A few days ago, I began a two-part series on the non-negotibles of a successful educational institution. In the last blog, I discussed the importance of governance, programs, and faculty. Today, I will deal with the other four: finances, library, planning and assessment, and student development or services. Remember, the absence of any one of the seven constitutes a "red flag" or weakness.

Finances. What is the issue? An institution must have the financial resources to adequately deliver the academic programs which the institution offers. The academic programs must be financially supported, and the institution must demonstrate that funds exist to ensure that a person who is currently enrolled will be able to complete his/her degree program. Accredited institutions are required to have an annual, external financial audit. The institution must have a history and track record of positive change in net assets. This is a way of saying that the institution should not have a history of deficits. Assets should be growing. Debt should be avoided or systematically reduced. The whole idea is that an institution must demonstrate financial stability. The United States Department of Education has ratios of financial stabilty and NACUBO (National Associaton of College and University Business Officers) has ratios that indicate the financial health of an institution. The requirement for financial stability highlights the need for the President or an Advancement staff to aggressively fundraise for the institution. A financial development plan is absolutely essential. You cannot deliver programs, hire faculty and staff, and provide a library without adequate resources.

Library. The bottom line here is that an institution must provide a library collection that supports the curriculum offered. A collection consists of physical books on shelves, full-text data bases, and journals as well as a qualified and credentialed librarian. A collection can be supplemented but not replaced with memberships in consortiums and interlibrary loan agreements. A library collection must be provided for online students as well. The key is access. I hear the question often - do I have to have a library? The answer is absolutely. Another question is why do I need a library with Internet? Internet is limited in its support of an academic curriculum. Institutions must have full-text data bases that support the curriculum. Obviously, this discussion has a connection to finances. Finances must be provided that provide for a library collection that supports the curriculum.

Planning and Assessment. All of higher education is currently emphasizing the importance of institutional effectiveness which includes the twin aspects of strategic planning and assessment. Strategic planning involves the articulation of a vision for the institution over a five-year period of time. A question that I often ask Boards of Trustees is "what is your strategic vision for this institution?" "What do you want this institution to look like in five years - what programs, what facilities, what faculty, what technology, what enrollment, etc., do you project and anticipate?" As the Bible states without a vision the people perish. Institutions must have a sense of direction that is consist with the institutional mission and objectives.

Most of our institutions have noble goals and learning objectives. Our Bible colleges, Christian liberal arts colleges and universities, and seminaries are involved in the greatest ministry in the world. We want to education effectively. Assessment allows us to demonstrate that we are effective and that our students are learning. This is the accoutability piece which is a very biblical concept. Data is provided that allows us plan and budget. Do we just operate on a day-to-day basis without any real sense of where we are going?

Student Development. An institution must provide services that result in the total development of every student regardless of delivery system. What is our institution doing that impacts spiritual development, mental development, physical development, and social development? This is a basic question. How would we describe a successful graduate of one of our institutions?

Again, successful institutions demontrate excellence, effectiveness, and strength in governance, academic programs, faculty, finances, library, planning and assessment, and student development! Emphasize what matters and what is core to our institutions. How effective is your educational institution and what is its prognosis for survival?