About Huron

The Future of Higher Education

The successful university will be one that understands what students want, but also the deeper currents that are driving change in our society in all areas: culture, technology, learning styles, careers. The Future of Higher Education focuses on issues universities must consider if they are to plan successfully for the future.

From Campus Technology: 2012: What’s Hot, What’s Not
Four futurists give a wide-ranging view of changes in the year ahead in higher education, from technology (good year for cloud computing, bad year for Black Berries) to learning platforms (bad outlook for Blackboard and traditional textbooks) to changes in the classroom (more virtual teachers, less need for classroom lectures).

Case Study: Comprehensive Administrative Review Provides Foundation for Substantial Change at Wayne State University
“Based on Huron’s assessment, we believe there is considerable opportunity to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of several university processes, as well as service levels throughout the university. We believe we have made good progress toward a more sustainable cost structure and service oriented culture that will enable us to succeed in the new reality of much tighter funding for higher education.”
Rick Nork, Vice President for Finance and Business Operations and Chief Financial Officer
Wayne State University

From Fast Company: A New Model for Educating the World?
Entrepreneur Shai Reshef founded the University of the People in 2009 as a no-tuition effort to educate people in developing countries. It now has 1,200 students from 121 countries. Mr. Reshef has a plan to “educate the world,” and he says he can do it for just $6 million.

Global Education Insights Podcast: Values-based Global Engagement
Dr. Patti Peterson, Presidential Advisor for Global Initiatives at the American Council on Education, sat down with Edwin Eisendrath, Managing Director, Huron Education, to discuss how universities are developing and executing strategies for global engagement. 

From Fast Company: The Career Of The Future Doesn't Include A 20-Year Plan. It's More Like Four
The average time that Americans spend in any particular job is now down to 4.4 years. This article looks at several modern workers, most of them young, and their counterintuitive approaches to “careers.” The way that current and future students are thinking of the world and their places in it should profoundly impact the way universities are teaching and counseling them.

From the Institute of Leadership & Management: How Management has Changed in the Last Ten Years, and Likely Changes in the Next Decade
This review of the evolving workplace by the London-based Institute of Leadership & Management finds that workloads and responsibilities for most managers have increased, and while technology has made connecting with employees “easier,” travel has increased too. The look at the next decade forecasts managing in immersive virtual three-dimensional environments, more use of artificial intelligence, more high-tech security systems, and the ability to recharge all of our electronic devices without plugging them in (Yeah!)

From the Center for the Digital Future, University of Southern California: Is America at a Digital Turning Point?
We are increasingly reliant on social media yet the content has almost no credibility. Work is 24/7. Our privacy is lost. The Internet is closing down more of our favorite retailers. This report focuses on learning to cope with and adapt to the new technological realities of our time.