I was not sure how long it would take. I was not sure it would even happen. But it did.
Should I market these shirts? Hmmm…probably not.
This week, I had three completely separate, distinct conversations about my recommended strategy for the upcoming school year. I was contacted by a University (System) Chancellor, a Provost of a mid-tier College, and a VP of Academic Affairs who all wanted know, WWJD? (What would Jeff do?….what did you think I meant?)
Note – this video isn’t really about specific strategies for growth or staying afloat right now. If your school feels it is an opportune time to begin working with an OPM, go for it. If you are going to purchase a new (better) LMS or implement a connectivity platform like Campus or Inscribe, helping your students, faculty, and staff feel more tethered, then good for you. If now is the time to cut a program that has not made money for 7 semester, I think (most) people will understand. Those sorts of conversations are indeed important, but not really the “macro” conversation I want to address today.
While I have certainly reported and even predicted facts and possible outcomes, I have not really put my recommendation(s) out there for a simple reason: It’s too political.
If you read or watch my work regularly, you have likely guessed that I’m quite frustrated by the political nature of…well, everything these days. Stuff that should not be a political conversation has been weaponized to the point that normal, wanting people are paralyzed in their decision making. Experts are only seen as credible if they also share an ideology, numbers are only valid if they support a sense of desired Americana, and accountability for decisions is passed from person to department to person to department so much that my head spins.
Therefore, if I come out and suggest that schools should do X or Y, I will likely be targeted as a conservative or a liberal, as a snowflake or a jerk, as an agenda-pushing propogandist by those who disagree with my strategy or a valued confidant by those who already agree with me. That kind of blow back is not really on the top of my needs list right now.
But again, things changed this week when I was asked, point-blank what I would do. (And as I was encouraged to share this out to the world.)
Sigh.
So, the following video (below) is what I would do as of May 12, 2020. (Yes, this will change by May 13, 2020 – all good models change with every new variable and data-point!) It’s a 20 minute strategy video that, if nothing else, may give you some perspectives from (yet) another world view. As I state at the end, my thinking and 50 cents won’t buy you a cup of coffee, but I hope you know that they are thoughtful of many, many, MANY inputs.
If you do agree or disagree, which you likely will to some degree or another, I genuinely would like to hear from you. But let me ask that you share your thoughts in the form of “variables in an algorithm” and not fallaciously call out an argument against me as a person, etc. I’m thrilled to engage in reasonable debate about the merits of the inputs or outputs, but I’m not excited about debating a perceived ideological bent. (I sincerely believe you wouldn’t know my politics anyway…no matter what you think you know…) Fair enough?
So don’t hesitate to reach out. In the meantime, stay safe and be well. And as always, good luck and good learning.