Watershed Collaborative

I’ve been rethinking my approach to, the purpose of, and design of this website. All images in this post are courtesy of Presenter Media.

With this post, I was originally intending to roll out the new format of the Higher Ed By Baylis website. The collapse of my old website at first looked like a disaster. It has actually turned out to be something of a blessing in disguise. It has given me time to rethink my approach to, the purpose of, and the design of the website.

Unfortunately, the rollout is not ready and that makes me sick. I have no one to blame about this delay except myself. I am frustrated with myself for misunderstanding the set of instructions that my webmaster provided me related to the new process of adding and editing pages on my website.

So instead of celebrating a big reveal, I am reluctantly left with just giving you a rough sketch of what I have planned for the website. However, I hope that my enthusiasm for the new format will move you to stay in touch until the new site comes to fruition. Moreover, I trust these peeks behind the curtain will whet your appetite to visit and use the site when it is fully operational.

I want my posts to engender intense conversations about the topics presented. I have attempted to make it clear that I want those exchanges to become vigorous dialogues so that my readers and I may share our thoughts and beliefs on what we feel are very important topics.

I have also hinted that I intend to use the transformed Higher Ed By Baylis website in four ways. I hope to employ it as a research-sharing center, a distribution center, a publicity center, and finally a recruitment center.

More than 1600 American colleges or campuses have ceased operations since 1950.

First, as a research-sharing center, I will make available a database that I have assembled on more than 1600 American colleges or campuses that have ceased operations since 1950. Using the information derived from our investigations into the circumstances and reasons for their closures, Ron Burwell and I have written several articles summarizing our findings which will be available as downloads from the website.

For each of eight factors, we have a three-point sustainability scale.

Based on these results, we are suggesting that there are eight factors that contributed to the decline and fall of these institutions. For each of these eight factors, we are proposing a three-point organizational sustainability scale [Thriving=+1; Surviving=0; Dying=-1]. The website will include detailed descriptions of these scales.

Combining all eight scales generates a vitality/morbidity index (VMI) for an institution. Every closed institution in our database had a negative VMI. The question that immediately came to mind was: “Could this index serve as a dashboard “idiot light” to warn institutions that trouble lies ahead?”

In addition to my work on institutional sustainability, I am writing a number of manuscripts in the areas of education, preparation for career and college, faith development, and Christian discipleship. Until I can complete those manuscripts, I plan to use the HEBB website as a warehouse and distribution center for excerpts, previews, and chapters from manuscripts from these manuscripts.

As I noted in this blog more than three years ago, health concerns made me shut down the individual consulting and counseling portion of the work of Higher Ed By Baylis. Those health concerns still persist. Thus, I am forced to turn my attention to the production of in-person and webinars related to these topics.

The third use of the HEBB website will be as a publicity center for these programs and webinars. When I have videotapes and printed resources from these programs, the website will then be used as a distribution center for these materials.

The first version of The Watershed Collaborative was a big box consulting firm.

The fourth use of the HEBB website will be centered on a new version of one of my big dreams. Five years ago I started talking to a number of former colleagues about the possibility of forming a consulting firm named The Watershed Collaborative (TWC).

This firm was to be unique within the consulting world. The name “The Watershed Collaborative” was derived from the concept of a “watershed” as a tipping point. When an organization faces a watershed decision, its choice can make a huge difference in the future success or failure of that organization.

TWC was fashioned after the idea of a big box provider like Walmart or Amazon. By building an army of experts in all areas of operations of organizations working together, TWC could address any problem faced by our clients. I was so confident of the expertise and caliber of TWC’s members, that I was ready to guarantee that our clients would be satisfied with their results. Every time I found experts ready to join me, new health problems would intervene. Thus, I had to momentarily shelve the dream.

The Watershed Collaborative re-envisioned as a non-profit think tank focused on educational issues.

I am ready to look at a new variant of The Watershed Collaborative. This time, I am proposing the establishment of a non-profit think tank. TWC would address policy and operational issues associated with higher education. Its members would produce white papers and substantial reports on significant educational topics.

