• Huron Companies
    • Innosight
    • Studer Education
  • Subscribe to Huron Insights
  • Submit RFP
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Favorites
  • Expertise
    • Business Operations
    • Care Transformation
    • Consumer Transformation
    • Digital, Technology & Analytics
    • Organizational Transformation
    • Research Enterprise
    • Strategy & Innovation
    • Upcoming Huron Events

      View Events
  • Industry
    • Education
    • Energy & Utilities
    • Financial Services
    • Healthcare
    • Industrials & Manufacturing
    • Life Sciences
    • Public Sector
    • See All
    • Simplify the stimulus benefits process

      Find Your Funding
  • Our Experts
    • View All Expert Bios
    • Find an expert specialized in your industry

      Book a Speaker
  • Insights
    • Articles
    • Case Studies
    • Research
    • View All Insights
    • Get the latest insights and updates from our experts

      Stay Connected
  • Expertise
    Expertise
    Business OperationsCare TransformationConsumer TransformationDigital, Technology & AnalyticsOrganizational TransformationResearch EnterpriseStrategy & Innovation

    Upcoming Huron Events

    View Events
  • Industry
    Industry
    EducationEnergy & UtilitiesFinancial ServicesHealthcareIndustrials & ManufacturingLife SciencesPublic SectorSee All

    Simplify the stimulus benefits process

    Find Your Funding
  • Our Experts
    Our Experts
    View All Expert Bios

    Find an expert specialized in your industry

    Book a Speaker
  • Insights
    Insights
    ArticlesCase StudiesResearchView All Insights

    Get the latest insights and updates from our experts

    Stay Connected
  • Careers
    Careers
    Join Our Talent CommunitySearch Open PositionsBenefits
  • About Huron
    About Huron
    The Huron DifferenceOur People & ValuesMaking an ImpactOur ResultsInvestor RelationsLocations
  • Help & Support
    Help & Support
    Contact UsSubmit an RFPBook a Speaker
  • Privacy
    Privacy
    Privacy StatementTerms & ConditionsCookies PolicyFraudulent OffersLabor Condition Applications
  • Favorites
    Recent Favorites
    You have no saved content.

The Transformation Imperative in Higher Education: How Leaders Are Planning for the Future

Favorite Bookmark

Peter Stokes, Laura Yaeger

Email Subscribe Print

Amid continuous, disruptive change, higher education leaders are seeking to transform their institutions to meet shifting public expectations, overcome financial pressures and combat new competition. To better understand how they think about — and plan to respond to — the current climate, Huron, the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Georgia Institute of Technology surveyed 495 higher education leaders about the industry's greatest challenges and the steps they are taking to future-proof their institutions.

The data collected paints the picture of an industry, steeped in tradition, looking for innovative ways to create transformation-ready institutions that excel across four dimensions — shared leadership, long-term planning, data-driven performance management and student-centric offerings.

To explore the full research and learn more about the four transformation-readiness dimensions, download the e-book.

Four Transformation-Readiness Dimensions

Empowering and Promoting Shared Leadership

Planning Differently for the Short and Long Term

Pursuing Data-Driven Performance Management

Creating Student-First Engines to Meet New Demand

Shared Leadership Drives Institutional Outcomes

A plethora of revenue and market trends are upending traditional business models for colleges and universities. An institution's ability to be agile in response to this constant change depends largely on the effectiveness of its leadership team and their ability to execute on a clearly articulated vision.

Confidence in Institution's Ability to Respond to Top Market Trends

Transformation-Readiness Dimension 1:

Empowering and Promoting Shared Leadership

To foster a culture of transformation readiness, higher education institutions should invest in a shared leadership model that leverages individual expertise and enterprisewide collaboration. When key decision makers share accountability for outcomes and work together to reach strategic goals, the entire organization benefits.

Long-Term Strategic Planning Future-Proofs Higher Education Institutions

In light of the current pace of industry change, short-term planning is not enough. Most institutions still plan for the "medium term" — not fast enough to be agile or future-facing enough to be transformational.

