We write today to give a 30,000-foot overview of Lake Erie College’s academic and branding repositioning effort, which launched with remarkable speed and intention. We want to share our positive experience to assist other colleges undertaking similar work amidst the pressing circumstances squeezing many tuition-driven universities today.
A Partnership with an “Embedded Advisor” Who Brings Credibility and Concrete Experience
In mid-February 2025, Dr. Lori Varlotta—a two-time college president with a track record of leading institutional transformation—visited campus to initiate a process that was transparent in intent, inclusive in design, and fast-paced by higher education standards. Just three months later, in mid-May, she returned to share her emerging findings and invite another round of input from faculty and staff to shape her final recommendations.
Over this short but intensive period, Dr. Varlotta led a campus-wide process that emphasized listening and learning. The repositioning effort was not conducted from a distance or designed behind closed doors. Aligned with LEC’s values, it centered on face-to-face conversations and personal interactions with the people who know the College best: its faculty, staff, students, administrators, board members, and alumni. The result was a set of actionable recommendations rooted in the College’s culture, context, and aspirations and marked by the fingerprints of many.
Dr. Varlotta had informally visited Lake Erie College during her sabbatical in July 2023 for an exploratory trip that introduced her to some of LEC’s specific opportunities and challenges. At the time, President Schuller was working hard to pave a financially sustainable path forward for the College. As soon as that path was laid, the President invited Dr. Varlotta to lead the College in a fast-paced but inclusive repositioning process.
In short order, President Schuller and Dr. Varlotta decided that utilizing an “embedded advisor” approach—bringing Varlotta in for two week-long, intensive campus visits (one in February; one in May)—was the best way to orchestrate a swift but inclusive process.
Breadth and Depth of Stakeholder Engagement
During her visits, Dr. Varlotta met with over 100 individuals (representing a high portion of our faculty and staff) across more than 25 formal sessions. Participants included:
- Board leaders
- Senior leadership and cabinet members
- Academic deans and department chairs
- Faculty—tenured, tenure-track, adjunct, and new instructors
- Staff from finance, HR, enrollment, advising, student services, and facilities
- Student ambassadors, athletes, and EQ program participants
- Coaches and athletics staff
- Trustees and alumni representatives
- Members of the faculty senate
Strategic Layering of Conversations
Every conversation was thoughtfully designed and adapted to its audience. With students, she prioritized storytelling and lived experience. With faculty, she explored pedagogy, curricular relevance, and scholarly culture. With staff, she focused on operational processes and workplace morale. With the board, she emphasized strategic direction and financial stabilization.
A hallmark of her approach was triangulation: when a theme emerged in one setting—such as questions about morale or clarity of mission—she probed for it in other settings to distinguish isolated anecdotes from systemic issues. This ensured that no single perspective was over-weighted and that trends were grounded in broad input.
Context Matters: No Cookie-Cutter Approach
As a seasoned president herself, Dr. Varlotta emphasized that Lake Erie’s repositioning must be shaped by what the College already does well and what it aspires to do even better going forward. To understand these strengths and opportunities, she immersed herself in the campus community—visiting the Equestrian Center, attending student-centered events, and engaging with the College’s history and regional relevance.
She spoke with campus members in each of these places to better understand what they saw as LEC’s most distinctive features. An overwhelming consensus emerged:
- We are a small college located just five miles from Lake Erie
- We are the only four-year institution in Lake County, Ohio
- We are a place where liberal arts can be practiced, not just studied
- We are a campus community where DII athletics and a nationally recognized equestrian program define the student experience
Dr. Varlotta used this community feedback to shape practical and highly valuable proposals and recommendations.
The Product: Strategic Framing and Recommendations
The outcome of this swift and collaborative process was a set of strategic identity statements and programmatic priorities tailored to LEC. Rather than prescribing a rigid plan, Dr. Varlotta offered a flexible framework that honors the College’s strengths and prepares it to meet future challenges.
By: Jennifer Schuller, President, Lake Erie College; Jennifer Kinnaird, Provost, Lake Erie College; Jonathan Tedesco, Dean, School of Natural Science and Mathematics, Professor of Chemistry, Lake Erie College
