. A focus on early engagement and onboarding is…

The education of postsecondary students has become an increasingly cost-intensive enterprise, and many higher education institutions are now reliant on philanthropic support to meet their financial needs. Higher education advancement offices face mounting pressure to perform at extraordinary levels. Magnifying the urgency of the work, colleges and…

When Vicky Wood came to Washington State Community College as president in 2017, the college was investing limited resources in efforts to improve student success. Dr. Wood brought on a new leadership team, which has engaged faculty and staff throughout the college in making substantial changes to organizational practice and culture with the goal…

Small, private colleges in the United States provide students with close-knit and individualized college experiences. However, these institutions are increasingly vulnerable to closures, mergers, and acquisitions due to economic downturns, enrollment challenges, and many other internal and external factors. Compared to their larger public and…

This paper describes relationships between tuition discounting (TD), net tuition revenue, and other institutional characteristics at four-year, liberal arts institutions. TD, a practice whereby institutional grants are used to subsidize a student's educational expense, has become a common practice at four-year institutions. TDs impact on…

Small colleges and universities serve a profoundly important role in American society. They provide the rigorous, personalized experience that is the hallmark of the best of higher education. In the process, they build opportunity and encourage civic engagement among a new generation of citizens. The landscape for these institutions has changed…

North Central State College provides a case study of how a small college can increase revenue by strategically realigning its existing staff resources for improving student retention and success, even in a period of stagnant enrollment. The college implemented a series of major reforms with the aim of improving student retention and completion on…

The percentage of full-time college students decreased by 7% in the United States between 2010 and 2018. Modern university leaders confront difficult decisions regarding their institutions' future because of financial challenges related to reduced tuition revenue. Grounded in the theory of diffusion of innovations and the balanced scorecard, the…

Development and implementation of promise scholarship programs has risen over the last 15 years, yet research into their effects on the higher education landscape has been relatively scarce. While researchers have mostly examined how these programs impact students and communities, they have neglected to study how promise programs impact…