Academic Turnarounds

What are the hallmarks of a lasting institutional turnaround? It is too easy to mistake a single initiative-mounting a new marketing program, for example, or bringing in a million dollar donation-for a true turnaround. Successful turnarounds involve profound, often difficult, actions that affect the finances, academic offerings, and reputations of colleges and universities. They take institutions to new levels of performance and then present new challenges. MacTaggart examines the several stages that comprise institutional turnarounds and offers practical advice on setting and reaching higher levels of performance. MacTaggart also discusses the early indicators of a college or university's need for a turnaround. He and his colleagues outline financial trends and other indicators of distress, as well as benchmarks for the various stages in an effective turnaround strategy. Academic Turnarounds will help trustees, presidents, and faculty members diagnose whether or not they are in denial over the true condition of the institution they are charged with preserving. Donors, state officials, accreditors, and others interested in the quality and vitality of American higher education will find direction in this book.