Eight Anticipated Developments in U.S. Higher Education by 2025

Eight Anticipated Developments in U.S. Higher Education by 2025

Oceans remain tumultuous and hardships persist for numerous sectors of American higher education. 2024 was a year marked by political pressures, public scrutiny, and fierce backlash for the educational sector. The consequences of the ongoing intertwined crises (enrollments, finance, perceived worth and even necessity, and the disparity between the world's pace of change and that of higher education institutions) continue to pose difficulties for boards, administrators, and campuses. A new administration is set to arrive in Washington with guarantees of quick and substantial alterations that could significantly impact matters ranging from financial aid to accreditation to federally subsidized research and even curriculum. 2025 promises to be a testing time for many cherished models and core values of higher education. Failure to adapt and react swiftly will accelerate irrelevance. University leaders and governing bodies will have to decide whether to withstand the consequences (such as loss of public trust and confidence, or reduced enrollments and federal funding) or to embrace the situation and utilize it as an opportunity for change, many of which have been overdue for many years.

I have begun each new year with this piece, offering a hopeful, practical, achievable, and realistic approach – what we aspire to see from higher education in the coming year – with the conviction that at least some institutions will deliver, serving not only as models but as guiding lights for others. I write these reflections annually, mindful of the most pressing challenges, in the current political and social climate, and with an eye towards how higher education can better assist itself. There are recurring themes from one year to the next, but each year's list includes fresh perspectives on ongoing and anticipated future challenges AND opportunities.

You won't find any mention of AI in this year's list, or the undeniable impact AI will have on higher education. I will leave that to others (many others), far more knowledgeable, who have written extensively on the subject. Their insights, expectations, and cautions are essential.

This year's wish-list consists of 8 items, a few more than in years past, but there is much to be optimistic about for 2025:

1. We hope that colleges and universities embrace distinctiveness instead of merely chasing rankings and financial returns. (One is inadequate, while the other is overlooked.) We hope they leverage their strengths, aligning their mission, stakeholders, and audience (students, communities, states) in a unique and meaningful way. We hope they underscore their values by aligning their curricula, student experiences, institutional priorities, and investments. We hope they break the cycle of monotonous imitation that has diminished higher education's accessibility, reputation, and, most importantly, its value.
2. We hope colleges and universities will adjust their image and, consequently, the wider perception of higher education. Institutions and their leaders must be more aware of the world beyond their walls, demonstrating greater humility, and a greater willingness to change. We hope colleges and universities – their boards, leaders, and faculty – will choose to surf the wave rather than resist, recognizing that the world will not bend to their will. Swift and substantial change is required to stay relevant, continue to attract students, and provide robust support.
3. We hope colleges and universities will adopt collaborative tactics:

3a. Internally, collaborative strategies could be a new and more productive (and respectful, successful, and even rewarding) approach to shared governance. Members of the governance triad – the faculty, administration, and board – should collaborate and support one another, leveraging their respective experience and talents to manage the institution more efficiently and effectively. This requires building and sustaining mutual trust, mutual confidence, and above all, mutual respect. The lines between responsibilities have become blurred over decades for various reasons. The consequence has been stagnation in some cases, dysfunctional and even harmful governance dynamics in others. After all, the chief financial officer determining which majors to offer is as absurd as the athletic director deciding enrollment strategy or the faculty dictating plant maintenance budget.

3b. Externally, collaborative opportunities should be sought between institutions and institutional types. Regional cooperation and the use of faculty expertise, program offerings, and facilities can save money and provide students with expanded opportunities. Greater cooperation between institutional types (e.g., public flagship and land-grant research universities, private research institutions, regional publics, liberal arts colleges, community and technical colleges) can lead to new degree pairings and create new educational pathways for students.

