Imagining a Future of Student Success for Talent Activation

The U.S. is facing critical talent shortages—from nuclear engineers to home health aides, teachers, and beyond. The future demands more skilled workers, stronger pathways, and coordinated systems to meet that need. Yet instead of a strategy, we mostly have hope.

We hope people are drawn to the right careers.
We hope students find programs that truly prepare them.
We hope someone, somewhere, is moving beyond platitudes to build real solutions.
But too often, that hope lives in silos—confined to institutions, companies, and states acting alone.
Hope is not the strategy we need. The future demands more.

At the same time, research universities are under attack in unprecedented ways. Budgets are being cut, stability eroded—just as evidence of their life-changing impact is stronger than ever. These institutions don’t just drive innovation—they produce nearly 100% of higher education’s leadership. And this is happening at the worst possible moment: when rising inequality and disruptive technologies like AI demand smart, sustained, long-term solutions.

Higher Education's Role Is Bigger Than Graduation Rates
Higher education has a unique role—not just in helping students succeed, but in redefining what success means in a world evolving at unprecedented speed. That means seeing student success as talent activation—and aligning our institutions with what society will need five, ten, even twenty-five years from now. But here’s the challenge: when “aligning talent with opportunity” becomes everyone’s job, it risks becoming no one’s job. We won’t meet this moment by staying siloed. The forces reshaping our future—demographic shifts, AI disruption, aging infrastructure, the transformation of work—are too vast for any institution, sector, or leader to face alone.

What we need now are intentional, time-bound, cross-sector spaces—not endless task forces, but focused, high-impact sprints. Faculty and futurists. Policy leaders and frontline staff. All aligned around a single goal: designing education that unlocks human potential and connects talent to opportunity.

Imagine being able to say this in 2050:

“In 2025, we didn’t just react—we planned.
   We built systems that worked.
   We made smart, future-focused decisions.
   We positioned every state—and the nation—for long-term success.”
Colleges and universities already house the thinkers and builders we need. But education alone isn’t enough. Now is the time to convene, design, and prototype what comes next. We need to: 

• Map the long view: Anticipate what the world will need from our students—not just today, but tomorrow.
• Reimagine the student experience: Offer flexible, accelerated pathways that let students contribute sooner and grow over time.
• Empower educators: Create teaching models that restore joy and meet learners where they are.
• Leverage AI as a partner, not a threat: Use it to expand capacity, enhance creativity, and better serve students.

This isn’t about one perfect solution. It’s about building the infrastructure for innovation- collaborative space where ideas are tested, and we stop waiting for permission to solve the future’s biggest challenges. If you’re feeling that same urgency, you’ve probably asked yourself: Who’s responsible for connecting talent to opportunity? The answer is: We all are.

This has been on my mind a lot lately: How can we work together to create the spaces where our sector prepares not just for today, but for 2050 and beyond?  

In solidarity,

Bridget