Elizabeth Atkins

Margins aren’t just a financial figure—they’re a strategic compass for navigating uncertainty. Discover how course-level cost and revenue analysis, contribution margins, and data-informed decision-making reveal the true financial impact of academic programs. With insights on why small programs often generate positive margins and why course cuts are often smarter than program cuts, this piece offers a clear, actionable framework for stronger financial decisions.

Discover how thoughtful faculty allocation can unlock greater efficiency and elevate student success. By comparing Contemporary University’s current faculty distribution with industry benchmarks, we uncover ways to redeploy full-time faculty across course levels, optimizing cost-per-student-credit-hour and boosting outcomes. Discover how benchmarking data can drive strategic, student-centered resource planning for impactful results.

Is your institution maximizing resources, or are hidden inefficiencies draining your budget? Discover how optimizing cost per student credit hour (SCH) can unlock major savings. Through a case study of Contemporary University—a fictional institution with over 13,000 students—this guide outlines four steps to reveal financial efficiencies, from benchmarking against peers to optimizing course scheduling. Learn how Gray DI’s PES Economics and Outcomes software can help improve resource allocation and drive long-term sustainability, showing how small adjustments can lead to substantial impacts on financial health.