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Planning for Uncertainty: Tools and Insights to Help Institutions Adapt

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Delivered May 27, 2025
Presented by Elliot Felix, Higher Ed Advisory Practice Lead | Jennifer Marshall, Assistant Director, Office of Campus Planning | Bob Shea, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration | Justin Thompson, Senior Associate Dean and Chief Operating Officer | Ginny Arthur, President

In today’s rapidly evolving higher education landscape, the only constant is change. Demographic shifts, fluctuating research funding, climate-related disruptions, and leadership turnover are rewriting the rules for institutional planning. Traditional “Plan A” roadmaps no longer suffice. You need a contingency planning approach that will allow you and your team to be ready whatever the change is.

What You’ll Gain:


  • An overview of external forces—like enrollment trends and climate risks—that demand proactive response.
  • Insight into internal shifts—from governance transitions to evolving academic priorities—that require adaptable leadership.
  • A tour of the Campus Contingency Planner tool and how to integrate it into your campus planning process.
  • Insights from institutions already implementing contingency planning—what worked, what didn’t, and what’s next.
  • Lessons learned from past crises and what they mean for the future.

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Recognize the signals of potential institutional disruption to plan for.
  2. Explore how the Campus Contingency Planner can help you build flexible, scenario-based strategies.
  3. Evaluate peer institutions’ contingency planning efforts for inspiration and practical application.
  4. Connect with like-minded peers to collaborate on contingency planning.
  5. Designed for strategic planners, institutional researchers, CFOs, provosts, and other higher education leaders, this session offers not just theory—but actionable tools and tested approaches.

Presenters:

Elliot Felix, Higher Ed Advisory Practice Lead, Buro Happold
Jennifer Marshall, Assistant Director, Office of Campus Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bob Shea, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Justin Thompson, Senior Associate Dean and Chief Operating Officer, University of Virginia
Ginny Arthur, President at Metro State


Member Price: Free | Non-member Price: $45 USD

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Purchase includes streaming video recording.

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