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This Story Isn't About Online Education.
It's About Leading Change When There Is No Blueprint.
Earlier in my career, I was given the opportunity to help build something that did not yet exist:
Campbell University Online.
Today, online learning is expected. At the time, it required a completely different way of thinking about higher education, technology, marketing, operations, and student experience.
There were no proven internal systems to follow and no established roadmap for success.
Building the university's first online campus required much more than creating courses. It required understanding people, identifying market demand, designing new processes, integrating technology, recruiting faculty, creating operational systems, navigating accreditation requirements, and developing a marketing strategy capable of reaching an entirely new population of adult learners.
Those challenges are remarkably similar to what organizations face today as they adapt to AI, digital transformation, and rapidly changing customer expectations.
Research Before Action
One of the first lessons I learned was that successful transformation begins with evidence, not assumptions.
Every new academic program required market analysis, competitive research, demand forecasting, and financial modeling before resources were committed.
We continually asked:
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Is there market demand?
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Who are we trying to serve?
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What barriers prevent adoption?
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How should the experience be designed?
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What data should guide future decisions?
Those same questions continue to guide every strategic engagement I lead today.
Building an Organization, Not Just a Program
Launching an online university required designing an ecosystem rather than a single initiative.
That meant coordinating technology, admissions, faculty development, student services, finance, marketing, accreditation, and executive leadership into one cohesive strategy.
Responsibilities included:
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Developing the strategic plan for Campbell University Online
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Leading implementation of the University's first online campus
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Managing a multi-million-dollar operating budget
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Directing marketing and student recruitment
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Implementing CRM and student information system integrations
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Designing faculty development and quality assurance processes
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Leading accreditation efforts with ACBSP and substantive change through SACSCOC
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Managing Blackboard LMS administration and technology integrations
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Transformation succeeds when systems work together.
Data Creates Momentum
Growth rarely happens by accident.
By combining research, strategic marketing, operational improvements, and continuous measurement, Campbell University Online achieved measurable outcomes that demonstrated the value of evidence-based decision making.
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Built Campbell University's first online campus
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Achieved a 58% operating profit margin during the first year
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Increased enrollment by 223% from Year One to Year Two
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Created scalable marketing and enrollment systems
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Established processes supporting long-term institutional growth
These weren't simply enrollment numbers.
They represented thousands of students whose educational opportunities expanded because the organization learned how to adapt.