In Inside Higher Ed, Chabotar Outlines Mistakes Made in Economic Downturns

President Kent Chabotar, in his second column for Inside Higher Ed in four months, outlined the seven classic mistakes colleges and universities make during economic downturns.

He said, "When confronting economic turmoil, the demands of short-term crisis control can overwhelm colleges and universities," pointing out that institutions may meet immediate needs at the expense of long-term sustainability.

Chabotar listed the seven classic mistakes as:

  1. Forgetting danger signs.
  2. Not considering all budget options.
  3. Thinking that bigger is always better.
  4. Not managing the crisis.
  5. Not properly involving the board.
  6. Confusing strategy and tactics.
  7. Not asking the right questions.

He stated, "The current crisis will subside as the economy inevitably swings between boom and bust and the financial markets fluctuate between bull and bear. It would be tragic if higher education did not learn from our mistakes and apply these lessons both now and the next time that the economy falters."

In February, the president wrote a column for Inside Higher Ed entitled "Using Quaker Principles to Budget in Tough Times."

In April, he was the featured presenter in an Inside Higher Ed audio conference on the topic of "Mistakes Colleges Make in Economic Downturns and How to Avoid Them."

He has written about higher education issues for The Chronicle of Higher Education and addressed the economic crisis at national conferences or Webinars of the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities, Association of Science-Technology Centers, Council of Independent College and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

June 9, 2009