As we navigate through challenging times, it is yet again vitally important to ensure that scarce resources are being spent strategically. This means taking a data-informed approach to figuring out which of your program you will focus marketing effort on, how much you will spend on each, and perhaps even determining those whose time has come for elimination.

An college CFO who I have known for many years once said "We are very good at building things, but we are not very good at closing things down." I appreciated that comment in many ways, not least of which was that at least one of the reasons that institutions are not "very good" at closing things down is that they are committed to the people who work for them, and care about their futures.

But, after a series of conversations in recent weeks, it is clear that whether it be prioritizing, reforming, or eliminating, most institutions cannot go with the status quo. What is needed? I would argue that it is Comparative Market Assessment: What is Comparative Market Assessment? My approach focuses on gaining an acute understanding of the status of your program mix. Ask yourself three questions: 1. Which of your programs is growing and which are contracting? 2. Do your trends mirror of contrast with regional/national market trends? 3. Why is either scenario happening? You should have the answer to Q1, but the other two may require data you do not have (or at least do not regularly review). There are also critical implications for the Q2 and Q 3:

• If your reality aligns with market demand, you need to know how and where to change your focus to healthier programs. What are those programs? (Hint: almost always these are other programs in your current portfolio, NOT new programs you must launch.)

• If your reality runs counter to demand trends, you have a different problem, but not a bad one. Why is your program in decline, but others are not? How does your program differ from programs that are thriving?

Here's another reality: effective help can't be accomplished by assigning a young analyst who knows the data, but whose only institutional experience is having recently been a student. Rather, we need to leverage both your regional market data, and all the student expectations data I have generated and the experiences in working with 400+ institutions to really help set a growth strategy that is anchored in data and reality. Let's talk about how I can help... and also beat the staggering costs that are often associated with this type of work.