This op-ed series offers insight from an expert who’s led a college merger and specializes in higher education partnerships.
Ricardo Azziz has held numerous executive positions in higher education and led the merger that resulted in Georgia Regents University, now Augusta University. He is principal at Strategic Partnerships in Higher Education Consulting Group.
Below you can find the installments of his regular Merger Watch opinion series on corporate restructuring in higher education.
Given demographic trends, the sector will likely become more competitive and experience more closures, one consolidation expert argues. Read the full article ➔
A college consolidation expert breaks down similarities between the two sectors — and what institutions can learn from them. Read the full article ➔
The answer lies in how colleges and universities first developed across the country, according to one consolidation expert. Read the full article ➔
Issues with the form’s rollout have made identifying merger partners for many small colleges an even greater urgency, one consolidation expert argues. Read the full article ➔
Bondholders may be able to highlight warning signs to institutions, argues Ricardo Azziz, a college consolidation expert. Read the full article ➔
Several factors influence the outcomes of consolidation efforts, including whether public systems have healthy relationships with state leaders. Read the full article ➔
Recent analysis on workforce trends suggests colleges with enrollment declines should not expect demand to surge, argues Ricardo Azziz. Read the full article ➔
The proposed rule, which would raise the threshold for overtime pay eligibility to around $55,000, could financially stress many higher education institutions. Read the full article ➔
Expenses can range from merging information technology departments to updating signage — and they materialize before any gains do. Read the full article ➔
While traits like courage may be more innate, other key skills can be learned, writes Ricardo Azziz, an expert in corporate restructuring in higher education Read the full article ➔
Recent closures of religiously affiliated colleges have raised alarm, but these institutions can be under vastly different enrollment and financial pressures. Read the full article ➔
Alabama lawmakers bailed out Birmingham-Southern College. Ricardo Azziz, principal at a higher ed consultancy, explores whether this type of move is wise. Read the full article ➔
The Education Department’s new guidance could make mergers take longer, argues Ricardo Azziz, principal at a higher ed consultancy. Read the full article ➔
Institutional leaders must recognize the significant distinctions between these merger types to facilitate more successful consolidations. Read the full article ➔
Colleges try to boost enrollment by recruiting students from other institutions, but it’s a declining pool, Ricardo Azziz argues. Read the full article ➔
Ricardo Azziz is surprised that stakeholders aren’t more willing to compromise in college mergers — especially because stakes are highest for students. Read the full article ➔
The largest colleges have been growing over the last decade, while enrollment shrank elsewhere. Read the full article ➔
When leaders know where to start, they can begin building strategy for significant changes. Read the full article ➔
Leaders fail students, employees and communities when they embrace a strategy of hope in the face of overwhelming evidence. Read the full article ➔
A university's size matters — mergers can boost competitiveness and student value, although they require the unwavering support of institutional leaders. Read the full article ➔
