Context
Programs and services in higher education across the country are currently grappling with how to sustainably deliver on their promise to students. Reviews are an invaluable way to ensure that you have the combination of reliable data, stakeholder engagement, and objective analysis required to make highest and best use of limited resources, advocate effectively for what you need, and remain agile and adaptive in a shifting landscape.
Purpose
K&A completes assessments of an organization or program’s current structure, leadership, activities, operations, infrastructure, resources, and outcomes, often linked with an evaluation of readiness to respond to forthcoming challenges or meet future needs. Institutions often seek K&A’s reviews to identify opportunities to align limited resources with highest-priority needs; respond to feedback from students, staff, and other stakeholders; and in anticipation of—or in parallel with—a search to place a future leader.
Components
The firm customizes its reviews to the concerns and questions that stimulate each project, but common areas of inquiry include
Evaluation of service, staffing, and financial models in relation to trends in higher education, best practices, and national standards, with determination of unmet needs and gaps
Scope, quality, and levels of satisfaction with programs and services provided to students
Efficiency and effectiveness of administrative, organizational, and operational structures and processes
Best design, use, and cost effectiveness of infrastructure, technology, and facilities
An environmental scan to identify innovations and opportunities to increase access and student satisfaction, while simultaneously improving employee development, satisfaction, and retention
Our Approach
K&A works closely with designated leaders to accomplish each review with respect for institutional culture and the staff and stakeholders involved, recognizing that the most valuable assets to any organization are its people. Reviews provide an opportunity for staff to talk with one another about the effectiveness of current ways of thinking and doing, and to consider changing things that do not serve the organization, its staff, or students well. Areas of expertise and focus include, but are not limited to, student affairs; health, counseling, and wellness; advising; the student experience; student success; and inclusive excellence.
Pre-placement Reviews
Let us help you prepare for a leadership transition with a pre-placement review of your unit’s structure, operations, policies, and procedures. This process identifies priorities and challenges, ensuring your new leader is not only well-suited but also perfectly aligned with your institution’s unique needs.
K&A’s consultants have worked with more than 350 institutions—but what makes us uniquely qualified is not just that experience. We’ve “been there,” on campus like you are—celebrating or coping, building or just breathing. We adjust to fit the times and the context (short-term or long-term, in-depth or more focused) but always delivering results. And we’ve “been there” through the great recession, COVID, and administrative crises.