Introducing the First Section of Reinventing the Community College Business Model

The first section of the book is titled Building the Case for the Community College Business Model, and includes three chapters that describe the foundations of the CCBM, the changing dynamics that make the model necessary, and how to manage within a business model framework. The first chapter introduces the concept of the educational business model and details its four elements. The case is made that organizational success, which is student success within community colleges, is enhanced through implementation of a framework designed to understand and address student needs, identify and leverage non-financial resources, elevate the educational experience, and generate the financial margins necessary to support the model.

Chapter two explores the current and evolving dynamics within today’s higher education industry. This chapter emphasizes the significant disruptions to the higher education industry and especially to community colleges. Political, economic, technological, and demographic changes have created unparalleled pressure on existing systems and operational management. The traditional higher education business models were not intentionally designed and are ill-equipped to resolve these tensions. The CCBM takes some of the lessons learned from changing healthcare business models and is built to address the disruptions caused by the pervasiveness of technology, increased compliance requirements, and decreased funding. A philosophical foundation of this chapter is that disruption is unavoidable and must be used as a catalyst for innovation and re imagining the student educational experience. 

Community colleges have spent decades moving towards more effective management, operational, and administrative practices, structures, and processes. As a result of changing funding dynamics and priorities while continuing to focus on an enrollment growth strategy, however, these institutions often find themselves unable to effectively adapt to changing conditions. Chapter three charges that these traditional approaches are insufficient for achieving organizational success within the continually evolving higher education industry. By focusing on strategies that can be utilized to better understand who the college is and is not serving, reconceptualize existing and available resources, more effectively manage operational costs, and address academic programming and student support, the colleges will be in a greater position to achieve organizational success. 

Please note that the publication is currently available for pre-order and will be available on April 8th, 2020. I have attached a promotional flyer with information on how to save 20%. More information is available at https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475850727/Reinventing-the-Community-College-Business-Model-Designing-Colleges-for-Organizational-Success