Dear Higher Education Leaders, Administrators, and Staff,
Public confidence in the value of higher education is currently at an all-time low, and our sector is struggling to respond effectively. The media's excessive focus on elite institutions and their out-of-touch tuition arms race, which impacts only a small segment of society, exacerbates the issue.
At its core, higher education is about unlocking and nurturing talent for our nation and the world. Our mission extends beyond simply recruiting top students; it's about fostering the potential and abilities of all students, regardless of their background.
The future needs higher education to act as a talent activator. Every day, geniuses are born into diverse backgrounds, zip codes, and families. Without the right nurture, support, and opportunities, their potential might remain untapped, depriving us of their contributions to solving the world's challenges.
Our role is to activate and nurture the brilliance in our society, regardless of geography, income, race, ability, or gender. Raw talent is valuable, but it often remains hidden until it is tested, encouraged, and allowed to grow. Every graduation season, I am inspired and awestruck by firsthand accounts of students whose potential was recognized and nurtured by higher education, transforming the trajectory of their lives.
Our collective future needs exceptional talent to tackle the massive challenges facing our society, country, and planet. We cannot afford to let potential geniuses go unrealized. Unleashing talent in all its forms is the essence of what we do and who we are. Higher education excels at taking students from any background, exposing them to a range of ideas, opportunities, and experiences, and helping them realize their highest potential.
The phrase “talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not” serves as a clarifying touchstone in our field. By acting as the talent activator that the future of our country and world needs, we step into the role society values us most for.
We need to keep improving and listening to public feedback to understand their current needs and desires. At the same time, we must lean into our strengths—serving as the talent activator for society. If we do this—by improving and continuing to focus on talent activation as our cornerstone mission—we will thrive. This is how we benefit society: by constantly improving ourselves to help more of our students succeed in our institutions and reach their full potential in the world. Each generation faces unique challenges and opportunities, and it is our duty to prepare them to meet these head-on.
Warmly,
Bridget
Network Highlights
Michigan State University welcomes Maria O’Connell as their newest fellow. With experience in many facets of higher education and as a social worker, we are thrilled to see how Maria will collaborate and innovate. Welcome to the team, Maria!
Learning Opportunity: Process Mapping
Process Mapping is a crucial innovation tool for any higher ed professional interested in streamlining campus processes to work better for students (and the faculty and staff supporting them). Join us for an 8-week learning experience where you'll learn the ins and outs of process mapping alongside other higher ed professionals. We'll meet via Zoom on Thursdays from 1-1:45 PM ET, June 20 - August 8 (no meeting July 4 or August 1).
Don't work at an UIA campus? Register here.Work at an UIA campus? Fill out the interest form here. This experience is limited to 16 participants (with 8 seats reserved for those at UIA campuses). Sign up today to reserve your spot!
Learn with Us
- Innovation in Action: Overview of the UIA’s Current Scale Projects (blog post)
- Inside the UIA’s 2023 Annual Report (blog post)
- Sector Change Architecture (podcast episode)
- Innovating Together about the UIA Summit with Gill Hunter from Eastern Kentucky University (podcast episode)
- Weekly Wisdom Interview with WGU President Scott Pulsipher (podcast episodes)
Want more? Check out all of our weekly blog posts and podcast episodes.
Must Reads
- New College Classification Will Measure Socioeconomic Mobility (Inside Higher Ed)
- Yes, Students can have a reasoned debate about Israel-Hamas (Chronicle of Higher Education)
- A New Player Enters the Graduate-School Game: How a national project aims to give master’s and doctoral students the same level of attention as first-year undergraduates (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Upcoming UIA Summit
Tickets for the UIA National Summit are selling fast and will sell out (limited to 450 attendees), so you definitely want to secure your spot today. Don't miss out on this opportunity to be part of a movement driving positive change in higher education. Register now and join us at the forefront of innovation and progress.
Stuff We Love
- Thinking about joining the cold plunge club?
- New favorite purchase: a colorful and collapsible hand truck.
- Colorful 30-day pill organizer (how relatable that we all need this).
- A foolproof way to stop liquids from spilling during travel.
- The single-best kitchen purchase I’ve ever made.
Events to Put on Your Radar
- May 29-June 1, 2024: Educations Writers Association, 2024 National Seminar, Las Vegas, NV
- June 23-25, 2024: NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, Conferences on Student Success in Higher Education, Anaheim, CA
- July 9-10, 2024: ECMC Foundation & ECMC Group, OnRamp Education & Workforce Innovation Conference, Minneapolis, MN
- July 10-12, 2024: Education Commission of the States, National Forum on Education Policy, Washington, D.C.
- July 22-23, 2024: Horizons - The Power of Us, Washington DC
- September 16-18, 2024, NCAN Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA
- September 23-26, 2024: 39th Annual ICLCA Conference, Salt Lake City, UT
- October 16-18, 2024: Inspire Convening, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
- October 23-25, 2024: UIA National Summit on Student Success Innovation, Tempe, AZ
- November 10-12, 2024: APLU Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL
With Generous Thanks to Our Partners
I want to always try to put myself in the shoes of the students that are facing hardships and challenges, and remember that we're there to serve them and help them be successful.