Learning Resources

Abstract: In the first of two keynotes focusing on higher education’s “perfect storm”—the confluence of a global pandemic, financial crisis, shifting demographics, and a changing culture—a cross-disciplinary panel will speak to their current challenges in opening their campuses this fall, whether it be in-person, virtually, or in a hybrid capacity. The unique timing of this conference allows for sharing early lessons learned only weeks into the start of the academic year. Join us to find out which strategic and integrated planning frameworks your peers are using to guide their actions in navigating the most pressing issues of October 2020.

Abstract: The pace of change is getting faster, and it’s getting harder to anticipate what the future holds—and how your institution can prepare. Scenario planning can help your institution plan for a volatile and uncertain future. Scenario planning uses today’s forces and trends to imagine probable futures and what they could mean for your institution. It’s a flexible process that can inform your institution’s regular planning processes or be used as part of recovery planning in response to disruptions or catastrophic events.

An Integrated Approach to Scenario Planning is a toolkit that will walk you step-by-step through scenario planning. It includes instructions, examples, and blank worksheets that you can use to start scenario planning at your institution immediately. Don’t let your college or university get blindsided. Download your copy and prepare for the future.

Abstract: The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) is implementing its Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) to transform the physical environment into a premier destination for students, patients, faculty, staff, and the community. While this vision remains intact, the pandemic has tested campus resiliency. We will share how UCSD is navigating the fall semester and its overall vision for the campus, including opening a living and learning neighborhood to enhance student life and success in the midst of the pandemic. Come learn about this project’s guiding principles, research-based design, lessons learned, and best practices for adapting to a changing environment.

Abstract: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, institutions have been making pedagogical changes that will impact the long-term future of higher education. This session will explore how institutions can move away from “crisis teaching” and towards a mindfully-redesigned and thoughtfully-delivered curriculum spanning a range of models, from virtual to hybrid to in-person learning. Institutions must quickly adapt their curricula in order to provide quality education in a post-COVID era. Come learn how you can prepare your institution to meet current needs and future challenges in learning through sharing ideas and experiences with your peers.

Abstract: Institutions are adapting their strategic plans, layering the impacts of technology, and thinking towards the future during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to provide students with a quality education, institutions must learn, test, and implement changes quickly. This session will explore the core issues, challenges, and opportunities that are shaping higher education and uncover the breadth of adaptation that institutions must undertake in this time of disruption. Come learn how to better prepare to meet your institution’s current needs and future challenges by sharing implementable ideas and insights with your peers.

Abstract: Freeman A. Hrabowski III has led a transformation of UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) from a young, regional institution to an innovative research university. In our opening keynote, he discusses his new book, The Empowered University, which probes the ways in which an empowering culture and shared leadership enable a campus to tackle tough issues when times are good and manage challenges when crises emerge. He discusses how—by taking a hard look in the mirror, understanding strengths and weaknesses, assessing opportunities and challenges, and engaging in difficult conversations—an empowered campus can innovate in course redesign, group-based and experiential learning, entrepreneurship and civic engagement, academic inclusion, and faculty diversity.

Abstract: While the pandemic pivot saw institutions racing to embrace new technologies on the fly, the lasting effects of COVID-19 have given rise to a new way of planning ahead and embracing the ability to see changing requirements as opportunities. Hear how Grand Valley’s Loren Rullman frames the changes to student life with the word “more”—more technology, more options, more outside-the-box thinking, and more action and cultural change—as we look ahead to the transformation of campuses for fall and beyond.

Abstract: As a campus built on standards of social justice and experiential learning, Roger Williams University used COVID-19 as an opportunity to think creatively about ways to serve its community.

True to its inclusive mission, the school showed its character throughout the crisis and its planning, coming up with personal ways to connect with prospective families, support off-campus communities, and open pathways to learning.