About Dr. Mike Sparrow
Who is Dr. Mike?
Mike is fond of telling students and clients that you cannot replicate his career trajectory and nor would you want to try. Community college drop-out, Navy veteran, award-winning college administrator, and tenure-track doctoral faculty are but a few titles that Mike has had through the years. These varied and unorthodox experiences have led Mike to theorize about and problem solve in higher education in unusual ways but always with an eye toward "what will this solution ultimately mean for our students?"
Mike is a product of community colleges, restarting his academic career after 8 years in the Navy at Norwalk Community College and Northampton Community College before transferring to Lafayette College, where he earned an AB in History and Government and Law. Mike also earned an MA in American History at the University of Delaware, a MSL in Jurisprudence at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership at Northeastern University.
Mike is also an avid runner who has run more than 10,000 miles in his life, but since he usually ends his runs where he starts them, he has actually gone nowhere despite thousands of hours of sweating, huffing, and cursing. He is confident there's a metaphor for higher education administration in there somewhere.
Mike is a huge sports fan who loves the Penguins, Bears, Phillies, and Sixers. He is also, as a product of the 90s, a huge grunge fan, particularly Pearl Jam, and he has the flannel to prove it. He lives in eastern Pennsylvania with his wife, 2 kids, and a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Izzy.
Experienced Educator and Higher Education Leader
Mike has more than 2 decades of higher education experience in both faculty and administration. He has taught history, criminal justice, college success, and education courses at the community college and university level, and he currently teaches graduate level higher education courses and researches problems to thorny educational issues as an assistant professor at Morgan State University.
He is also an award winning administrator who was a cabinet-level leader, and he has direct experience in orientation, tutoring, academic coaching, retention programs, and enrollment services. His varied and deep higher education experiences helps him craft solutions that are results-focused and account for institutional cultures and missions.
Dr. Sparrow's research has appeared in numerous domestic and international education journals. He predominately writes about enrollment management and student success strategies, often in the community college context. Dr. Sparrow is also a member of an editorial board on a national higher education journal., and he has served as a Primary Investigator on grant-funded projects focused on helping college students acclimate and succeed in college-level work and life. In all of his efforts, Dr. Sparrow focuses on practical solutions to the nuanced challenges facing institutions today.
Institutional Services Provided by Dr. Mike
Community College Enrollment Consulting
"Enrollment is everyone's business." You likely have heard this cliche many times, but how can you take this idea and put it into practice? Are you looking to break down barriers or silos? Identifying unproductive policies and approaches? Areas of collaboration across departments? As a former community college enrollment dean, I can help!
Retention/ Academic Support Consulting
Getting students into and through the enrollment funnel is hard enough, but how do you keep them engaged and progressing through their academic programs? Leveraging my more than a decade of experience in student support programming in both Student and Academic Affairs, I can help campus leaders audit current efforts, identify gaps in programming, and craft new programs designed to best support student efforts.
Strategic Planning Consulting
Strategic Planning Consulting
Strategic Planning Consulting
In many cases, strategic plans are documents that leaders spend 12 months writing and 3 years ignoring. Do you want a strategic plan that is thoughtful, actionable, and measurable? I have written strategic plans and taught strategic planning at the doctoral level, and I know how to work with leadership teams to build actionable strategic plans that reflect current realities and future aspirations.
Speaking Engagements/Keynotes
Strategic Planning Consulting
Strategic Planning Consulting
Are you looking to provoke thought on your campus? Bring professional development to your staff and faculty? I can deliver talks based on my research and published articles, or I can craft tailored talks based on the needs of your campus or organization for a fraction of the cost of sending your team or department to a conference. I blend research with practical wisdom gleaned from a long career in administration so participants leave with actionable insights that they can implement in their roles immediately.
Unlock Your Potential with Dr. Mike: Individual Services
Job Search Consulting
Job Search Consulting
Job Search Consulting
Do you have a 5-year professional plan? What's your next step? Your ultimate professional goal? If you aren't thinking about the next role today, you will be unprepared to apply for it tomorrow. I work with clients to identify where they are, where they want to go, and how to get there. Let's get from hoping and wishing to planning and acting.
Resume/CV Consulting
Job Search Consulting
Job Search Consulting
I have chaired more than a dozen searches and served as a search committee member on countless others. A clear CV and a strong, tailored cover letter mapped to the job posting can be the difference between making the short list of applicants getting interviews or being cast into the dreaded maybe or no pile. I can help write and/or edit cover letters and CVs that get noticed by search committees.
Professional Coaching
Doctoral Study Coaching
Doctoral Study Coaching
Are you unclear about your future goals? Maybe you are dissatisfied in your current role and don't know how to best prepare yourself for the next position? Perhaps you have a challenging supervisor, a troublesome report, or a department/division that's adrift. I can help talk through the situation, identify the core issue, and craft a thoughtful response and solution, not a reaction.
Doctoral Study Coaching
Doctoral Study Coaching
Doctoral Study Coaching
Doctoral programs are notoriously difficult to complete. Two years of course work, comprehensive exams, and, of course, the dissertation. Whether you are looking for someone to help you build effective mindsets, connect coursework with your professional work, or conceptualize a dissertation, my experience in doctoral faculty can help you.