How will Willard College position its brand in the next decade? How can we high visible Willard to the premium domestic market? During a recent trip to the East Coast, I was impressed by the variety of vehicles sporting college bumper stickers. Cheryl Tina and I began to take note of the correlation between year and make of car and the type and number of bumper stickers.  It was a daunting process. Why were we seeing Princeton  on beat up Subarus and Fitchburg States on Cadillacs? What explained the University of Vermont along side Exeter? I’ve direct the Office of Media Opportunities and Relations to build a new theme, “Willard College: Making a Different Difference.” Our goals is to build brand association with the kinds of quality institutions that can diversify and build our market share.

Thanks, Henry Cotton

Dear Great Willard Faculty and Staff,

In a few months, the Class of 2017 will begin to arrive to Willard College. With all the big changes around campus, it seemed a good time to orient you to the new Willard.

When you advise students, remember that our record-low projected enrollment figures resulted in a faculty retrenchment that perhaps over compensated for the original problem. You should anticipate having difficulty locating seats for Fall semester courses. I strongly urge you, therefore, to direct students to select from Willard’s menu of on-campus/on-line courses. 

Remember, these courses offer the “full college experience.” Students can complete course work anywhere on campus without the hassles that often accompany attending what we now call the “four wall classroom.” You might also remind students that the on-campus/on-line courses come at the same price point as traditional classes. Parents and students often make the mistake of assuming that on-line is more expensive!

Sincerely, Henry Cotton

P.S. Special thanks to our new Dean of Collegiate Learning, Dr. Leo Gagnon, for his hard work in moving our on-line opportunities forward so quickly.

Dear Willard College faculty,     

Assessment Strategies for the Flipped Classroom is an exciting new approach to assessing a new approach to the classroom. I realize that we are all busy, so if you don’t have time to read the hyperlink, here are the highlights.

“Students are solving problems and analyzing information. They are working in small groups, talking together, and moving around. The instructor interacts and guides but does not lecture. In fact, no one has lectured to these students in weeks. It looks a little messy.
Some might call it chaotic. But it isn’t out of control. It is simply flipped—and it’s supposed to be that way. Flipped classes are the talk of campuses right now because they can be very effective learning environments. But with all that chaos, how can you tell that it’s working?”

Can you guess what the answer is?

Sincerely, Henry Cotton

P.S. Remember that  “all the new terminology—flipping, layering—can seem confusing at first. However, the words don’t have to get in your way. You can get past the lingo and straight to how best to measure learning in Assessment Strategies for the Flipped Classroom, a new Magna Online Seminar.”

We read with alarm news of a law suit against Princeton University. Local residents are attempting to disenfranchise our sister institution of its tax-exempt status. I do not need to say more about the chilling effect this could have on the good work being done at Willard College.

In solidarity with Princeton, President Henry Cotton

 

 

The same letters in the same order. But one is a verb and the other is a noun. Are they the same word? Maybe.

Today, I want us to think about both an action and a being. Willard is a place, with athletic facilities, dormitories, and nationally ranked dining halls and recreational facilities. Willard is also highly qualified and devoted administrators, students, support staff, and let me not fail to mention, faculty. But we are also a verb. Increasingly, “to Willard” means to take decisive action, without hang-wringing or worry.

Sincerely, Henry Cotton

Dear Members of the Board of Trustees,

Following industry leader, the previous Hesser Business College, and soon to be previous Hesser College, which recently rebranded itself Mount Washington University,  Willard College is embarking on an ambitious program to transform our institution’s brand so that it fits with our emerging redesign. To that end, I’ve requested from all divisions suggestions for a new name for Willard College. We are looking for a new name that speaks to Willard’s self-vision for the future.

