Start, Stop, or Grow? - by Robert Gray Atkins (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Sound evaluation of academic programs is vital. It drives the cost and affordability of higher education. These evaluations determine whether graduates are ready to work, sustain our society, and hand down our culture.

Start, Stop, or Grow? describes how to collect and interpret data on program markets and economics. It highlights common errors and how to fix them. It recognizes that program evaluation still requires judgment and recommends a process that is inclusive, data-informed, and fast enough to keep up with changes in knowledge, technology, society, and the economy.

This book gives academic leaders, trustees, and legislators a roadmap for wiser, more successful choices to ensure universities deliver the education required to advance knowledge and better our society.

Review Quotes

"A must-read for any senior administrator in the higher-education field. Bob Atkins has cracked the code on comprehensive academic program management. His approach is clear, nuanced, empirically grounded, and attentive to the practical realities of getting things done in a college or university setting."
--George Overholser, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Planning and Growth, Northeastern University

"Start, Stop, or Grow?: A Data-Informed Approach to Academic Program Evaluation and Management is exactly what academic leaders need right now to make well-informed program decisions and better manage their academic program portfolios. Student demand ebbs and flows. New industries are emerging at a rapid pace. Increased competition quickly saturates even the most in-demand programs. One's program mix and economics can quickly take a turn, for better or worse. Colleges and universities can no longer afford the 'stick to our knitting' mindset when it comes to the question of 'what will we teach?' Making the right program decisions is a key driver for long-term financial viability. is book is a treasure trove of actionable information that provides a roadmap for exactly that. It is a must-read for faculty, staff, and administrators interested in offering sustainable and pro table programs."
-- DR. MELISSA MORRISS-OLSON Distinguished Professor of Higher Ed Leadership, Founding Director of Doctoral Program(HELOS) and Center for Higher Ed Leadership and Innovative Practice (CHELIP), and Provost Emerita, Bay Path University

About the Author

Robert Gray Atkins (Bob) is the CEO and founder of Gray Associates, a higher-education data, software, and analytics provider. Bob led Gray's development of software and facilitated processes to help institutions make timely, inclusive, data-informed program decisions. He has led dozens of academic program evaluation workshops, helping institutions across the US improve their academic program portfolios.is work has led to millions of dollars in new program growth.Bob is an avid saltwater fly fisherman. He and his wife, Ellen, enjoy traveling around the world to catch new species--and release them back to the sea. Bob and Ellen live in Concord, Massachusetts. They have three children and a one-year-old granddaughter, Molly.