STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
TRANSFORMING
for
TURBULENT TIMES
AN ACTION AGENDA FOR HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERS
An Action Agenda for Addressing the Existential Challenges Facing Higher Education
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Declining enrollments, broken financial models, educational inequities, public dissatisfaction with graduates, and COVID-19.
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Even greater disruptions are looming on the horizon; a global knowledge, work and learning ecosystem will revolutionize learner expectations.
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Learners will anticipate the fusion of learning, living, and work over a 60-year time span.
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Tens of millions of additional learners – or even more - will be added to the global learning force.
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To compete in this rapidly expanding arena, traditional institutions will need to transform.
Create a New Breed of Colleges and Universities That Is:
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Engaged, innovative, and affordable.
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Able to curate and concierge learning experiences from a broad range of external collaborators.
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Serving as a gateway to a much broader range of offerings and experiences.
To Achieve This Transformation, Higher Education Leaders Must Concurrently Reinvent
Their Institutions Along Four Dimensions:
Digitally Transform All Processes
Academic, support and administrative; curricular reform, 60-year span; optimize student success, foresight-driven planning, knowledge-on-demand, and higher performance and productivity.
Achieve A New,
Open Curriculum
Blended options, many choices, pathways and off-ramps, shortened pathways to employment, more affordable, personalized, tailored to all stages of life.
Leverage Many Channels Of Distribution
Prior and concurrent learning, curricular, co-curricular, work-related, do-it-yourself, and free range learning.
Deploy Multiple Modes Of Learning
Traditional providers offer variations on existing offerings, rely on collaborators to partner on new modes, Marketplace Facilitators provide knowledge and learning on demand.
Transforming in Turbulent Times: An Action Agenda for Higher Education Leaders Defines A Highly Inclusive Transformation Approach For Addressing This Challenge.
The book presents a proven eight-step process for planning, leading, navigating, and orchestrating transformation. Each chapter is supported by stories, case studies, and scenarios that demonstrate the principles, techniques, and actions described in the chapter. The following table of contents describes the contents of the book.
TRANSFORMING FOR TURBULENT TIMES
AN ACTION AGENDA FOR HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERS
Donald Norris | Joseph (Tim) Gilmour | Linda Baer
ON SALE NOW in e-book or print-on-demand versions.
Purchase provides free online access to the cases, stories, and scenarios cited in the book.
Table of Contents
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Using These Resources to Achieve
Transformative Outcomes
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Chapter I - Disruptive Threats Demand Transformative Leadership
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Story: The Leadership Journey of Blue Ridge University’s President
Chapter II - A New Breed of Colleges and Universities for a Turbulent World
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Case: Western Governors University Meets the Needs of Learners and Employers
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Case: New Approaches to Curating Content for Colleges and Universities
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Scenario: The Growing Influence of Adult Learners by 2030
Chapter III - Execute Framework for Leading, Navigating, and Orchestrating Transformation
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Story: Blue Ridge University Chooses a Model for Leading Transformative Change
Chapter IV - Shape a Bold Vision, Build a Shared Sense of Urgency
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Story: Blue Ridge University Uses Engagement Action Plans in its Journey
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Case: Mount Saint Mary’s University Mobilizes the Campus for COVID and Beyond
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Case: Austin Community College Builds Pathways, Partnerships, and Resilience
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Case: Mott Community College -Impact on Learners of Switching to Online Delivery
Chapter V - Craft Expeditionary Strategies to Achieve the Vision
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Case: Georgia Tech Reaches Out to 2040
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Case: Massachusetts General Hospital IHP – Innovation for Turbulent Times
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Case: Ocean County College Transforms Strategies, Programs, and Culture
Chapter VI - Orchestrate Transformational Change
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Case: Southern New Hampshire University Orchestrates Transformative Change
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Story: Blue Ridge University’s Ten-Year Journey Forward to 2030
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Chapter VII - Transformation Is for Every Institution, Playing a Vital Role in Economic Revitalization
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Story: Blue Ridge University Plays a Major Role in Regional Revitalization
Chapter VIII - Get Started and Maintain Momentum
Chapter IX - Collection of Case Studies, Storytelling and Scenarios (Linked Resources)
References and Resources
Testimonials
An Online Repository of Cases, Stories, and Scenarios
The case materials cited in the book can be accessed digitally for free by purchasers of the book in either format. In addition, Strategic Initiatives will continuously add new materials to the Repository. It will also develop cross-cutting analyses of outcomes and lessons learned using the full-range of materials collected there. These case and analytical materials will be bundled quarterly; they will be made available for purchase through this portal. Purchasers of the book and case bundles will be notified when new publications become available.
Collaborating on Case Studies—Call for Participants
In writing the institutional case studies developed for our book, Transformation Team learned much about the practice of transformation in higher education. As part of our efforts going forward, the team wants to continue this work—broadening and deepening our knowledge—and to share this knowledge with our clients through this portal as it is developed. For this reason, we are issuing an open invitation to higher education institutions to collaborate with us in developing case studies about their own transformative journeys, informed by our transformation frameworks. Please contact Dr. Donald M. Norris at dmn@strategicinitiatives.com if you have an interest in participating. The participants we have worked with on case studies to date have told us that their participation helped them put their efforts in perspective and develop fresh thinking about how to proceed in the future.