With the pool of high school graduates decreasing, national and global competition increasing, and the need to invest in new technologies and approaches growing, many universities and small colleges alike are struggling'not just to thrive, but to survive. In this challenging environment, mergers and consolidations are often viewed as options of last resort. Strategic Mergers in Higher Education, however, argues that college and university mergers are a legitimate and proactive strategic option to help ensure success, maximize quality and service, and yield the best return for faculty and students.
In this thoughtful book, Ricardo Azziz and his coauthors'including higher education leaders who have led successful consolidations'address the many questions surrounding institutional mergers. When, they ask'and why'should a merger be considered? How can leaders deal effectively with the many challenges and opposition that a merger will inevitably face? What are the predictors of merger failure and success? And how do we successfully address the postmerger cultural divide?
This thorough text demonstrates how mergers can dramatically accelerate the goals of postsecondary institutions. The book is informed by an extensive review of published reports, interviews with over thirty higher education leaders, individual case studies, and the experiences of the authors themselves. Addressing numerous critical questions, this practical guide is aimed at higher education leaders and their boards, the campus leaders charged with executing transformative mergers, and any policy makers interested in change management or the future of higher education.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
SECTION I: WHY MERGERS IN HIGHER ED?
1. Mergers in Higher Education: Pursuing Sustainability, Breadth and Excellence through Scale
2. Why Mergers Now?
3. Mergers as an Organizational Tactic
4. Mergers in Higher Education: History and Global Experience
5. Drivers and Categories of Mergers in Higher Education
6. Success and Failure: Predictors and Metrics
SECTION II: INCREASING THE ODDS OF MERGER SUCCESS IN HIGHER ED
7. The Seven Essential Elements for Merger Success
8. Evaluating the Stakes When Considering Mergers
9. Finding, Evaluating, and Choosing Merger Partners
10. Negotiating the Merger
11. Communicating in a Merger
12. Increasing the Odds of Success: Leadership, Resources and Managing opposition
SECTION III: EFFECTIVELY EXECUTING MERGES IN HIGHER ED
13. Merging Organizational Entities in a Context-Sensitive Manner
14. Managing Institutional Legal, Corporate, and Regulatory Obligations in a Merger
15. Project Management:...As If Your Institution's Future Depended on It
16. Creating and Managing the Brand: Who Do You Want To Be?
