Corporate Staff Bio

Dr. A. P. "Bun" Perkinson
Collegiate Enterprise Solutions
Vice President

Dr. Perkinson serves colleges and universities in a variety of management and program areas, relying on the experience gained and the expertise developed during careers as an entrepreneur in both the higher education and private business sectors. After becoming a member of the Registry for College and University Presidents in 2002, Dr. Perkinson joined the consulting team of Collegiate Enterprise Solutions, LLC (CES) in 2003.

His 20 years experience in higher education includes successful service in three highly regarded independent colleges:

• Rhodes College, as Director of Development, where he planned and managed all areas of fund-raising and served in the President’s Cabinet;
   
• Millsaps College, as Vice-president for Development and Public Relations, where he was responsible for all areas of fund-raising, public relations, alumni programs, publications, and student recruitment, and served in the President’s Cabinet;
   
• St. Andrews Presbyterian College, as President for more than 12 years (1975-87), during which time the college’s Fall enrollment increased from 535 to 822 (FTE), average SAT scores of entering freshmen increased from 815 to 1,012 (making St. Andrews one of five independent colleges and universities in North Carolina to have entering student SAT scores above 1,000 that year), annual fund results and endowment assets more than tripled, and a for-profit subsidiary was formed to develop more than 300 acres of the 800 acre campus into income-producing assets, with Dr. Perkinson serving as its President and CEO.

Since 1987, Dr. Perkinson has owned and operated Perkinson & Associates, Inc. located in the Pinehurst area of North Carolina, which serves businesses and non-profit organizations in the Southeast United States. Since 2003, most assignments in higher education have been done in conjunction with CES and have included both broad-based consultations and more narrowly focused problem-solving assignments.

Drawing on his experience in both higher education and for-profit businesses, Dr. Perkinson can assist colleges and their presidents in meeting the extraordinary challenges they face by helping them to:

• develop innovative methods to finance the renovation and addition of facilities needed to compete successfully for students and donor support;
   
• organize properly and manage effectively the student recruitment function;
   
• renegotiate and consolidate existing debt in ways that can improve both the balance sheet and the operating statement;
   
• design and help to initiate programs to produce new revenue for the college while creating opportunities for supplemental income for faculty, staff and students;
   
• analyze and reorganize auxiliary enterprises to enhance service and reduce cost;
   
• develop and monitor a meaningful Strategic Plan and its annual components;
   
• enhance the quality of leadership of the Board of Trustees;
   
• evaluate and reorganize as needed the Institutional Advancement functions to increase the effectiveness of fund-raising and related activities.

In addition to the experience and expertise gained from his employment in higher education and business, numerous public service activities have broadened, informed and enriched the background that Dr. Perkinson brings to the service of clients. While fully engaged in his professional work, Dr. Perkinson has:

• served as the Chairperson of the North Carolina 2000 Committee, appointed by Governor James G. Martin, to develop a long-range plan for the elementary and secondary education systems of North Carolina;
   
• served as a member of the NCAA Council, a 46 member board governing a major segment of Intercollegiate Athletics;
   
• served by appointment of the Governor on the Southern Growth Policies Board, a regional agency dealing with quality of life issues in 13 states;
   
• served as a member of the Board of Visitors of The McCallie School of Chattanooga, TN, and of his alma mater Davidson College;
   
• served as a member of the Board of Directors of North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry (NCCBI), the statewide Chamber of Commerce;
   
• currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of United Way of Moore County (NC); as a member of the Steering Committee assisting the Moore County School system to assess its facility needs during the next 10 years, in preparation for a bond issue; and as a member of the Pastor Nominating Committee of his church.

Dr. Perkinson remains committed to a life-long belief that strong and vibrant systems of private and public elementary, secondary and higher education in America are essential to the maintenance of meaningful core values in the United States, and to the welfare of future generations. He views his work with colleges from within that context.