Getting Strategic With Branch Campuses
How strategic is your institution in considering the role of its satellite operations? Based on my experience, I’d guess that the answer for most is “not very.” (I'm not addressing the recent trend of some institutions opening overseas branches, which I assume involve more strategic considerations.) Typically, branch campuses and other outreach programs were created to serve some relatively specific purpose: To block expansion of another institution, to respond to political pressure, or (most commonly) to pick up additional revenue. In that context, branches have much in common with main campus programs for adult learners, as well as those sorts of online programs that represent a cautious exploration, rather than a major strategic commitment. And none of these efforts has been approached strategically at the highest levels of leadership, at least at most institutions. Given the relatively radical experiments that we’ve seen in the pa...