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:

• System-level redesign insights from Meacie Fairfax (Complete College America).
• A rallying cry from 200+ presidents against government interference.
• And a wildly underrated data science tool that’s quietly helping colleges find millions in operational savings.

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.

• Gateway Courses, Gateway Gaps: Placement into first-year math & English is still one of the biggest predictors of completion. Meacie breaks down how institutional inconsistency creates systemic equity gaps from day one.
• Metrics ≠ Momentum: GPA alone doesn't tell the full story. We talk about the need to interrogate, disaggregate, and contextualize student data to reveal what’s working—and what’s not.
• Ask Better Questions: Instead of “what do you want to be?” Meacie pushes for “what change do you want to make?” That shift in framing can anchor purpose and reshape belonging.
• Designing for Reality​
  From service hours to advising models, Meacie shares how small, human-centered redesigns can radically shift persistence and outcomes.

📽️ 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?​
Most campuses don’t need more data. They need sharper tools—and better questions.

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:

• Over-expenditures in healthcare, benefits, and staffing.
• Low-ROI programs, services, and assets (yes, even the unused building you’re still heating).
• Real-time cost-per-credit across modality, time, and department.
• Financial behaviors and affordability gaps that outpace FAFSA logic.

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

​​

unsubscribe here.