Higher Education Strategic Advisory & Leadership Consulting
Some decisions deserve another perspective.
Higher education leaders are expected to make consequential decisions quickly, often while managing competing priorities, limited capacity, organizational complexity and constant change.
Solve provides direct access to experienced higher education leaders who can help you clarify priorities, evaluate tradeoffs, work through difficult decisions and determine what needs to happen next.
Think of us as an extension of your leadership capacity: senior-level counsel that can be brought in when you need perspective, additional strategic horsepower or a trusted thought partner outside the institution.
This is not traditional executive coaching, and it is not an agency account model. You work directly with senior practitioners who understand higher education and can move quickly from discussion to practical recommendations.
Why Solve?
We’ve led large teams, managed multimillion-dollar budgets, advised presidents and navigated decisions that affected people, priorities and entire institutions. We know that the right answer on paper isn’t always the right answer for the organization.
That experience helps us get beyond the surface of a problem. We understand how institutional culture, competing interests, limited resources and organizational dynamics shape what’s possible.
You work directly with senior practitioners who will ask thoughtful questions, challenge assumptions and tell you what we think, even when it’s not what you expected to hear.
SERVICES
Where we focus
Not every decision has an obvious right answer. Sometimes you’re choosing between competing priorities, limited resources and options that all come with consequences.
We help college and university leaders evaluate tradeoffs, challenge assumptions and work through complex decisions involving marketing, enrollment, communications, staffing and institutional strategy. You get an experienced, independent perspective while keeping the decision where it belongs: with you.
A leadership transition can change the expectations, relationships and priorities around you almost overnight. That’s true whether you’re stepping into a new role, welcoming a new president or navigating changes elsewhere in the institution.
We provide strategic advisory support during higher education leadership transitions, helping leaders assess priorities, understand stakeholder expectations, build relationships and make thoughtful decisions about what comes next.
At the Cabinet level, functional expertise is only part of the job.
Leaders must connect their work to institutional priorities, navigate cross-functional relationships, communicate effectively with presidents and peers and make decisions with implications well beyond their own division.
Solve provides a confidential sounding board for working through those challenges.
An organizational chart can tell you who reports to whom. It won’t necessarily tell you why decisions take three meetings, responsibilities overlap or good ideas struggle to move forward.
We advise higher education leaders on organizational design, staffing, governance, reporting structures and change management. Whether you’re considering a major reorganization or more targeted improvements, we help you weigh the options, anticipate consequences and plan for implementation.
When enrollment goals are ambitious, marketing budgets are stretched and everyone has a theory about what needs to change, an experienced outside perspective can help.
We provide strategic counsel on higher education marketing and enrollment strategy, brand positioning, recruitment investments, communications and organizational effectiveness. We help leaders evaluate recommendations, pressure-test plans and decide where to focus their attention and resources.
Sometimes the challenge isn’t knowing what needs to happen. It’s finding the time and leadership capacity to make it happen while everything else keeps moving.
We provide additional strategic support during leadership vacancies, major initiatives, reorganizations and other demanding periods. Whether you need help setting priorities, coordinating decisions or keeping an important initiative moving, we can provide experienced support without adding another permanent position.
What strategic advisory can look like
Sometimes you need a sounding board. Sometimes you need another set of hands.
Strategic advisory looks different depending on the challenge. A president may need an independent assessment of a proposed marketing reorganization. A new vice president may want help building a new division. An experienced CMO may need someone to pressure-test a decision before taking it to Cabinet.
Our advisory engagements can include:
Regular conversations to work through strategic decisions and priorities.
Independent reviews of marketing, enrollment and communications plans.
Counsel on organizational structure, staffing, budgets and resource allocation.
Guidance during leadership transitions and organizational change.
Preparation for difficult conversations, presentations and Cabinet discussions.
Support evaluating proposals, recommendations and strategic investments.
Help establishing priorities and maintaining momentum during demanding periods.
Leadership coaching and mentoring for higher education executives.
Some partnerships focus on a particular decision or challenge. Others involve ongoing strategic counsel. We structure the relationship around what’s useful, not a predetermined package.
Common questions
How is strategic advisory different from hiring an interim or fractional CMO?
An interim or fractional chief marketing officer typically assumes responsibility for leading some or all of an institution’s marketing function. That might include supervising staff, managing priorities, overseeing budgets and participating in executive leadership discussions.
A strategic advisor works alongside existing leadership rather than taking over the function. Solve provides independent counsel, helps leaders evaluate options, reviews plans and supports decision-making without becoming part of the institution’s management structure.
Both approaches can be valuable. The right choice depends on whether your institution needs someone to lead the work or help its leaders make better decisions.
Can strategic advisory be an ongoing relationship?
Yes. Some institutions engage Solve for a particular decision, organizational challenge or leadership transition. Others benefit from regular access to experienced counsel over several months.
Ongoing relationships allow us to develop a deeper understanding of your institution, its priorities and the challenges you’re navigating. Engagements are structured around the level of support you need rather than a fixed consulting package.
Let’s talk through what’s on your mind.
Whether you’re weighing a difficult decision, navigating organizational change or considering what comes next, we can offer an experienced perspective.
You don’t need to have all the answers before we talk. Sometimes figuring out the right questions is the most valuable place to start.