Crisis in Higher Education

“The miracle that Docking and his colleagues have worked is not about fairy dust but an all-too-rare blend of crafting strategic priorities based on a deep understanding of contemporary college student interests, persuading the entire campus community to buy into the vision, and staying the course with uncommon courage and wisdom.”

—George D. Kuh, Chancellor’s Professor of Higher Education Emeritus, Indiana University and Director, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment, University of Illinois

President Jeffrey Docking has walked the talk in his book Crisis in Higher Education: A Plan to Save Small Liberal Arts Colleges in America. Adrian College was on its knees in 2005 when Docking became president. In five years, through his bold Admissions Growth plan—an increase in sports teams and athletic facilities, a cost/benefit analysis of every academic program and part-time faculty member, a highly targeted recruiting strategy that held coaches and admission staff accountable for a quota—Adrian doubled its enrollment; dramatically increased retention, graduation rates, and cash flow; improved faculty compensation; and developed a winning Division III sports program. Docking’s book is a must-read for every struggling liberal arts college president who must face the daunting challenges of these post-Great Recession years.

—David Warren, President of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities

The miracle that Docking and his colleagues have worked is not about fairy dust but an all-too-rare blend of crafting strategic priorities based on a deep understanding of contemporary college student interests, persuading the entire campus community to buy into the vision, and staying the course with uncommon courage and wisdom.

—George D. Kuh, Chancellor’s Professor of Higher Education Emeritus, Indiana University, and Director of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes