Optimizing Academic Portfolios: Integrating Mission, Market, and Margin

The Casagrande Institute for Higher Education Effectiveness provides specialized consulting services that help colleges and universities realign their academic offerings with institutional mission, student demand, and financial reality. Our Academic Program Mix Analysis distills complex enrollment, cost, and revenue data into a clear, actionable roadmap—empowering leaders to safeguard resources, nurture high-value programs, and reshape or sunset offerings that no longer serve students or the institution.

The Importance of Academic Program Mix Evaluation

Demographic shifts, intensified competition, and heightened accountability place unprecedented pressure on academic portfolios. Programs that once fueled growth can quietly erode margins, while emerging disciplines may create new pathways if recognized early. A disciplined, data-informed review of program cost, demand, and strategic fit equips presidents, provosts, and faculty to understand where surplus is generated, where resources are absorbed, and how mission-critical and revenue-positive programs can coexist in balance

 

Our Unique Approach

Comprehensive Financial Analysis

We begin with course-level modeling of costs, revenues, and margins across general education and major-specific offerings, revealing the true contribution (or draw) of every program.

Dual-Lens Demand Assessment

By examining both prospective-student interest and recent graduate output, we capture how enthusiasm for each field evolves from application to completion.

Action-Oriented Recommendations

Findings translate into clear options to streamline low-demand, high-cost programs; refine high-cost but mission-essential offerings; and reinvest in areas where student interest and financial performance converge.

Collaborative Engagement

Throughout the process we engage faculty, department chairs, and administrators, ensuring transparency and shared ownership of the analysis and its implications.

 

What Sets Us Apart

Decades of Sector Experience

Our team blends academic leadership, finance, and evaluation expertise, offering pragmatic insight rooted in real-world decision-making.

Holistic Perspective

Mission alignment, market realities, and margin considerations are integrated rather than siloed.

Data-Informed Solutions

Objective analytics underlie every recommendation, turning raw data into measurable outcomes.

Proven Track Record

Institutions nationwide have used our analyses to right-size portfolios, redirect resources, and launch high-impact programs.

 

Our Comprehensive Process

Phase	Activities	Typical Duration*
Initial Consultation	Clarify goals, data availability, and stakeholder expectations	1 week
Data Collection	Partner with institutional data teams to gather two years of academic and financial data	2 weeks
Analysis	Conduct course- and program-level cost modeling, enrollment trend analysis, and program-mix matrix creation	4 weeks
Institutional Review	Present preliminary findings to campus experts for validation and refinement	2 weeks
Final Report & Roadmap	Deliver a comprehensive report with prioritized recommendations, KPIs, and implementation timelines	1 week
Ongoing Support (optional)	Coaching, progress check-ins, and refresh analyses as the market evolves	As needed

*Timelines may adjust based on data complexity and institutional scope.

 

Benefits to Your Institution

• Clear, evidence-based portfolio decisions

• Strategic resource allocation that aligns mission and margin

• Improved net margins to support institutional priorities

• Campus-wide consensus built on transparent, objective data

 

Ready to optimize your academic program mix for a sustainable future?

Let's start a conversation about your program portfolio.

David J. Bauer, Ph.D.
Director
Casagrande Institute for Higher Education Effectiveness
djbauer@viterbo.edu