Blog

Thinking out loud about what comes next.

Honest writing about campus closures, community transformation, and the future of small colleges — for the people making the hardest decisions.

2026-07-16 · Jeff Ritter

It’s Never the Carburetor

When a vintage motorcycle won’t start, the owner always blames the carburetor. When a college is in trouble, the board always blames enrollment. Both are wrong — and the real problem has been getting worse while everyone was looking at the wrong part.

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2026-07-11 · Jeff Ritter

Ten Questions to Answer Before Any Irreversible Vote

A board self-assessment for trustees of colleges facing structural financial stress. The duty of care requires a board to be informed of all material alternatives before a consequential decision. Score each question honestly.

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2026-07-11 · Jeff Ritter

The Ones Who Turned: The College That Died So the Campus Could Live

First in a series about the leaders who faced the numbers early — and came out heroes to their communities instead of defendants of their legacies. The Marygrove story is the most important case study in American higher education that most trustees have never studied.

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2026-07-11 · Jeff Ritter

Anatomy of a Closure: The College That Was Growing When It Died

First in a series reconstructing real college closures decision-point by decision-point. Iowa Wesleyan’s enrollment was rising when it closed. If your board’s survival theory is "we just need to get enrollment growing again," this is the case that breaks it.

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2026-06-22 · Jeff Ritter

Your First Client Will Almost Kill You

We built Campus Transformation to save struggling colleges. Our first real prospect is a school that can't make payroll. Here's the honest truth about what happens when your first client is also your most dangerous one.

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2026-06-15 · Jeff Ritter

A Historic Part of America's Education Infrastructure Is Disappearing

Colleges that were once places of innovation and tradition are closing at a rate of two per week. We treat bridges as infrastructure but let campuses be demolished. A national education policy framework for what comes next.

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2026-05-26 · Jeff Ritter

The Math Nobody Talks About

The decision to transform a campus is the right decision for the community. It's often the wrong decision for the people who have to make it. That's the problem nobody is willing to name.

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2026-05-21 · Jeff Ritter

Oakland City Doesn't Have to Die

Oakland City University just suspended all undergraduate programs. 170 employees face layoff. But ten miles down the road, Toyota just invested $200 million. The campus is worth more than the college.

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2026-05-17 · Jeff Ritter

Cake, AI, and the Cliff

Google's new AI fellowship pairs provosts with Gemini to "transform" higher ed. But for colleges already in trouble, AI is frosting on a cake that no longer exists. The real transformation nobody wants to talk about.

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2026-05-11 · Jeff Ritter

The Buildings Are Trying to Tell Us Something

Public schools are shrinking. Colleges are closing. The buildings are still there. What if we stopped waiting for the grim reaper and started planning the next chapter while there's still time?

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2026-05-06 · Jeff Ritter

Beyond the College: Why a Campus Closure Can Be a Region's Greatest Opportunity

Many colleges are in trouble. But a closure doesn't have to be the end. With bold leadership, a closing campus can become something far bigger.

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2026-05-08 · Jeff Ritter

What Your Board Isn't Hearing — And Why It Matters

Most boards of trustees get enrollment reports, financial statements, and retention numbers. What they don't get is anyone telling them there's a third option between "cut more" and "close."

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