ACE, in collaboration with rpk GROUP, is set to launch a workshop that will push higher education leaders to implement innovative business models, as they guide their institutions into a post-pandemic world.
The four-part workshop, Creating Sustainable Business Models for the Post-Pandemic Campus, will enable participants to understand a shift to a return-on-investment (ROI) resource allocation approach, identify the components and best practices of this approach, and develop individualized ROI plans with an emphasis on moving successfully from survival to recovery to sustainability post-pandemic. Participants will also have the opportunity to receive an ACE Strategic Finance microcredential. Interested participants can learn more about the workshop and register here.
This is not ACE and rpk GROUP's first business model workshop, and similar workshops in recent years have inspired leaders to reimagine their financial frameworks. Kelly Ball, associate dean for graduate studies for women's, gender, and sexuality studies and philosophy at Agnes Scott College, applied lessons from last year's workshop to create new graduate credentials at her college. "The ROI approach totally transformed how I thought about budgets," Ball said. “I went from thinking about 'what's our bottom line' to 'how are we using the resources we have to prepare ourselves to scale for future growth.' It's a totally different set of challenges."
The four 90-minute sessions will occur between May 18 and June 29. The first session will introduce the concept of shifting from traditional budget models to an innovative approach centered on ROI. On June 1, attendees will dive deeper into ROI through case studies, which leads into the third session where participants will draft their own ROI action plan. Participants will receive feedback on their plans in the final session, enabling them to leave with concrete actions they could implement at their institutions.
Three rpk GROUP professionals, Rick Staisloff, senior partner, Donna Desrochers, senior associate, and Katie Hagan, principal, will lead the four sessions. Interested higher education leaders can still register. Additionally, Staisloff outlines the workshop in a video here. Groups of two or more save 15 percent.