Pivot: A Vision for the New University

The news sure looks bad: rapidly shifting student demographics, the ever-increasing speed of technological innovation, and extreme legislative and public pressure are squeezing colleges and universities into a lose-lose race toward irrelevancy. Detailed in countless articles and books, the challenges faced by institutions of higher learning in the U.S. are varied and weighty. But higher education is far from doomed. It is at this inflection point in which independent colleges and universities have the opportunity to revolutionize higher education. It is time to pivot towards a new university, one that radically refocuses structure and pedagogy on students and their learning; reimagines the foundational institutional structures of leadership, tenure, and the higher education business model; and produces national examples for access and inclusion. In an industry notoriously slow to adapt and evolve, leaders of colleges and universities must act quickly and decisively, committing to a monumental shift to educate students for a world that we cannot yet see: a leap-frog into relevancy that higher education has never experienced. Authors Joanne Soliday and Dr. Mark Lombardi, with their combined decades in higher education leadership and consulting, explicate a picture of possibility for the future of independent colleges and universities, one rooted in the essential value of a liberal arts education that brings students to their highest potential. It is the critical reimagining of how that education is shaped that guides a vision for the new university.

Author: Joanne Soliday, Mark Lombardi
Publisher: Advantage Media Group
Published: 01/23/2019
Pages: 171
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.97lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9781642250565

About the Author
Soliday, Joanne: - Joanne Soliday is a higher education consultant and strategic planning specialist with over thirty years of experience on college and university campuses. Following leadership positions on two college campuses, Joanne became a founding partner of Credo, a consulting firm focused on independent higher education. Since 2001, Joanne has had the privilege of working with more than 250 private colleges and universities. Her work with these institutions inspired her to author "Surviving to Thriving: A Planning Framework for Leaders of Private Colleges and Universities." Since her retirement from full-time consulting in 2014, Joanne has served as a presenter and keynote speaker at higher education conferences across the country and is privileged to be engaged in many formal coaching relationships as a strategic advisor to independent college presidents. In 2016, Joanne was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by her alma mater.Lombardi, Mark: - Dr. Mark Lombardi is the tenth President of Maryville University and has served there since 2007. During his tenure, Maryville University has tripled enrollment to more than 9,300 students hailing from fifty states and sixty countries. In 2017, the Chronicle of Higher Education recognized Maryville as the third fastest growing private University in the nation and in 2013 and 2014 US News & World Report recognized Maryville as the #1 Overperforming University in the country. Maryville received the Apple Distinguished School designation for 2016-2018 for innovation, leadership, educational excellence and a clear vision of exemplary learning environments. In addition to fundraising initiatives that have netted over $125 million dollars for projects in the arts, academic learning space, international programs, learning technology and student services, Dr. Lombardi has appeared in more than 200 interviews for radio and television on politics, international issues, and innovation and the future of higher education. He is a noted author, publishing several articles and three books, one of which is now in its tenth edition.