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On Leadership

A Small College’s Financial Innovations

Jeff Abernathy, president, Alma College

By Alexander C. Kafka January 5, 2018
Jeff Abernathy
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Jeff Abernathy, president of Alma College, in Michigan, discusses how he is stretching a dollar, rethinking administrative structure at the top, and using technology to help Alma and two other small private colleges pool their curricular resources. With a favorable-term loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Alma, which has about 1,450 students, is renovating much of its campus. The college has also hired a chief operating officer to concentrate on nonacademic management matters while Mr. Abernathy, whose background is as an English professor, focuses on curricular, faculty, and development issues. And in a pilot project with conferencing equipment donated by Google, Alma is working with two nearby colleges to offer classes beyond what any of them could individually.

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Jeff Abernathy
Play Now

Jeff Abernathy, president of Alma College, in Michigan, discusses how he is stretching a dollar, rethinking administrative structure at the top, and using technology to help Alma and two other small private colleges pool their curricular resources. With a favorable-term loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Alma, which has about 1,450 students, is renovating much of its campus. The college has also hired a chief operating officer to concentrate on nonacademic management matters while Mr. Abernathy, whose background is as an English professor, focuses on curricular, faculty, and development issues. And in a pilot project with conferencing equipment donated by Google, Alma is working with two nearby colleges to offer classes beyond what any of them could individually.

Alexander C. Kafka is a senior editor and oversees Idea Lab. Follow him on Twitter @AlexanderKafka, or email him at alexander.kafka@chronicle.com.

Read other items in On Leadership.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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Finance & Operations Leadership & Governance Innovation & Transformation
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About the Author
Alexander C. Kafka
Alexander C. Kafka is a Chronicle senior editor. Email him at alexander.kafka@chronicle.com.

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