Co-Founders, Campus Transformation Practice

Founding Partner — Campus Transformation | Revenue Share + Equity Track

I'm Jeff Ritter — retired professor, ed-tech entrepreneur, and founder of Transform Learning. I just published a piece arguing that the closure of a small college shouldn't be the end of a region's future — it should be the beginning of something bigger: a regional workforce and creative development catalyst built on the bones of the institution, serving 10x the people across every life stage.

That's the work. I'm looking for Founding Partners to help me do it.

What this actually is: We walk into colleges that are 2–5 years from the cliff — D-rated finances, falling enrollment, board meetings getting harder — and help leadership write a different ending. Not a closure announcement. A transformation: same campus, no accreditation but same community trust, repurposed into a regional catalyst that runs apprenticeships, AI literacy, small-business incubation, K-12 pipelines, and creative studios. Something with more reach, more purpose, and a more durable economic role than the college ever had.

Who you are:

* You've sat in the rooms where these decisions get made — as a president, provost, trustee, CFO, turnaround consultant, or senior strategist in higher ed

* You understand how boards actually move, why presidents hesitate, and what the political reality of a closure looks like in a small town

* You can talk credibly to a board chair, a state legislator, a regional employer, and a community foundation in the same week

* You've made peace with the fact that the era of the small liberal arts college isn't coming back — and you're ready to build what comes next

What you'd own:

* Identifying institutions in the right window — enough runway to act, enough pressure to listen

* Opening conversations with presidents, board chairs, and trustees

* Co-developing the transformation roadmap with leadership and regional stakeholders

* Shaping the practice itself — pricing, deliverables, how we package this work

The model:

* Revenue share on engagements, with terms calibrated to the long sales cycle and high contract values typical of institutional advisory work

* Founding Partner equity track for the right person

* Specifics get worked out together — I want a structure that actually works for someone fronting 6–12 months of relationship-building before a deal closes.

Why now: The demographic cliff isn't a forecast anymore. Two Massachusetts colleges just announced closures; another declared bankruptcy without closing. Of 33 schools within 150 miles of Pittsburgh, 18 carry D-rated finances. The boards that act while they still have runway get to write a different story. The ones that wait announce a closure and thank everyone for "150 years of service." Someone needs to be in those rooms now, helping them see the third option.

If this is your work, reach out: [email protected] Tell me where you've sat, what you've seen, and why you think you can help a board do the hardest thing they'll ever do.