Higher Ed Innovation

The real work ahead isn’t choosing the next credential. It’s building the capabilities needed to support whatever comes next.

Why Building Situational Awareness Matters Now More than Ever

The most profound shift in higher education recruitment isn't happening in marketing departments or admissions offices. It's happening in the daily media consumption habits of prospective students and families. And universities that figure this out will be far more competitive.

It's to choose tools that make you more resilient rather than more rigid. Because in a world where uncertainty is the only certainty, the institutions that thrive won't be those that predicted the future correctly.

VUCA had its moment, at least for me. It helped me acknowledge that the world wasn't predictable and controllable. But it approached challenges from the outside in, analyzing conditions rather than starting with human experience. BANI flips this around. It starts with how people actually feel within challenging conditions: brittle, anxious, confused by non-linear effects, and overwhelmed by incomprehensible systems.

When I look at new technologies now, I always ask myself not just "What can this do today?" but "What might this enable tomorrow?" That's the question that reveals the truly transformative innovations…the ones that don't just change what we can do now, but create foundations for possibilities we're only beginning to imagine.

Embracing Rapid Adaptation in a VUCA World When I was an undergraduate at Texas A&M University, I was invited to join a small group of students to contribute to the university's Vision 2020 strategic plan . I remember it as if it were yesterday. The meeting was held in a fancy administrative office overlooking the campus, led by a prominent university administrator who shared grand visions for Aggieland's future. At the time, I'll admit, I had no idea what was going on. I did