Business of Higher Education

When an Acorn Hits You in the Head, Make Sure You Know How Many Oak Trees Are Around

April 20, 2022 Wally Boston

Many of us know the children’s story about the hen who is hit in the head by a falling acorn and runs around yelling, “the sky is falling.” She convinces more and more animals to join her to tell the king including the fox who convinces her and her companions that he knows a shortcut to the king.

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Cutting Academic Programs at the University of Kansas

February 21, 2022 Wally Boston

Inside Higher Ed’s Josh Moody reported last week that the University of Kansas (KU) leadership team was seeking to cut 42 academic programs while the KU University Senate only agreed with 28 of the 42 recommendations. Mr. Moody noted that the 28 programs agreed to by the University Senate were mainly inactive.

It should be noted that the University Senate, which includes faculty, staff, and students, differs from the Faculty Senate.

Concept of international graduate study, graduation black cap on pile of foreign money US dollars money on blur background. Education certificate of Abroad program to success. Vintage stlye

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Michael Bloomberg Backs Charter Schools with a Major Grant

December 3, 2021 Wally Boston

Mr. Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City and former candidate for U.S. president, notes that before the pandemic, about two-thirds of U.S. students were not reading at grade level and that the trend is getting worse.

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The Great Upheaval – Is the Beginning of the End in Sight?

November 22, 2021 Wally Boston

A few weeks ago, I wrote a review of "The Great Upheaval." Written by Arthur Levine and Scott Van Pelt, the book provided an excellent explanation why an industry that has not changed for hundreds of years will be forced to transform itself or die.

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The College Degree Is in Shambles (or Is It?)

November 17, 2021 Wally Boston

I suggest that the best thing that the federal government could do is to encourage stronger preparation of high school graduates for college.

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A Private School Finance Primer: Summary and Recommendations

November 16, 2021 Wally Boston

I spent nearly two decades serving McDonogh, the private school where I served as a Board member or Board committee member. During those two decades, the school’s financial picture improved as McDonogh transformed itself.

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A Private School Finance Primer – Capital, Land, and Endowment (Part 4)

November 15, 2021 Wally Boston

With the growth in McDonogh’s student enrollment initially stimulated by the addition of a kindergarten in 1992, the Finance Committee continued to refine its operating model. The Committee also continued communications to the Board about the school’s finances and how some of the strategic needs should be funded.

operating expenses and staffing McDonogh Boston

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A Private School Finance Primer – Expenditures and Staffing (Part 3)

November 10, 2021 Wally Boston

As I discussed in my previous article about student enrollment, McDonogh’s Lower and Middle Schools had a fixed structure for staffing, based on the number of primary sections assigned to each grade. There were specialty teachers in Art, Music, and Shop for each of the schools, and the Lower School had teaching assistants for each of the kindergarten sections.

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A Private School Finance Primer – A 10-Year Operations Model (Part 2)

November 9, 2021 Wally Boston

As we developed the 10-year operating projections for The McDonogh School, it was important to communicate and, in some cases, educate the Board members on the interrelationships between the various operating and financial components.

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A Private School Finance Primer – Reflections (Part 1)

November 8, 2021 Wally Boston

When I moved to Austin, I donated my files from the years I served on the McDonogh School Board of Trustees to the McDonogh archives. I thought that it would be useful to craft a series of articles reflecting some of the work we did during a period of transformation for the school.

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