How Well Do Executives Trust Their Intuition by Jay Liebowitz

Author:Jay Liebowitz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CRC Press

Launching the Next Big Idea at Just the Right Time

Having launched a much-improved admissions process, the university turned its full attention to the second priority initiative I knew we must vigorously pursue: a few groundbreaking signature academic programs. Selecting the right signature program would require a keen sense of timing and urgency, given that first-to-market advantage can never be underestimated. In addition, having extensive experience and expertise around the competition, as well as the unique attributes of the students and the institution, was critical to success.

Unlike traditional students, adults return to college primarily for professional advancement, and in tight job markets that often means changing careers altogether. Likewise, universities are always in search of opportunities to differentiate themselves from their institutional peers, and signature programs offer a tremendous return on investment, when chosen carefully. To be sure, by providing students with a unique opportunity to move into or ahead in a high-demand professional field, these programs often yield significant enrollments in a relatively short time, especially when they align well with a university’s brand.

Thus, it was vitally important to identify signature offerings that were a good fit for UMUC’s distinctive combination of brand assets and attributes, which included

• A unique mission to serve adult working professionals

• A 60-year legacy serving U.S. military service members, their families, and veterans around the world

• The first university in the United States to offer online courses and one of the largest and fastest-growing online education enterprises in the world, with an ability to quickly develop, launch, and scale a virtual program to add thousands of new enrollments

• A reputable public university within a short distance to the nation’s capital

• A solid cadre of adjunct and full-time scholar-practitioner faculty, with extensive experience in their professional fields

• An extensive network of governmental, institutional, and corporate partners

• Among the largest portfolios of computer science and information technology (IT) degree programs on the country’s eastern seaboard, along with solid offerings in science and business administration

• One of fewer than 150 universities in the United States designated by the National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education

With a profile like that, there were more than a few signature program candidates with excellent potential, particularly in STEM and business disciplines that were a good fit for the university’s student population, including its large number of military students. Given its adult-serving mission and student demographics, UMUC had been among the first major universities to invest heavily in computer science and IT programs as the demand for qualified IT professionals began to escalate in the 1980s. It had also distinguished itself in other science fields, as well as in the management arena. Thus, it had a relatively broad spectrum of academic areas from which to choose a few good options.

To launch its signature program initiative, UMUC reengineered its master of arts in teaching (MAT) program to provide career changers (including retiring military service members) with a novel alternative pathway to teacher certification, at a time when there were jobs to be filled in Maryland.

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