Higher education has spent the past two decades adding academic programs the way a retailer adds SKUs — stocking the shelves without asking whether anyone wants what's on them.

That approach made sense when enrollment was growing and capital was cheap. It doesn't anymore. Labor-market signals are shifting faster than program review cycles can track, federal accountability is tightening around outcomes, and half of all programs launched in the last decade produce five or fewer graduates within five years.

The next phase demands moving from instinct-driven expansion to a disciplined, data-informed portfolio strategy.

In this Next Office Hour, we'll discuss the deliberate choices leaders need to make about which programs to launch, grow, or retire, as well as how to build the analytical muscle to get those calls right. With insights from our live chat, we'll explore:

• Testing real employer demand instead of relying on job postings as a false signal.

• Weighing the earnings premium a program delivers against the debt students take on to get it.

• Tracking career mobility outcomes, not just completion, as a measure of program payoff.

• Assessing your institution's competitive position before adding another program into a crowded market.

• Building a framework into ongoing portfolio review.

Can’t make it live?  Register to receive the recording after the event.