Our Approach

Rather than emphasizing the differences and “silos” in higher education, we focus on learning as an integrated, institution-wide activity; the principal of the firm, Dr. Keeling, had the unique role of being the only person who was simultaneously a tenured faculty member and a senior student affairs administrator at both the University of Virginia and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

• We are thoughtful, reflective, and practical.
• We do not hesitate to address difficult issues and we do not avoid hard questions.
• We balance respect for what is unique and inspiring about each institution of higher education with knowledge of what has worked well for other colleges and universities.
• We make our claims and base our conclusions on good evidence; our recommendations emerge naturally and logically from our observations.
• We work hard to ensure that changes we recommend are sensible, meaningful, and possible.
• We enjoy our work and recognize the privilege we have as consultants; we are grateful for the confidence that creates that privilege.
• We value the strong relationships and friendships we have developed with our clients.
• We do not offer a formulaic or “out of the box” approach to any project; we do not template our work, and the ability to take a cross-institutional perspective based in actual campus experience is unique to K&A.
• We blend the knowledge, experience, and skills of our senior consultants who are accomplished scholars, teachers, and administrators; working together as an ensemble, we bring a diversity of perspectives but share a common purpose.
• In any project, a team of senior consultants and professional staff collaborates and adapts all of our intellectual assets and resources to fit the needs of the client.