Academic Program Revitalization Collaborative for University Deans
Join EAB’s virtual collaborative, starting in November 2026, to develop and implement a strategy to revitalize a priority academic program.
Academic programs face growing pressure from shifting student demand, changing labor-market needs, and increased scrutiny of outcomes and value. Identifying programs that need attention is only the first step. Deans must also equip academic leaders to make coordinated changes that strengthen program performance and position programs for future success.
Challenges to making progress
- Leaders struggle to pinpoint the right revitalization strategy when programs face multiple enrollment, market, and curricular challenges
- Stakeholder alignment can stall implementation when faculty and academic leaders do not share a clear vision for what needs to change
- Revitalization efforts often lack a coordinated roadmap, making it difficult to sustain momentum and measure progress
“We know which programs need attention. The challenge is figuring out what to change, getting faculty aligned, and actually moving the work forward.”
Dean
EAB Partner Institution
About the collaborative
The Academic Program Revitalization Collaborative helps you move from a revitalization goal to implementation.
Across five interactive virtual sessions and between-session office hours, participants will select a mix of revitalization levers and evidence-informed tactics, build stakeholder commitment, and create a clear, measurable implementation plan.
By participating in the collaborative, academic leaders will learn how to:
- Define a measurable revitalization goal tied to student demand, employer demand, or both
- Select the right combination of program revitalization levers and tactics
- Build stakeholder alignment around proposed changes
- Develop a coordinated implementation roadmap with clear owners, milestones, and measures of progress
- Troubleshoot barriers alongside EAB experts and peers
Sessions
Attendance is best suited for department chairs, vice deans, program directors, and faculty leaders responsible for leading program revitalization efforts. Each participating institution should nominate one Executive Sponsor and one Implementation Leader.
- Thursday, November 12, 2026 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time
- Define What Success Looks Like: Translate the dean’s rationale for selecting the program into a clear, measurable revitalization goal tied to increasing student demand, strengthening employer demand, or both.
- Thursday, December 10, 2026 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time
- Build Your Program Revitalization Strategy: Explore EAB’s five program revitalization levers and identify the mix of levers and tactics most likely to achieve the program’s goal.
- Thursday, January 7, 2027 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time
- Turn Strategy Into an Actionable Design: Determine what needs to change, who needs to be involved, what decisions or approvals are required, and how selected tactics will work together.
- Thursday, January 28, 2027 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time
- Build the Roadmap and Measures for Success: Create an implementation roadmap with clear milestones, owners, dependencies, and measures of progress.
- Thursday, March 25, 2027 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time
- Measure Progress, Remove Barriers, and Sustain Momentum: Assess progress, troubleshoot implementation barriers with peers and EAB experts, and identify next steps for sustaining the work beyond the collaborative.
How to participate
This service is available to Deans Advisory Services partners. If you are a partner interested in participating in the Academic Program Revitalization Collaborative, please log in and fill out the form below. You can also contact [email protected] to learn more. Once we receive your request, we will contact you with further details.
In the form, please nominate:
- An Executive Sponsor (ES): This person will offer leadership-level support and advice to the Implementation Leader as they lead the charge to implement program revitalization efforts on campus. Their attendance is encouraged but not required. Suggested role: Dean.
- An Implementation Leader (IL): This person will participate in the collaborative on your institution’s behalf. To benefit most from this experience, your IL is expected to attend every synchronous session of the collaborative and complete 30–60 minutes of work between each session. Suggested roles: Department Chair or Vice Dean.
If you are not yet a partner, learn more about Deans Advisory Services.