Concurrent Sessions - C Tuesday April 15 10:45 am - Noon 1 Understanding the Costs of "Doing Business As Usual" in Higher Education All signs point to the need for presidents and trustees to make major resource allocations in what looks like a "zero-sum" decision context. Learn ways to tackle the process directly-and strategically-through an understanding of both past and current patterns of spending. Jane Wellman, executive director, Delta Project on Postsecondary Costs 2 Building a Board and Presidential Agenda for Advancement Presidential leadership, strong board support, and active engagement are critical for institutions that seek major, transformational giving. Questions of philanthropy are explored and best practices identified for this focused discussion. Salvatore Polizzotto, partner, Gonser Gerber Tinker Stuhr Br. Louis DeThomasis, president, St. Mary's University 3 Thriving Small Colleges: Little Engines That Can and Do Deferred maintenance, tightly-restricted endowments, projected declines in high-school graduates, rising staff benefit costs-what's a liberal arts college to do? Some thrive. James Martin, Mount Ida College James E. Samels, the Samels Group 4 College Rankings: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly? Rankings of colleges and universities have taken on greater prominence and importance both in the U. S. and around the world. This session will air the various sides of the debate on the use of which rankings for what purpose. Richard Detweiler, president, Great Lakes Colleges Association Lloyd Thacker, executive director, the Education Conservancy James Weaver, chair of the board of trustees, Gettysburg College