Learning Resources

Abstract: Integrated planning leverages stakeholder insights and knowledge to make better, more informed decisions. No stakeholder is more important than our students, which is why we’re releasing a special issue of Trends focusing on their perspectives.

This Trends for Higher Education: The Student Voices Edition describes student perspectives on four trends featured in recent issues of Trends for Higher Education. Campus Sonar, a social listening firm, collected data from social platforms like Reddit and X to analyze what students are saying about artificial intelligence, their personal finances, enrollment and attrition decisions, and international students.

Learn more about the opinions, reactions, and perspectives students have about these critical issues, preparing your institution to engage with your students in a more informed way.

Use this report to:

• Inform your student stakeholder engagement strategies
• Develop questions for student surveys and focus groups
• Benchmark against findings from your student stakeholder engagement efforts
• Add context to what you’ve learned about your students and their perspectives

Abstract: If you’re stepping into a role that involves planning—or trying to sharpen your skills—you’re not alone. This session is a conversation with higher education professionals who will share candid stories about how they got started, what supported their growth, and what they’re still figuring out.

You’ll walk away with practical ideas on how to approach planning as a skillset—where to focus, how to build confidence, and how to make progress even when the path isn’t clear. Whether you're new to planning or simply looking to grow, this conversation will show that building capacity is a process—and it’s one you don’t have to navigate alone.

Abstract: Join Jason Nicholas and Tina Dee for a dynamic conversation exploring the external forces shaping higher education in 2025. Drawing from SCUP’s upcoming Trends Outside Higher Education | Fall 2025 report (available September 15), they’ll offer their perspective on what these trends really mean for your institution—and how to act on them.

You’ll gain more than a list of trends. This session brings fresh insights, real-world context, and practical takeaways that go beyond the report. Leverage what you learn to enhance your team’s strategic, scenario, and contingency planning—and stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly volatile landscape.

Abstract: Integrated planning prepares your institution for change by ensuring its decisions are informed by realities in the external environment.

How is the world outside your institution changing? From the growth of microschools to the decline of digital platforms and services, colleges and universities continue to face an environment that is uncertain and rapidly changing. Learn the key trends and movements that might impact your institution.

This issue curates and summarizes 40–50 trends happening outside the world of higher education that could impact colleges and universities. Each trend includes a brief summary, a footnoted source, and discussion questions to help you analyze and act on the trend.

Abstract: In this SCUP fellowship project, Lisa Jasinski applies strategic foresight methods to explore what university planning could look like in 2040—and how we can better prepare for it today.

Informed by environmental scanning, futures thinking, and stakeholder engagement with SCUP members and campus leaders, she developed four plausible scenarios grounded in current trends such as AI, climate change, political polarization, and declining public trust. These scenarios aren’t predictions; they are planning tools that help teams and organizations stress-test strategies, surface assumptions, and engage in meaningful future-focused conversations.

Abstract: Integrated planning prepares your institution for change by ensuring its decisions are informed by realities in the external environment.

What are key movements and trends within higher education? From addressing pandemic learning loss to grappling with generative AI in the classroom, learn the forces and changes directly impacting higher education, now and in the future.

This issue curates and summarizes 40-50 trends happening inside the world of higher education that could impact colleges and universities. Each trend includes a brief summary, a footnoted source, and discussion questions to help you analyze and act on the trend.

Abstract: Integrated planning in higher education requires a broad set of skills, knowledge, and qualities. Some of these might seem obvious (like planning knowledge). Others may be less so—particularly expertise related to “soft” skills or human skills, like communication or collaboration.

Build capacity for integrated planning more efficiently with SCUP’s Integrated Planning Competencies. This framework identifies the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for successful integrated planning across the institution. We will provide an overview of the competencies, describe how they were developed, and share insights from competency research.

Whatever planning activities you’re involved in—whether you’re responsible for planning across your institution, coordinating your institution’s next strategic plan, implementing your campus master plan, working within your department to improve student success, etc.—an integrated planning approach is key. Join us and demystify the skills, knowledge, and dispositions you need to get there.

Abstract: Join Dr. Lynn Akey and Salvador Aceves, Ed. D. for a conversation highlighting insights from SCUP’s Fall Trends in Higher Education Report. This document provides an overview of the important external forces that impact institutional operations—it’s an essential tool for strategic planning, scenario planning, and contingency planning.

Abstract: Integrated planning prepares your institution for change by ensuring its decisions are informed by realities in the external environment.

How is the world outside your institution changing? From the growth of microschools to the decline of digital platforms and services, colleges and universities continue to face an environment that is uncertain and rapidly changing. Learn the key trends and movements that might impact your institution.

This issue curates and summarizes 40-50 trends happening outside the world of higher education that could impact colleges and universities. Each trend includes a brief summary, a footnoted source, and discussion questions to help you analyze and act on the trend.

Learn more about SCUP’s Trends for Higher Education report.

Abstract: How do you provide a safe space for authentic and inclusive dialogue while addressing a contentious topic in higher education? How do you provide the opportunity and education needed for your campus community to recalibrate their thinking when a response is needed right away? We worked through these issues in the development of an Artificial Intelligence institutional statement and department guidelines at our art and design institution. It wasn’t easy, and we’re still learning, but our case study might provide change management strategies you can use at your own institution.