Longpoint Higher Education ConsultingHigher Education Consulting

Longpoint’s largest practice area has focused on partnering with our clients in higher education. Our mission is simple…to assist them in evaluating and delivering services and support to their students, faculty and staff that exceed expectations.

Longpoint’s team of consultants has worked closely with college and university leaders for more than a decade. As consultants, we have performed organizational assessments and focused functional reviews in Administrative areas including Admissions, Career Services, Facilities, Finance, Financial Aid, Human Resources, Information Services, International Programs, Legal, Study Abroad and Payroll.  More recently, our practice and staff have expanded beyond Administrative areas to also focus on Academic consulting.  Our services include the following:

Administrative

  • Organizational Listening Tours
  • Department Evaluation & Optimization
  • Satisfaction Survey Administration
  • Strategic Communication

Academic

  • Academic Program Development & Assessment
  • Accreditation Self-Study Development
  • Curriculum Development
  • Institutional Policy Development

The following provides highlights of some of Longpoint’s recent engagements with higher education clients. Visit our Client page for a list of our higher education clients.

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TAKING THE PULSE…

At the request of a University Provost, Longpoint has conducted organizational evaluations as preparatory documents for the arrival of several new Deans. These evaluations focused on infrastructure, administrative processes and communication within numerous schools and colleges, while also identifying what is working well and opportunities for improvement.
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PERCEPTION OR REALITY?

Poor communication, rumors, ineffective management, negativity in the work environment….all can undermine an organization. In the worst cases, they can result in claims against the employer and possibly even litigation. Longpoint has helped clients get ahead of such potential issues through focused reviews designed to identify root problems and potential solutions.
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WHAT ARE YOUR INTERNAL “CLIENTS” THINKING?

Longpoint conducted a Satisfaction Assessment on behalf of a University’s Human Resource leadership team to quantify satisfaction levels experienced by their internal (academic and administrative) clients. Based upon the rich feedback that surfaced via the study, Longpoint recommended key enhancements that refocused HR’s efforts to be more closely aligned with their clients’ evolving needs.
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“GETTING OUT OF THE WEEDS”

Leaders often feel bogged down with tactical activities that allow for minimal time to be devoted to future planning. Longpoint has assisted several higher-education clients in successfully shifting to a more strategic focus and developing a highly effective planning discipline.
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THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE...GATHERING DATA

Expectations of today’s colleges and universities are higher than ever. Longpoint has worked with several colleges to capture student (and parent, of course) satisfaction through surveys and focus groups in targeted areas such Career Services, Student Affairs, Admissions and Technology.
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THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE…USING THE DATA

Effective organizations go beyond just gathering data, to really learn from it and put the data into action through change. Longpoint has assisted several institutions in developing strategies to address identified issues with the goal of improving the student experience.
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CHANGE: SURVIVE OR THRIVE?

As one institution faced major organizational changes, Longpoint was engaged to perform a focused review regarding potential change scenarios. Longpoint launched a Change Management Assessment process, including personal interviews with a cross-section of managers and employees. The result of Longpoint’s work was an organizational structure that redeployed existing resources in a way that improved both employee and customer satisfaction.
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PARTNERING WITH HR

As the needs of today’s college students become more sophisticated, institutions of higher-ed must constantly be ready to anticipate and adapt to be able to meet those needs. Longpoint has served as a partner with Human Resource leaders at several institutions to ensure that their employees have the ability, skills and resources necessary to meet these changing needs (e.g., identification of development opportunities, addressing communication challenges, litigation avoidance).
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