This takes me to “Monetizing the Unmonetizable.”Renaming comes with costs associated with signage, pens, t-shirts, hats, name-tags, advertising, and the lost revenues that precede successful reorientation of our base to the newly renamed Willard experience. The Office of Business Operations and Student Affairs will offset these costs through an aggressive campaign to sell ad space to campus oriented businesses. Every suitable wall can be rented, whether in a bathroom, the student health clinic, or the dining halls. In addition, we will be selling ad space on all campus web servers, including that of the library.

Our students are web-savvy, and are accustomed to using social media that has imbedded advertisement so we foresee no problems with this program.

We hope to have a list of potential names to the board within the next few weeks.

As always, Henry Cotton

 

Dear Board of Trustees, Provost Videla, and Department Chairs,

As we prepare to begin to provide loans to incoming Willard students, we have begun to study the problem of collection of debts, current and outstanding. This fits with the larger set of revenue challenges that we have been addressing during the past few months

In response to these challenges, I authorized my top team of administrators to attend the annual Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities Conference and Expo. They traveled to Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida, and have reported back to me on a number of overlooked but promising venues for future growth. Provost Videla and Assistant Associate Dean Provost Stroessner reported very fruitful meetings with Goal Structured Solutions. When GSS explained how “with over a decade of experience and over $20 billion of student loans under management, GS2 helps our clients recognize increased cash flow and greater efficiency” we just knew they were right for Willard. But then they saw a sign for Sunrise Credit Services.

For over 35 years, Sunrise Credit Services has been the nationwide leader in the collection industry. We specialize in all aspects of accounts receivable management including letter programs, skip tracing, litigation, default management, pre-collect and late registration programs specifically designed for the career college industry.

In addition, Willard administrators were deeply moved by demographer and futurist Kenneth Gronbach’s  talk “Dramatic Changes in Demography and Education – Your Opportunity.” At the recommendation of Provost Videla, Dr. Gronbach has been hired to consult with Willard about capitalizing on these opportunities.

In sum, my administration continues in its commitment to deemphasize our dependence on student education as the primary source of our revenue base. Along with our growing presence as a premier conference center, our work in the student loan industry, we are also developing other new and exciting projects to diversify the what and the why of Willard College.

Kind regards, Henry Cotton

 

 

 

As president of Willard College, I pledge to fight any efforts to limit or decrease any increases in vital administrative oversight of faculty. A recent study, that our legal department feels may be actionable, suggests that certain efficiency could be made in college administration. We have heard these discussions for years, and have held steadfast in our belief that in colleges, as in public education, a robust administrative team is the key to success.

Sincerely, Henry Cotton

P.S. On behalf of myself, my wife Cheryl Tina Cotton, her son, and my step-son, Harold, my son Elliot, who lives with my first wife, and is half-brother of my daughter, and Cheryl Tina’s step daughter, Linda Lydya, and our two daughters, Tina Tina and Leslie Tina, we wish you a belated Father’s Day!

Dear Fellow Administrators and esteemed members of the Board of Trustees,

I am pleased to announce the inauguration of the first in a series of bold new majors at Willard College. Drawing on Willard’s storied medical past, the Tantric Osteoherbal Dentistry program promises to draw an eclectic and enthusiastic body of new students to our campus.

Before explaining T.O.D., let me first lay out the logic of Willard’s move into medical education. While much is made of the large number of Americans without access to dental care, the population of insured Americans who avoid dentists because of anxiety about invasive procedures is too often ignored or ridiculed. T.O.D. promises to bring high quality innovative dentistry to this under-served population.

What is T.O.D? Briefly, it is a holistic, non-invasive, dental practice that considers muscular-skeletal alignments as the root causes of cavities and other oral health challenges. T.O.D. employs body work to the jaw, thoracic cavity, and other key pressure points to help teeth to heal themselves. This body work is supplemented with herbs that are applied topically,orally, and through other means.

A walk through any American grocery store’s health food section, suggests that students majoring in this field will enjoy the kind of success we desire for all of our graduates.

Sincerely, Henry Cotton

Willard College: Your First Choice in Assessed Colleges in America