Robert F. Davis

Latest

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  Sep 9, 2014

  Christian Education: What Makes the Battle for a Christian Education so Hard?

  Each day I take time to pray specifically for three Christian school administrators. I pray for them because administrating a Christian school is a formidable task, because their institutions are in a particular battle for their very existence, and because providing a Christian education is more difficult now than ever before!

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  Jul 4, 2014

  The Battle for a Christian Education

  Over the years as a college vice president and as a consultant serving Christian education, I have learned that understanding and exploiting your niche is central to the survival of your educational institution.

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  Apr 12, 2014

  Keeping Christian Schools Open: Scouting Outside (Part 3)

  While "word of mouth" is the best advertisement, it should not be an excuse to sit back and wait for students to flow into your classrooms. Recruitment, aggressive recruitment, should always be the "modus operandi." Actually when enrollment is strong, marketing be even stronger. It helps to protect during the lean times. Recruitment, however, even aggressive recruitment won't assure fiscal strength unless tuition, spending, and salaries, essentially the entire budget is in balance.

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  Apr 11, 2014

  Keeping Christian Schools Open: Looking Inside and Out (Part 2)

  While serving on the board of a Philadelphia college I raise the issue of a development plan for the college at a development committee meeting. The committee chair asked, "How much would that cost, you know to have a consultant help us create one?" I replied, "From my experience, approximately $30,000, but as a board member I'll do it pro bono." Time consuming as it is a development plan is not difficult to create. Development should be strategic, dynamic, and assertive. To be strategic, planni

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  Apr 10, 2014

  Keeping Christian Schools Open: A Peek Inside (Part 1)

  Morale and ludicrous were front-and-center as I arrived at a Christian school seeking to raise capital, and large amounts, at that. The faculty and staff had gone without pay for 12 months, their pension investment had disappeared, they watched as a colleague was released for the sexual assault of over a dozen children at the school, and no one knew from week-to-week which classes would be consolidated or who would be without a job.

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  Jan 16, 2014

  Characteristics of the Effective Board: The Foundations for Strength (Pt. 3)

  Communication more specifically related to board success is that from the "Audit Committee," the "keeper" of the policy handbook. It should be expected to be thorough and plain spoken. In order to avoid confusion and provide clarity of function, the "audit committee" has nothing to do with institutional finance, but everything to do with the examination and auditing of individual board member's performance.

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  Jan 15, 2014

  Characteristics of the Effective Board: The Foundations for Strength (Pt. 2)

  Characterizing an activity as formidable can conjure up frightening thoughts, but when describing efforts to construct the best board, it sets apart a challenge worth pursuing and in the end rewarding.

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  Jan 14, 2014

  Characteristics of the Effective Board: A Trinity of Board Strength (Pt. 1)

  Board responsibilities are clear cut. As owners of the school, following the "mission" helps to maintain institutional continuity, stability, and integrity. I have always found two things to be striking when interviewing a board. After asking board members about the "mission statement," which most don't know, I ask what their responsibility is and how many employees report to the board. Waffling best describes their response. Boards are responsible for establishing policy, assuring financial sta

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  Oct 10, 2013

  Christian Education: Principles Concerning Principals (Part 2)

  For any institution to run smoothly boundaries need to be clearly defined. This aforementioned scenario by design is vague. The head administrator is neither a headmaster nor a principal, but created as a hybrid to cover both positions. The initial problem is the expectation; it is too great and forces poorly advised strategic decisions to be made.

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  Oct 8, 2013

  Christian Education: Difference Between Headmaster and Principal (Pt. 1)

  It wasn't too long ago that a local Christian school without resident leadership put out the word for a Headmaster. After the collection of résumés and a series of interviews a fine person was selected and hired. All of this appears to be normal except for the fact that those doing the hiring didn't understand what a headmaster was or did. While the title headmaster has fallen somewhat out of fashion in favor of head-of-school, the job description has remained the same.