The Business of Hope

An extensive exploration of how to successfully improve the higher education industry, which has historically been slow to change

In 1932, Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) began as a business and secretarial college, which was family-owned and -operated. It had grown into a nonprofit university by the time Paul LeBlanc became president in 2003, but it was just a decade removed from financial disaster. With little name recognition outside New England and enrollment stalled at 2,800, the university was struggling, but also full of untapped potential. In The Business of Hope, Margaret Moffett examines how LeBlanc leveraged online learning to transform SNHU into a thriving institution, with a current enrollment of over 250,000 students.

Today, universities are under immense pressure due to declining enrollment and high operating costs. As leaders search for avenues to solve some of their most pressing operational problems, SNHU offers an informative and timely case study. Featuring in-depth interviews with LeBlanc and other key players in the administration, board of trustees, and faculty, as well as enrollment and financial data, this book takes a deep dive into SNHU's "rags-to-riches" transformation through the lenses of academics, advising, recruitment, and marketing. In addition, Moffett explores the difficult realities of disruption, calling readers' attention to costly missteps and mistakes made along the way.

At a moment when the cost of a degree is rising, public trust in institutions is falling, and higher education is in need of innovative solutions, this book offers a hopeful, if complicated, narrative about what's possible when reimagining a system from the ground up and prioritizing access and affordability.