The cost of college has defied economic logic for decades but cannot rise exponentially forever. How can schools align tuition costs with what students want and need? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rick Staisloff to explore alternative pricing strategies in higher education. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What drives current higher education pricing models? Who do these models serve? What are some alternatives to conventional tuition structures? What would be different under alternative models? Have any institutions started to explore these alternative models? MEET OUR GUEST Richard Staisloff is the founder and Senior Partner of rpk GROUP, a leading national consulting firm supporting colleges, universities, and other non-profits with their growth and reallocation strategies. rpk GROUP emerged from two decades of leadership positions in the higher education sector, where Rick developed his expertise in finance and higher education from the perspective of public and private, two- and four-year institutions, higher education commissions, and state legislatures. Rick has worked with institutions nationwide and internationally, helping them to combine a mission and market approach to strategic planning and business development. He has been a leading voice in the development of a new business model for higher education, working closely with the Association of Governing Boards, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, NACUBO, and others to develop a new language and new metrics around cost, price, and finance for the higher education sector. Rick joined the College of Notre Dame of Maryland in 1998 as vice president for finance and administration. Prior to that, he served four years at Carroll Community College, where he helped lead the creation of this college. From 1992 to 1994, Rick acted as a finance policy analyst for the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Finally, he served with the Maryland General Assembly House Committee on Ways and Means from 1989 to 1992, focusing on education and taxation issues. Rick received his B.A. from Loyola College in Maryland and an M.A. from The American University. Rick serves on the plant committee for St. Mary’s Seminary and University and is a member of the 2006 class of the Greater Baltimore Committee’s Leadership Program. Finally, he has taught in the Executive Doctorate Program for Higher Education Management at the University of Pennsylvania, and with the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership (Arizona State University and Georgetown University). Find Rick at [email protected]. LINKS A Value Prop Moment for Higher Education « rpk GROUP Improving College Affordability with New Business Models The Bailout Is Just the Start: Why Higher Ed Needs to Build a Sustainable Model RELATED EPISODES THE ULTIMATE COLLEGE STRESS TEST THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE THE IMPACT OF NACAC ADMISSIONS CHANGES ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.