The Transformative Power of Connection, Inspiration, and Action

We know higher education must evolve to meet the needs of tomorrow’s students while navigating a barrage of challenges today. While strategy, innovation, and bold leadership often get the headlines, the true determinant of success often unfolds quietly in the background: the human element—energy, inspiration, and motivation. At the 2024 UIA National Summit, one truth became clear: burnout and disconnection stall innovation and change, while energy and inspiration propel them forward.
 
Morale and motivation aren’t “nice-to-haves” or luxuries we can’t afford to prioritize. They are the critical fuel for the engines of change. When people feel energized and supported, bold ideas take flight. Without that foundation, even the best strategies falter.
 
Over the past decade, UIA has focused on scaling proven solutions, spreading innovation, and sharing lessons learned about overcoming resistance to change. This year’s Summit reinforced a vital reminder for our sector: beyond tools and strategies, change leaders need renewed energy and connection to sustain the hard work of transformation. Driving change requires more than innovation—it demands a framework that sustains the people leading it. At this year’s Summit, we prioritized three essential elements to achieve that goal:

1. Time and Space to Think: Campus teams collaborated on what matters most, free from the distractions of daily demands.
2. Inspiration to Act: Dynamic speakers like Michael Crow, Raj Chetty, and Michael Sorrell reignited ambition with fresh ideas on equity and leadership.
3. Collaboration That Sparks Action: Workshops and Idea Jams built trust and generated creative solutions to pressing challenges.

These intentional convening design elments are not “extras”—they’re essential.
 
Why This Matters: Bold leadership isn’t just about having a vision—it’s about sustaining action. And that requires a motivated community of changemakers ready to tackle higher education’s most pressing challenges. As public skepticism, political pressures, and burnout weigh heavily on our sector, investing in morale and community has never been more critical. Students and society need us to lead with courage—and we can’t do that when we’re running on empty.
 
I am deeply proud of what we accomplished together with the UIA National Summit. The UIA central team, our campus liaisons, and our fellows came together to share generously, creating a truly transformative experience that one small institution leader said "was going to make the difference whether their institution made it or not." The feedback we’ve received from the 75 campuses in attendance has been both overwhelming and inspiring. The most common sentiments were things like:  
“The Summit gave us the energy to take bold action for student success.”
“We walked away with actionable strategies to improve equity, retention, and graduation rates.”

This experience reaffirmed a truth I hold dear: To drive transformation, we have to take care of the people leading it. I believe student success innovation work is too important for us to let it be boring. This work should be collaborative, it should be inspiring, and frankly, we should make sure it's fun.
 
Thank you to everyone who joined us, supported us, and helped make this Summit possible!
 
With gratitude,
Bridget