Many institutions of higher education recognize the need to transform their educational and business models in ways that can help drive student success. One way to do this may be forming a partnership with one or more other institutions.
The Transformational Partnerships Fund (TPF) supports colleges and universities interested in exploring partnerships that could fundamentally improve how they operate and serve students — especially students of color, students from low-income families, and other underserved populations. TPF was established by ECMC Foundation, and SeaChange, with additional founding support from Ascendium Education Group and The Kresge Foundation.
For many colleges and universities, today’s demographic, cultural, economic and public health challenges are daunting and unprecedented. Whether an institution is interested in exploring sharing administrative services, consolidating academic offerings, or even merging with another college or university, TPF provides confidential, philanthropic resources to help consider the full range of partnership options.
Financial Stability
Only 52% of U.S. college and university business officers are confident their institution will be financially stable over the next five years.
Return to Normal Operations
Only 25% of U.S. college and university business officers expect to be able to ride out the downturn and return to normal operations within in a year’s time.
Probability of Merger
More than 20% of college and university business officers think their institution should merge with another college or university within the next five years
Source: Inside Higher Ed/Gallup 2020 Survey of College and University Business Officers
Working with TPF, college and university leaders have the opportunity to access technical assistance, grant funding, specialized resources and more. TPF builds on the experience of its funders, managers and advisors, all of whom have deep experience and real-world knowledge in higher education and the creation of successful partnerships.
All discussions are held in strict confidence, and grant funding may be provided to support the exploration of partnerships in many forms — from shared administrative services or consolidated academic offerings on one end of the spectrum, to full mergers on the other.
12% of all students currently enrolled in a college or university are attending an institution that is at risk.
19% of all Black students currently enrolled in a college or university are attending an institution that is at risk.
That’s 340,000 students across the United States.
Institutional failure has a disproportionate impact on students of color and underserved populations.
Source: The College Stress Test: Tracking Institutional Futures across a Crowded Market; Robert Zemsky
Across American higher education, institutional consolidations are on the rise. The conditions prompting these consolidations have been mounting for years yet there is in-depth analysis of their conditions, dynamics, and their impact on equitable access to and success in higher education. Ithaka S+R has released case studies of three recent examples of state-system-led institutional consolidation efforts: in Georgia, Wisconsin, and Texas. In these they discuss the origins, motivations, initiation, implementation, and outcomes of these completed consolidation efforts with particular attention on the implications of the consolidation process and outcomes for racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic equity. This work was supported by the Lumina Foundation.
Read more >Earlier this year, Kresge partnered with ECMC Foundation, SeaChange Capital Partners and Ascendium Education Group to launch the Transformational Partnership Fund, which encourages university leaders to anonymously explore cross-institution partnerships, including mergers and consolidated academic offerings, to reduce costs and improve student outcomes. This is unique because foundations don’t often occupy themselves with initiatives that attempt to bend the higher ed cost curve.
Read more >Pine Manor College, a small private school off the edge of Boston’s southwest border, found creative ways to bring in revenue and balance its budget before the pandemic, despite declining enrollment. A subscription is required to read this article.
Read more >A month after the Pennsylvania system board approved the consolidation plans, Daniel Greenstein and Christine Smith, a consultant on the project, discuss the path to accreditation, approval from the NCAA and plans to create an integrated curriculum. Subscription may be required to read this post.
Read more >To inquire about a grant or discuss the specifics of your situation, click here. For general information, contact us via the form below, or call (844) 869-7842 ext. 1.
If you’d like to receive communications about higher education partnerships, please fill out the form below.