A Year of Change, Growth, and Momentum
Here we are at the close of another extraordinary year.
Andrew Drinkwater
When Strategy Takes a Back Seat to Spreadsheets
At too many colleges and universities, senior leaders are still spending hours each week building spreadsheets. Enrolment funnels, retention reports, financial aid summaries—their nights are spent reconciling cells when they should be shaping strategy.
When "Very Good" Isn't Good Enough: Data Quality in Surveys
Survey participation is an investment — in staff time, in student time, and in institutional strategy. The value of lean, comparable data isn't just in your own data, but what you learn when you can trust the comparison.
Too Many Targets, Not Enough Clarity
Last week you may have seen my post on Canada’
International Student Targets in Canada are Changing (again....)
The 2025 Canadian federal budget brings new clarity - and
Planting a Tree
I planted a tree in our back yard as part of an elementary school project. In the first year I made sure it had appropriate water, soil, and enough light. But I could barely see its early growth. Similarly, changes in higher education take time to ripple through the system.
Plaid Analytics Joins MortarCAPS Higher Learning Data Standard
Today we are thrilled to announce that we have joined
Scenarios vs. Predictions
Relying only on predictions risks locking institutions into a false sense of security. Scenarios, on the other hand, open up conversations about resilience, trade-offs, and strategic agility.
Mergers & Acquisitions in Higher Ed
Mergers and acquisitions are increasingly seen as tools to address financial stress, enrolment challenges, and competitive pressures. But they are not without pitfalls. Yet, when handled well they can create opportunities for students and preserve legacies that might otherwise be lost.
The Wisdom of the Crowd in Enrolment Forecasting
The crowd sees signals that may not show up in your data systems—early student concerns, housing bottlenecks, employer demand shifts. Together, they create a more balanced view of the future.