1. We hope colleges and universities will focus on serving public needs, addressing critical societal issues, fueling economic growth, and bolstering national security. By dedicating themselves to these overarching goals, colleges and universities can demonstrate their worth, their relevance, and their significance at a time of considerable challenges and change. (See point 2 above.) There are several national commissions comprising university leaders, CEOs, politicians, and philanthropists aiming to reposition higher education as a strategic resource and indispensable partner in addressing the greatest challenges facing society and the planet, including: (1) the Council on Higher Education as a Strategic Asset (HESA), and (2) the Presidents and Chancellors Council on Public Impact Research, being convened by the Pew Charitable Trusts. We hope colleges and universities will ponder their recommendations and prioritize positioning their institutions to contribute and serve in these critical ways.
2. It's our hope that colleges and universities revert to their fundamental principles and not simply conform to or react to social trends. We suggest they swap out "general education requirements" for a "core curriculum," one that represents their primary objective. The term "general education" has been manipulated by individuals with ulterior motives, either inside or outside the institution, leading to a highly controversial and misunderstood concept. The term "requirement" carries its own load of negativities. A "core curriculum" can mirror the institution's primary function and distinctiveness (as mentioned in point 1), sending a clear message about the knowledge that the institution expects its students to possess upon graduation. A core curriculum can be as diverse as the institution, thereby contributing to its uniqueness. We hope colleges and universities make it their own and not just mimic what others are doing, ensuring alignment with their mission and not just the fashionable trends in the current societal and political context. Lastly, we hope that colleges and universities use the opportunity to formulate a core curriculum and reconsider the original intent of "holistic education", crafting a curriculum that provides substantial learning opportunities across various disciplines.
3. We hope that faculty will support their institution's leaders. We hope they cheer for their success rather than waiting for their failure (or at least for the "aha" or "gotcha" moment). We hope they will collaborate with them and not oppose them. We hope they will offer assistance rather than issue threats to derail. We hope faculty will join forces with the administration to reform shared governance and affirm its significance and importance, and that both parties commit to a cordial, productive, and efficient shared governance dynamic. We hope to witness more "confidence" votes.
4. We hope that faculty reappointment, promotion, and tenure (RPT) criteria are revised to recognize faculty innovation and contributions not only in research, discovery, and scholarship, but in intellectual property development, entrepreneurship, creative work, community engagement, policy development, and public service. We hope to see colleges and universities backing, enabling, recognizing, and celebrating all these as valued forms of scholarship that contribute valuable lessons to society as well as valuable learning opportunities for students.
5. We hope that colleges and universities will pledge to uncover and eradicate wasteful expenditures within their institutions, whether due to a lack of financial management or accountability, or due to pressure from special interest groups, alumni, politicians, or others. Although it will be tempting (and even appropriate) to utilize some of the recovered funds to close budget deficits or make long-overdue salary adjustments, we hope that colleges and universities will use a portion of these resources to establish a "permanent investment fund" that enables the institution to make strategic investments, address top priorities, and respond to areas of highest need. Even if such a fund is modest, it provides presidents and chancellors with a tool (that many have been lacking for years) to promote innovation and drive change. After years of making cuts around the edges and never having any money to invest, the creation of a permanent investment fund sends a new message: "We will always have a modest amount of funding to invest strategically, and we will not be using it to close budget deficits, nor will we be taking it away from your budgets year after year."

2025 will be a challenging year for higher education, just as surely as it will be a year of possibilities. Beyond the confluence of crises, the multi-crisis that if not started with, was certainly exacerbated by the global pandemic, there is the uncertainty of the new administration in Washington. The success of higher education leaders, boards, and governance groups will depend on their vigilance, responsiveness, and strategic thinking, their honesty in acknowledging areas needing change, and their ability to adapt to changes and craft a sustainable future for their institution.

All eyes are on higher education, more so than any other time in history. This is a turning point, with some colleges and universities poised to flourish and others struggling to survive (for now). Some will be revered as examples of how higher education can be a valuable and cherished public good. Others will be ridiculed, marginalized, and even vilified. The world is scrutinizing higher education in 2025. Change is inevitable.

Previous years’ lists: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

1. The new administration's proposed alterations in financial aid and accreditation could significantly impact the governance of universities, requiring efficient collaboration between faculty, administration, and boards.
2. Innovation in higher education, such as leveraging AI, is crucial for universities to adapt to the world's rapid pace of change, and experts in the field should be consulted in developing strategies.
3. Universities must adopt a core curriculum that represents their primary function and distinctiveness, ensuring alignment with their mission and not just following societal trends.
4. To remain relevant and attract students, universities should adopt collaborative tactics, both internally (through shared governance) and externally (through cooperation with other institutions).
5. The change management in higher education should include revising faculty RPT criteria to recognize innovation and contributions beyond research, promoting innovation and driving change within institutions.

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