Hi there Reader, Higher ed is under scrutiny— but is it under siege? In the past two weeks, we’ve seen elite institutions challenge direct federal overreach, new alliances emerge across sectors, and fresh innovations redefine how we think about student success and fiscal sustainability. This week’s newsletter surfaces:
This is the future of higher ed—scrappy, strategic, and bold. Let’s get into it.👇 The Systems We’ve Built Don’t Match the Students We Serve Last week, I sat down with Meacie Fairfax, Strategy Director at Complete College America, to explore what it will really take to move the needle on student success—and why well-meaning institutions often miss the mark.
📽️ Featured Clip → LinkedIn Clip 🎧 Listen to the full episode → Watch on YouTube 200+ Presidents Say: Enough. As threats mount from the Trump administration, more than 200 college leaders have joined forces to issue a sweeping rebuke of what they call “unprecedented government overreach.” Organized by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, this is the largest coordinated pushback from higher ed leaders yet. With funding freezes, visa revocations, and DEI dismantling in full swing, the stakes are now existential for many institutions. 🔗 Read the full statement and Chronicle coverage Want to Actually Solve Retention and Fiscal Sustainability at the Same Time? In my recent interview with Matt Hendricks, founder of Perspective Data Science, we explored how an analytics approach to IR can reveal the hidden drivers behind student loss, revenue leakage, and operational inefficiencies. 🔍 What the platform reveals:
Example: One school identified $1.2M in unnecessary vendor and facilities costs. Another found a 34% overspend on healthcare vs peer schools. 🚀 See it in action → Here. 📥 Or reply to schedule a walkthrough customized to your institution. -Mike O’Connor O'Connor & Associates |
With 17 years of insider experience, I specialize in enhancing university operations and strategic planning through innovative, data-driven solutions. Receive succinct, powerful insights on using analytics and artificial intelligence to streamline operations, increase ROI, and make informed strategic decisions. Ideal for C-suite aiming to do more with less and navigate the complexities of modern higher education.
Hi there Reader, Hope your week is going as well as can be... We've got a lot to talk about this week, so let's dive in... The FAFSA Mess, Transparency Gaps, and a Smarter Model for Student Aid Guest: Chris Abkarians, Co-CEO of Juno Last week, I sat down with Chris Abkarians to unpack the FAFSA failure, the crumbling trust in federal aid systems, and the quiet emergence of more equitable models for student borrowing and pricing. A few takeaways: FAFSA Fallout Isn’t Just Tech: Chris makes it...
Hi there Reader, This Week’s Guest: Dave Sherwood, Co-Founder & CEO of BibliU What if your course content was as intelligent as your CRM? In this week’s episode, I sat down with Dave Sherwood, the Oxford-trained Rhodes Scholar turned edtech CEO behind BibliU — a platform rethinking textbook access, affordability, and alignment with student outcomes. Affordability = Access + Integration. BibliU eliminates publisher markups and embeds course materials directly into LMS platforms — cutting both...
Hi there Reader, Higher education leaders are staring down some of the biggest systemic shifts we've seen in decades... Politically, financially, and operationally. This week’s edition spotlights strategies to lead through the uncertainty... and unlock new opportunities. The Metrics of Belonging: A Fresh Lens with Meacie Fairfax We brought Meacie Fairfax (Strategy Director at Complete College America) back this week — but with a twist. Rather than just focusing on gateway courses or credit...