How do university finances really work? From flagship public research universities to small, private liberal arts colleges, there are few aspects of these institutions associated with more confusion, myths or lack of understanding than how they fund themselves and function in the business of higher education. Using simple, approachable explanations supported by clear illustrations, this book takes the reader on an engaging and enlightening tour of how the money flows. How does the university really pay for itself? Why do tuition and fees rise so fast? Why do universities lose money on research? Do most donations go to athletics? Grounded in hard data, original analyses, and the practical experience of a seasoned administrator, this book provides refreshingly clear answers and comprehensive insights for anyone on or off campus who is interested in the business of the university: how it earns its money, how it spends it, and how it all works.

Business Practices in Higher Education is a breakthrough guide offering higher education and student affairs professionals an understanding of the fundamental business nature of colleges and universities. The author discusses the practical applications of business concepts and models and how these applications can contribute to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of higher education institutions. Useful examples from a wide range of institutions—including small privates, large publics, and community colleges—illustrate these concepts. This professional guide is organized into the following four sections: Environment and Structure Finance and Funding People and Processes Perspectives on the Future Business practices pervade the academic, student affairs, and administrative sides of higher education. This book affords readers a greater understanding of the true nature of higher education and an appreciation for how the academy effectively incorporates business practices into everyday work lives.

This book provides a critical review of the internationalization process among higher education institutions (HEIs), taking a closer look at the case of business schools. The first part offers a novel definition of this phenomenon and examines the forces that drive international initiatives. It then examines and explains the “internationalization paradox”: the observation that despite evidence that many international initiatives fail to deliver what they promise, for the heads of HEIs they nevertheless remain at the top of the agenda. In turn, the second part of the book develops a unifying framework that identifies alternative models of internationalization and explains how they relate to one another. Based on this framework, the book presents a model of the truly global HEI, whose mission is to learn from the world rather than teach the world what it knows. The book’s central thesis is that it is unlikely that HEIs will be able to transform themselves into truly global HEIs because of historical and organizational barriers rather than a shortage of resources or a lack of visionary leadership. The book concludes that most HEIs should refrain from claiming that their aim is to become global institutions, and should instead focus on the successful implementation of an import-export model of internationalization that calls for initiatives such as the internationalization of the curriculum, the creation of student and faculty exchange programs, and the participation in international academic and research partnerships. Any attempt to transform themselves into truly global institutions is unlikely to succeed and may distract them from their fundamental mission: to educate their home-based students and help them become effective global citizens.

It often seems that neither organizations nor people move fast enough to stay ahead of the changes brought about by globalization and technology. Yet both business and higher education are continually challenged to adapt to these changes. This book is intended to stimulate a dialog between the business and academic communities to determine what higher education can do to better prepare students for their future careers.

In spite of soaring tuition costs, more and more students go to college every year. A bachelor’s degree is now required for entry into a growing number of professions. And some parents begin planning for the expense of sending their kids to college when they’re born. Almost everyone strives to go, but almost no one asks the fundamental question posed by Academically Adrift: are undergraduates really learning anything once they get there? For a large proportion of students, Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa’s answer to that question is a definitive no. Their extensive research draws on survey responses, transcript data, and, for the first time, the state-of-the-art Collegiate Learning Assessment, a standardized test administered to students in their first semester and then again at the end of their second year. According to their analysis of more than 2,300 undergraduates at twenty-four institutions, 45 percent of these students demonstrate no significant improvement in a range of skills—including critical thinking, complex reasoning, and writing—during their first two years of college. As troubling as their findings are, Arum and Roksa argue that for many faculty and administrators they will come as no surprise—instead, they are the expected result of a student body distracted by socializing or working and an institutional culture that puts undergraduate learning close to the bottom of the priority list. Academically Adrift holds sobering lessons for students, faculty, administrators, policy makers, and parents—all of whom are implicated in promoting or at least ignoring contemporary campus culture. Higher education faces crises on a number of fronts, but Arum and Roksa’s report that colleges are failing at their most basic mission will demand the attention of us all.

At a time of great economic uncertainty, The Business of Higher Education looks at the pros and cons of colleges and universities taking a more business-like approach to fulfilling their missions. How can colleges and universities navigate their way between shrinking commitments and the increasing expectations of their students? Does the answer lie in taking a more business-like approach? This extraordinary resource considers the costs and benefits to both public and private institutions and to society when academe embraces business models for improving cost-efficiency, marketing, hiring practices, and customer service. Bringing together a diverse team of contributors from the academic and business worlds, The Business of Higher Education offers 35 essays in three volumes. The first volume explores issues of leadership and culture, the second focuses on management and fiscal strategies, and the third volume takes up issues of marketing and consumer interests. Throughout, the work balances the contrasting perspectives of those within the academy and those outside of it, as it considers whether higher education and the public interest are ultimately helped or harmed by the application of business methods to essential academic functions.

Originally published in 1995, The Business of Higher Education focuses on innovation in student financial services. It looks at the area of banking function as a tool for colleges and universities, and how this can be used to meet the market demand for new services. It also addresses how this can be used to balance the financial aid budget. The book documents just how much each colleges and universities have changed over the last decade and how each has changed given that market forces increasingly shape institutional aspirations.

Competition to provide education is tense, attributed to the ease to access and process information. Technological development has also landed a terrible blow to the employment situation, which forces higher education institutions to review what and how their students learn. Yet, the desire to retain and grow the number of students and gain commercially can sometimes cloud judgment of educational leaders. They need to know that poorly made decisions hurt the businesses and students. In this book, Sam Choon-Yin explores how technological development has the potential to transform higher education. However, the same technology also has the potential to disrupt the education sector. The author provides a critical outlook on the prevailing practices of the higher education institutions. By drawing our attention to the various challenges, the author shows how teaching and learning can be effectively carried out in the digital age to serve the needs of students and hiring companies, and ultimately the institutions of higher learning. Understanding the issues and challenges means better design of and delivery of the curriculum. At a deeper level, the book raises a complex question of “what makes an education institution different” as they aim to define themselves by fulfilling students’ desire. Understanding these issues forms the basis of power for higher education institutions to remain competitive and relevant in the age of digitization.