Our book Transforming for Turbulent Times: An Action Agenda for Higher Education Leaders is brought to life by a collection of 15 stories and case studies that enable readers to see first-hand how exceptional institutions have transformed to thrive in the world work and learning that will exist in 2030.
The collection is contained in an online repository that will be continuously refreshed and enhanced. Over the next year, we plan to have collected 30-50 cases and scenarios in the repository. We also expect to conduct meta-analyses on these cases to achieve a better understanding of “what works in transformation” in different kinds of institutions and settings.
Our current collection includes descriptions of the transformation journeys of Western Governors University, Southern New Hampshire University, Georgia Tech, Massachusetts General Hospital Institution for Health Professions, Mount St. Mary’s University, Austin Community College, Ocean County College, and Mott Community College. We have also created the hypothetical Blue Ridge University to simulate the application of key principles presented in the book and use to describe their path forward to 2030..
The scenarios contained in the repository describe the radically changed ecosystems for knowledge, work, and learning that will exist in 2030. They bring to life:
the changing needs and growing importance of adult learners over 60-year learning journeys;
the power of technology and the importance of collaborations with technology solution providers in transformation efforts;
the transforming nature of institutions as they expand to become gateways, curators, concierges, and collaborators, not just learning providers; and
the potential for the transformation of knowledge, work, and learning to be the centerpiece of regional economic development and revitalization–and how to make it happen.
We invite institutions to collaborate with us in co-creating case studies about their transformation journeys. In the cases, stories, and scenarios we plan to add this year, we will concentrate on:
Institutional transformation stories that take a historical and future focus, describing: 1) their development pre-Covid, 2) the impact of the Covid experience, and 3) strategic thinking for the post-Covid era that “thinks in the future tense” and consciously prepares for the transformed world of work and learning that will exist in 2030 and beyond. We will include all types of institutions but will focus on regional public universities and institutions in underserved regions.
Scenarios of technology solution providers that articulate their visions for the world of 2030 and how they will enable their institutional partners to thrive by providing transformed services and experiences that meet the changing needs of the times.
Scenarios for regional economic and workforce development organizations that describe their visions for making the transformation of the knowledge, work, and learning ecosystems a critical element in their plans for revitalization.
These cases, stories, and scenarios will be made available for free to all who become members of our community by purchasing a copy of Transforming for Turbulent Times.