Editors' Publication of the Month
This month’s book review was contributed
by Cherry Danielson, Director of Assessment, Fordham University (danielson@fordham.edu). Cherry reviews Turnaround: Leading
stressed colleges and universities to excellence,
written by James Marin, James E. Samels, and Associates, and published
by the Johns Hopkins University Press in 2009 (ISBN 13: 978-0-8018-9068-0
and ISBN-10: 0-8018-9069-3).
James Martin and James E. Samels certainly
timed this book well. In the midst of a very difficult world-wide financial
situation, Turnaround gives hope and direction for colleges and
universities that are stressed or floundering. This book is packed with
information to help us, as institutional researchers, be more aware
of our surroundings and fitted with tools that can assist in turning
around our institutions to become stable and healthy. The authors describe
what it means to be at-risk based on results of an in-depth study that
analyzed risk factors at several hundred campuses across 20 years. Secondly,
they provide sound strategies for steering our institutions away from
that risk based on conversations with 400 presidents, provosts, and
board chairs. Considering the complexities and unique situations of
institutions, the authors advocate for well-fitted approaches and provide
the ingredients to customize turnaround strategies.
Martin and Samels suggest that many
higher education institutions have been fragile at some time during
their existence. Although stress may be complicated, they cut through
the extraneous issues to help us recognize which are the critical problem
areas that indicate that an institution is at risk. Turnaround
offers a definition of a stressful institution in terms of 20 indicators
that an institution is no longer healthy. Some of the markers point
to leadership instability and specific finance and resource difficulties.
Others reflect stagnancy and deterioration of the institutional plant,
the quality of faculty, vitality of degree programs, and ability to
retain quality students. From their wealth of communication with thriving
leadership, the authors recommend changing behaviors and learning new
skills as a clear response to the presence of risk factors. Martin and
Samels identify 10 behaviors or skills that need to be changed in the
leadership of stressed institutions and explain their rationale for
new skills to replace the old.
The theme of making constructive change
is pervasive in this book. Presidents and other upper-level administrators
who have facilitated the turnaround process contributed strategic options
for dealing with key operations of fragile institutions. Central to
all is the importance of refocusing on the core values, mission, and
vision of the institution, creating a culture that recommits to the
mission and uses available funds to secure the mission. Solutions
offered by the contributors target managing finance challenges; meeting
legal challenges; creating marketing and development strategies during
stressful times; providing appropriate accreditation transparency; taking
into account how stress affects students and student affairs staff;
and maintaining confidence and an optimistic mood across campus.
In their chapter, Kevin Sayers and
John Ryan champion the conviction of institutional researchers that
it is critical to “develop the capacity and expertise to design and
carry out strategic research beyond the familiar data-repository and
reporting functions that continue to monopolize the time and expertise
of institutional researchers.” They describe an effective decision
support network (DSN) to transform the internal agility of an institution
as it shores up its areas of vulnerability. Sayers and Ryan suggest
that some of the typical campus IR situations actually contribute to
at-risk environments. They go on to suggest how colleges and universities
can strengthen their position by changing the hobbling perception of
the utility of IR and begin to tap the full potential of IR as a resource
for change and stability.
Considering the range of topics that
need to be covered, the overall reading of this book is comprehensive,
yet fluid. I particularly appreciated that each chapter contains text
boxes that bear gems of information for the reader by cutting to the
chase with Three Best Practices; One Thing that can be Done
Differently; A Single Most Important Piece of Advice; or
What Presidents should do Differently. In addition, the wealth
of notes and references remind us of the diligence that led to this
text.
Ultimately, Martin and Samels make
an important observation: it is critical for stressed institutions to
quit doing the things that cause them stress. Remaining status quo cannot
be an option for fragile institutions. Their book helps to identify
solid, productive changes that can move an institution off of the risk
list and on to vitality. After a first read, this book could likely
become a frequent reference for institutional researchers. At a minimum,
it grounds our thoughtful reflection on our own institutional health.
Many thanks, Cherry, for contributing
this review!