How Far Into The Future Institution's Plan

Transformation-Readiness Dimension 2:

Planning Differently for the Immediate and Long Term

Traditional thinking and risk aversion combined with legacy accreditation timelines and leadership renewal cycles contribute to higher education institutions' reliance on short-term strategic plans. To move beyond these pitfalls, leaders should focus on intentionally linking plans to specific student needs or jobs to be done.

Actionable Data Improves Institutional Performance

Now, more than ever, it is critical for all functional areas of an institution to have access to technology and actionable insights that inform strategic decision making. Yet, most respondents note that their institutions have yet to integrate these capabilities across departments.

Confidence in Institution's Ability to Respond to Top Market Trends

Transformation-Readiness Dimension 3:

Pursuing Data-Driven Performance Management

In today's fast-paced higher education landscape, true transformation can only be achieved when technology and data are integrated across the institution — and paired with training that empowers faculty and staff to make informed decisions.

Student-Centricity Distinguishes Institutions from the Competition

One of the strongest defenses against increased competition and unprecedented change is a rigorous focus on student success. To that end, forward-thinking higher education leaders are investing now in services and technology that engage the whole student.

How Institutions Expect to Respond to Increased Competition

Transformation-Readiness Dimension 4:

Creating Student-First Engines to Meet New Demand

Leaders should think of technology as a conduit to engage a diverse range of students and a platform for creating distinctive offerings that attract target populations.

For more detailed data analysis and recommendations for fostering a transformation-ready institution, download the full e-book.

Read the E-Book
Favorite Bookmark
JS Inject Email Subscribe Print
Strategy and Innovation Business Operations Organizational Transformation Education E-Book and White Paper

The Transformation Imperative in Higher Education: How Leaders Are Planning for the Future

  • Peter-Stokes

    Peter Stokes

    Managing Director

    Contact This Expert Read My Bio
  • Laura Yaeger - Final

    Laura Yaeger

    Managing Director

    Contact This Expert Read My Bio

Related Work

  • The Transformation-Ready Higher Education Institution

    Read More

    Huron, the American Council on Education and the Georgia Institute of Technology surveyed 495 higher education leaders about how they are preparing for change.

  • 2019 Huron Graduate Survey Report

    Read More

    Read Huron's recent graduate survey report for insight into what the evolving student preferences mean for the campus experience.

  • Rethinking the Four-Year, On-Campus Student Experience

    Read More

    Designing experiences beyond the traditional four-year degree delivery model will allow institutions to better engage current and future student populations.

View All

Subscribe

Receive the latest insights and news from Huron’s transformation experts.

We use cookies on our website to provide you with a more personalized digital experience, enable website functionality and understand the performance of our site. You may review our Privacy Statement and our Cookies Policy. By using this site you agree to our use of cookies. I Accept

  • Expertise
    • Business Operations
    • Care Transformation
    • Consumer Transformation
    • Digital, Technology & Analytics
    • Organizational Transformation
    • Research Enterprise
    • Strategy & Innovation
  • Industry
    • Education
    • Energy & Utilities
    • Financial Services
    • Healthcare
    • Industrials & Manufacturing
    • Life Sciences
    • Public Sector
  • About Huron
    • The Huron Difference
    • Our People & Values
    • Making an Impact
    • Our Results
    • Investor Relations
    • Locations
  • Help & Support
    • Contact Us
    • Submit an RFP
  • Careers
    • Search Open Positions
    • Join Our Talent Community
    • Benefits
  • Legal
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Cookies
    • Fraudulent Offers
    • Labor Condition Applications
  • Instagram

© 2021 Huron Consulting Group Inc. and affiliates. Huron is a global consultancy and not a CPA firm, and does not provide attest services, audits, or other engagements in accordance with standards established by the AICPA or auditing standards promulgated by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”). Huron is not a law firm; it does not offer, and is not authorized to provide, legal advice or counseling in any jurisdiction. Huron is the trading name of Pope Woodhead & Associates Ltd.