The PIE: So, you think of the student first and then you think of which partner?

TD: Yes. We’re not a vendor. Our goal is to develop long-term partnerships that are deeply aligned with the goals and mission of the universities.

As an example, I’m here in England right now because we’re launching a school of Business and Entrepreneurship at Bath Spa University and it’s a tremendously unique partnership.

The Bath and Bristol area is a really dynamic area. I actually think Bath is one of the best college towns I’ve ever seen. Having gone to school at Harvard Business School, I think Bath is even better than Harvard Square. It’s just an extraordinary place to go to school, it’s a hub of innovation and there are many incubators growing the innovation economy.

The PIE: How do you see the global higher education landscape changing in the next five to ten years?

TD: I think the United States is going to become much more sensitive to the needs of international students, and become more welcoming. There is a way that you need to treat international visitors so that they can come and feel that this is a place for them. That sentiment is starting to take hold, and I think we’re going to see an increase in the percentage of international students in the United States.

The PIE: In terms of the type of student you are trying to attract – there is quite a lot of demand for shortcuts to success but I think it’s a fine line for any institution, accepting that students want to get on fast and also making sure you attract the right students…

TD: Yes – when international students come to the United States, unlike in some other countries, it’s not a path to immigration. It is not very easy for students to work in the United States after graduation. Instead, they come to the United States for two reasons: the degree, which is very, very valuable; but they also come for the American university experience.

“I’ve observed that international students too often tend to not be integrated into the social fabric of the university”

Even at schools that are 20% international, I’ve observed that international students too often tend to not be integrated into the social fabric of the university.

They’re off on the side hanging out with people from their home country, and one of the things that these students want is an invitation and some programmatic components that would allow them to fully integrate so that they truly have the American university experience and have friends from the United States.

The PIE: So how are you tangibly achieving that in your partnerships?

TD: We call it the “signature student experience” and it’s a set of programmatic activities that are designed to help students integrate into the university community. For us, it’s not just that they pass their courses and progress to their sophomore, junior and senior years. We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to help them thrive in their new environment.

Sometimes it’s hard to be a stranger in a strange land – the support we offer is everything from academic, social and cultural to being able to answer the simple things many of us take for granted, like “what color are you supposed to wear to the football game?”

The PIE: And what’s your relationship with Sterling? Is it completely separate or do you still work closely with Sterling?

TD: I was an executive in residence at Sterling and then when I left to start Shorelight, some of the partners at Sterling invested in the company. Private equity firms like Sterling do not invest in new companies; they buy existing companies. So the management team at Shorelight invested, some of the partners at Sterling invested, and we invested as individuals. We also recently received an investment from a publicly traded company in the US.

The PIE: Is that Huron?

TD: Yes. We feel like we have a great partner in Huron. Huron has worked with 96 of the top 100 research universities in the United States and those are deep partnerships. They know what these institutions need and I think Huron could help us build better programs because they truly understand how universities operate.

“What you value and measure has to be the same thing as what the students value, and that’s what we do”

The PIE: How do you ensure that you recruit the right profile of students?

TD: I worked for an expert in organisational design when I graduated from Harvard Business School. I learned that organisational design can help people do the right thing, not the wrong thing.

If you create a design to maximise student flow, you end up not delivering quality or diversity, or from the student perspective, you risk not bringing them to the university that is the best match.  Not only is it the wrong thing to do, but it will be the end of your business.

What you value and measure has to be the same thing as what the students value, and that’s what we do.