Focus Keyphrase: Business Mindset in Higher Education
In recent years, higher education has faced seismic shifts—demographic changes, rising costs, and evolving expectations. To navigate these forces and remain relevant, institutions must begin to think—and act—more like businesses. A business mindset in higher education is no longer optional; it’s essential.
Colleges can no longer depend solely on government aid and tuition. For example, state and local governments contributed just 8.5% of their general budgets to higher ed in 2021 (Urban Institute). To remain sustainable, every department must be viewed as a potential value generator—not just a cost center.
Institutions that embrace a composable business model—modular, agile, and outcome-driven—can better adapt to change. This is vital, especially as colleges collectively brought in $993 billion in 2020–21, up 33% from the year before (NCES).
By streamlining operations and standardizing processes through SOPs, institutions can enhance performance and reduce redundancy. Consider this: private nonprofit universities now cost over $58,000 per year per student, with tuition alone making up $38,000 (EducationData).
Optimizing back-end systems frees up resources for academic investments and improves the student experience.
Institutions must foster a culture of innovation. Encouraging experimentation through task forces and cross-functional teams unlocks creative problem-solving. This mindset is critical as higher ed faces volatile enrollment patterns—like a 2.5% undergrad bump in Spring 2024 offset by freshman declines (NSC Research Center).
Business-oriented thinking means identifying and responding to “customers”—in this case, students and the market. Institutions should prioritize relevant, career-aligned programs and flexible learning formats. Given tuition’s 4.04% compound growth since 2000, value and relevance matter more than ever (EducationData).
Academic missions don’t have to conflict with financial objectives. Strategic partnerships can fuel R&D—like the $108 billion spent on higher ed research in 2023 (NSF). A leaner, more focused structure helps institutions double down on their purpose while remaining financially resilient.
“Higher ed isn’t abandoning its mission—it’s refining how it sustains it.”
—Pintail Solutions
At Pintail Solutions, we help colleges and universities align their missions with market dynamics. Whether it’s financial transformation, operational strategy, or student experience design, we partner to build sustainable institutions ready for the future.
Jason Bork is the President and Founder of Pintail Solutions, a management advisory firm helping organizations drive partner growth and deploy new business strategies. He also serves as Chief Operating Officer at the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation, where he advances initiatives that accelerate Alzheimer’s research. With more than 20 years of corporate leadership experience across R&D, project and alliance management, and client services, Jason has led global teams of nearly 400 people and guided organizations through transformative change. A graduate of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, he is known for his integrity-driven leadership, collaborative style, and passion for mentoring future leaders.
Pintail Solutions is a niche management advisory firm focused on enabling overall project and portfolio delivery, developing and deploying new business strategies, and delivering construction projects across life science organizations.