I will use the HEBB website as a venue to recruit experts as contributing members of the collaborative and the funding sources necessary to power this dream.

Please stay tuned to By’s Musings for the announcement of the exciting rollout. In the meantime, next Tuesday’s post, Repurpose or Build Anew, is the first post in the Point versus Counterpoint series. It addresses the big question: “What’s the best way to make big changes in educational programs?”

Hooray! By’s finally announcing the changes that are coming to By’s Musings and his website. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

In my previous post What Happened to By’s Musings, I asked you to keep watching for new blog posts because some significant changes were coming to my blog and website. I am now ready to unveil those changes.

It’s Tuesday. Time to publish a new post! Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The first change applies solely to the blog. I have instituted a firmer schedule for the publication of posts to By’s Musings. A new post will be published every Tuesday starting September 18.

Due to the extended absence which just ended, I have built up a backlog of ideas for posts and even completed first drafts of many posts. At the rate of one per week, it will take more than a year to exhaust these ideas and posts. So I have confidence that I will be able to keep to this more rigid schedule.

I’m instituting a strict limit of 1000 words for new blog posts. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The second change also only applies to the blog. It is a move toward more consistency in the length of posts. I am imposing on myself a limit of 1,000 words for each post. Via this concerted attempt to make the postings more concise and precise, I hope that the posts will be more readable and accessible to a wider audience.

Friends, before you rejoice prematurely, you can rest assured that I still suffer from the Russian novel syndrome that has plagued me for most of my life.

Longer reads will be placed on the HEBB website for those that want them. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The third change involves moving the longer and more rambling of my essays to the website. And, yes, I have already prepared first drafts of a number of these works. In this format, I can offer them as white papers and ebooks to those individuals who are looking for a deeper analysis and a more extended read on a topic.

By’s Musings will focus on three areas: Education, Faith and Religion, and Organizational Theory and Operations. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The fourth change will be an initial sharp reduction in the scope of topics which I will address. Until I exhaust the backlog of ideas which I have stockpiled, I will restrict my posts on the blog to the topics of education, faith and religion, and organizational theory and operations.

I will use Social Media Outlets to communicate my thoughts on other topics. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

This does not mean that I am no longer concerned with the topics of athletics, business, economics, food, health, and politics. As an idea strikes me, I will continue to think and write about these important areas of life. However, I will use Social Media avenues such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to communicate my ideas related to these fields.

The website will serve as a distribution center for resources. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The fifth change is directly related to the third and fourth changes. I will also be reorganizing the website around four primary foci. The first three are the previously mentioned topics of faith and religion, education, and organizational theory and operations. As noted above, I will be using the website as a distribution outlet for my research into the areas of faith and religion, education, and organizational theory and operations.

A circle of experts using all of their knowledge and experience to fit the pieces of a puzzle back together to solve problems. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The fourth focus will be the reinvention of an idea that I had several years ago. I will be using the website as the initial home base for a circle of experts who use their theoretical knowledge and practical experience to solve problems, and put the pieces back together to complete the puzzle.

As MLK once said, “There is strength in unity, and there is power in numbers.” One of the basic tenets of my educational philosophy is that learning is both an individual and social activity and process. If one can move the molehill, then more can move the mountain. The name that I am proposing for this alliance is The Watershed Collaborative (TWC). In a future post, I will explain the name and the purpose of The Collaborative. I will also begin to recruit partners to join me in this grand quest.

The website will promote webcasts and live events. Image courtesy of Presenter Media

The sixth change will not be visible immediately. I will also use the website as a recruiting or promotional tool for another new venture. As a result of my work in the four areas outlined above, I am in the process of preparing presentations that may end up as either webcasts or in-person events. I will use social media to drive people to the blog. I will use the blog to recruit people to an event. The website will become a repository of resources related to current and past events and a recruitment venue for future events.

I have titled the next post, A New Format to Posts on By’s Musings. As noted above, it is scheduled for release on Tuesday, September 18.

New Look for the HEBB Website

What’s Coming Next on By’s Musings and the HEBB Website?