Transforming a College: The Story of a Little-Known College's Strategic Climb to National Distinction

by George Keller

Forty years ago, North Carolina's Elon College was struggling to attract students and remain solvent. Today Elon enrolls students from 46 states and 40 foreign countries. Since 1988, it has erected a new library, student center, football stadium, fitness center, and science facilities on its 500-acre campus. The number of applications has risen 40 percent since 1995, and SAT scores of incoming students have improved by 98 points. Elon has emerged as one of America's most desirable colleges. How did this transformation happen? What can other colleges and universities learn from Elon's remarkable turnaround? Taking a new approach to the study of higher education, George Keller examines the decisions made by Elon's administration, trustees, and faculty to transform a school with a limited endowment into a top regional university. Using Elon as a case study, Keller sheds light on high-stakes competition among America's colleges and universities―where losers face contraction or closure and winners gain money, talented students, and top faculty.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this at the suggestion of my boss. Some interesting background into Elon, but nothing really earth-shattering. Seems a bit repetitive, especially towards the end.

[Dusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might not have read this book had the incoming dean at my own little college not put me on a strategic planning committee and given me a copy. The author, Keller, is adamant that Elon College/University is a uniquely situated place and cannot serve as a blueprint for other schools looking to make a turnaround. Still, I found a lot to learn from here, including a better sense of how the various parts of the institution worked together toward a unified goal. Of course, the world of higher education is rapidly transforming and this book was probably already showing its age when it hit the shelves in the 2000s. The new afterword identifies some of the ways Elon has met the needs of a new generation of tech-savvy students, and as a college faculty member I found myself wondering what else private liberal arts colleges will need to do to remain desirable over the next 5, 10, 15 years. That must be the million dollar question?

[Joseph Wycoff · Rating 1 out of 5]

George Keller is a nominal, if archetypal, scholar of higher education. In this work, he codifies the elemental components of "institutional autonomy" as the dominant paradigm of higher education scholarship. To this day, his study of a lone, innovative college serves as an example to other colleges to go it alone. Keller did not originate this narrativistic strategy, but he co-optated the momentum for change and channeled it toward the conservative agenda of faculty and administrators who endeavored to suppress diversity during the 1980s. When a single minor college or university is perceived as capable of miraculous transformation, Keller understood, the demand for systemic and rational change at the state or national level is diminished. He wrote _Transforming_, one can only guess, to undermine democratic reforms in American higher education in the future...or, now, the 21st century.

[Jazzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice book to read about the growth and transformation of a small simple college into a mid-sized university with higher academic aspirations. It is a nice, insider's look at the entire process. It's a quick read, but I had to keep reminding myself that the book essentially started in 1970 and ended in 2004. That's a 34-year effort -- but it's amazing how many small colleges never try to improve and thus how many of those end up dissolving or being taken over by others.

[Lisa Tiffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story of transformation and the theories and practices underpinning that transformation. What did Elon give up and what did they add in the process?

Not a blueprint, per se, as every institution needs to find their unique niche and unique opportunities, but certainly an inspirational guide to the possibilities.

[Stephanie Boedecker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting rags to riches story. Definitely not a formula that can work for the majority of schools but Elon found their niece and ran with it. The leadership sounds like they had a plan and committed to it, but I'm also wondering where the chapter if speed bumps and roadblocks went. Does keller just have a major love for this school?

[Anna Persky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast, interesting read about how a college in North Carolina repositioned itself to attract students from other states. It's a little dated, but still contained some fascinating details about changing the culture in a university to create a school with larger appeal.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story of Elon. Revamping admissions and then focusing on students life — study abroad, interns/coops, leadership development, community facilities including athletics moving to D1. Elevating academics and financing it all. Interesting but nothing earth shattering

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for school.

Woof. This book was repetitive and slightly annoying. I could see how this could provide hope for struggling universities, but some of the strategies are not sustainable across different types of institutions.

[Candy Wood]

Hmmm. The author, a consultant, reports that the academic leaders of Elon College (now Elon University) employed consultants at many stages during their "strategic climb to national distinction." He doesn't say much about his own role, but does provide interesting details about the many ways the college sought national prominence. One way, improving academic quality, is never clearly defined: at one point senior student evaluations are cited to show that some faculty members were judged "weak," but later on, measures like number of research grants won by faculty or of publications in national journals are offered. Numbers of students who pursue and succeed in graduate study could be another indication (and increased SAT scores of entering students make it more likely that more will do that). But the notion of academic quality remains elusive. Keller warns that he does not intend the book as a blueprint for other institutions, which may not share Elon's proximity to sources of adjunct faculty and affluent prospective students. It's all food for thought, anyway.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coming from industry - working in a university setting for 5 years - and now back in industry (and in marketing consulting) this is a good story but no surprises as how to drive change. Leadership, vision, and unity - that’s what it takes for any organization to drive change. This seems miraculous in academia because there are so many ideas and theories that can support almost any opinion a professor may have. Having experienced it first hand, it’s incredibly difficult to drive vision in that environment - but the best schools and academic leaders find a way.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good little read for anyone who works in higher education. I work at Robert Morris University, and Elon University, the subject of this book, is a model for many of the things we want to do.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific read

A straightforward and insightful telling of the strategic advancement of Elon College (now University) from a small, struggling regional college to a nationally regarded, mid-sized university with bright prospects.

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about the transformation of Elon College/University. This book is very similar to my dissertation, so I really enjoyed Keller's research.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good case study of a college going from pedestrian regional to national prominence.

[Matt Zalman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intersting outlook about a smaller college campus, also showing what this college values shows the future of what a university can be.

[Nina Chachu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for work, and faculty/staff retreat which I missed.

[Kathleen]

Read this after a visit to Elon's campus. Fascinating.