Adapting to Disruption: Unity University's Remarkable Success - Part 1

Changing Higher Ed

In this week's podcast, Dr. Melik Khoury, President of Unity Environmental University, shares the transformative journey of Unity from 500 to over 7,500 students and a budget increase from $14 million to $58 million.

Podcast Highlights

Our Inherited Academic Business Model is Cracking Under Pressure

• Regulatory systems no longer hold up to the changes in higher education funding models post-evolution to loan-based funding.
• 75 percent of the universities and colleges that have closed or merged over the last five years were not under regulatory watch and/or warning or probation because our measuring stick does not meet the realities of the 21st-century institution.
• Academia is excellent at identifying and deconstructing the problem yet stymied by the challenge of adapting to change in processes and governance to meet market demand, even at the risk of its survival.

High Achievement Growth in Institutional Performance

• Unity went from 540 students to over 7,500, and expecting 10,000 within the next 2 years.
• Graduation rates are impressively high, alternative loans are less than 3%, and placement rates are over 80%.

Dr. Khoury's mindset for achieving those big successes are:

1. Never be the smartest person in the room.

2. Be willing to (metaphorically) take a punch in the face and not fall down.

3. Figure out what you're really trying to do.

Building a Sustainable and Agile Enterprise Model

• Building an Enterprise Model requires thinking outside the one-size-fits-all model to create a new program and model that:

o delivers what potential students want.

o delivers it in an adaptable model that lets students shift when they want or need.

o does not compromise on the pedagogy or the experience based on the student type.

Creating Distinct Independent Sustainable Education Business Units (SEBUs)

• Sustainable Education Business Units (SEBUs): structuring the model into independent delivery mechanisms that utilize centralized shared services.
• Unity currently has three academic SEBUs and one business ventures SEBU:

o Distance Education – online learning

o Hybrid Learning – in-person and online learning

o Sustainable Ventures – revenue-generating businesses that provide a real-world manifestation of our curriculum

o Technical Institute for Environmental Professions – in-person and online learning offering associate degrees and certificates

• They segment verticals and treat them as subsidiaries with their own faculty, staff, and P&L.
• When learning designers, faculty, and staff focus on the adult place-bound student, they don't have to compromise for the faculty, learning designer, or staff working on the community college commuter program, the residential program, and the like.
• It allows the creation of programs, calendars, tuitions, and service types without the one-size-fits-all confines and compromises.

The Enterprise Model Non-traditional Org Structure

• Unity's organizational structure emphasizes a balance between centralized decision-making for the enterprise and decentralized decision-making for subsidiaries.
• The enterprise ensures compliance, assessment, and policy enforcement, while subsidiaries have authority over their own affairs within established guidelines.
• Roles are differentiated based on the level of responsibility within the enterprise or subsidiary.

Efficient Curriculum Development: Streamlining Processes and Reducing Delays

• Unity emphasizes collaboration between departments to avoid duplication and ensure unique offerings in their curriculum, aiming to streamline processes and reduce delays.
• Instead of creating duplicate courses, departments "buy" courses from each other. For example, if one department wants an online course, they purchase it from another department specializing in online education.
• The approach ensures consistency in curriculum across different departments, making it easier for students to transfer credits.
• They have redefined traditional faculty roles, allowing curriculum design and pedagogy experts to collaborate with subject matter experts to create tailored courses.

Join Us Next Week for Part Two of This Podcast with Dr. Melik Khoury

Read the transcript on our website →

About Our Podcast Guest

Dr. Melik Peter Khoury is the 11th President and CEO of Unity Environmental University headquartered in New Gloucester, Maine. He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), from the University of Phoenix, an MBA from the University of Maine Orono, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Maine at Fort Kent. During his time as President, he has led efforts to transform Unity Environmental University into a sustainable, student-centric institution of higher education by focusing on three core principles – affordability, accessibility, and flexibility. As a result, he has expanded its programs while growing its enrollment and national footprint exponentially.

About the Host

Dr. Drumm McNaughton, host of Changing Higher Ed® podcast is a consultant to higher education institutions in governance, accreditation, strategy and change, and mergers. To learn more about his services and other thought leadership pieces, visit his firm’s website: https://changinghighered.com/.

The Change Leader’s Social Media Links

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/
• Twitter: @thechangeldr
• Email: [e-mail]

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