The Futures Symposium: Celebrating 10 Years of The Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership

Program & Speakers

January 30, 2025

11:00 am  Registration

12:00 pm  Welcome & Networking Lunch

1:00-1:30 pm  A Decade of Impact - Building on Our Foundation
Jeff Selingo, Special Advisor to the President, Arizona State University & Founder, Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership
 
 
1:30-2:15 pm  Panel Discussion - Emerging Issues in Higher Education
Alumni presidents and provosts share their perspectives on the emerging issues poised to shape higher education in the coming years. What are the next big challenges and opportunities and how can we start preparing now for the conversations of tomorrow?
 
Charles Isbell, Provost, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Cohort 2)
Juan Munoz, Chancellor, University of California-Merced (Cohort 2)
Nicolle Parson-Pollard, Provost, Georgia State University (Cohort 8)
Lynn Wooten, President, Simmons University (Cohort 6)
Moderator: Jeff Rutenbeck, Provost, Arcadia University (Cohort 5)

 

2:15-2:30 pm  Break

 
2:30-3:30 pm  Keynote: Leaders as Futurists: Lisa Kay Solomon, author and Designer in Residence, d.school at Stanford University
We’re facing an increasingly “VUCA” world, filled with volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. As college and university leaders, we face an increasingly difficult challenge in helping students, faculty, and staff cultivate postures of hope and practices of individual and collective resilience. How can we create the imaginative, joyful, and collaborative learning environments our campuses and communities desperately need? In this keynote, Lisa Kay Solomon, Futurist in Residence at Stanford University's d.school, will guide us in exploring how to “lead like a futurist.” Drawing from her bestselling book Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations that Accelerate Change, popular classes like “Inventing the Future,” and award-winning civic initiatives, Lisa will share new mindsets and practices of leading forward.
 
 

3:30-3:45 pm  Break  

 

3:45-5:15 pm  Breakout Sessions - Alumni Facilitated Conversations Designed to Generate Forward Momentum

  • Experiential Learning & Workforce Alignment: Given massive shifts in the job market, how might colleges develop their programs to provide for better outcomes for learners and mobility for underrepresented students. In particular, how might colleges build more intentional experiential learning into the curriculum?
    • Facilitated by: Bryan Brayboy, Dean, School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University (Cohort 5), Mona Hicks, Senior Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Students, Stanford University (Cohort 10), Jennifer Brown, CEO, NorthStar Consulting Solutions LLC (Cohort 4)
  • Leadership: Where will the next generation of leaders both at the very top of the university but also within various divisions and functions come from? How might colleges provide more development opportunities to existing staff and what are the hurdles to develop talent?

    • Facilitated by: Corrie Fountain, Senior Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, Georgia State University (Cohort 9), Tiffany Lopez, Dean, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, University of California, Irvine (Cohort 6), Samuel Santos, Associate Vice Provost, Inclusion, Community, and Integrative Learning, Stanford University (Cohort 10)  

  • The Credential Divide: The country is polarized on so many fronts, and the dividing line is often between who has some kind of college credential and who doesn't. How might higher education as a whole, and college and universities on their own, decide who they serve and how?
    • Facilitated by: Lisa Camp, Principal, Livingston Innovation Group, LLC (Cohort 2), Adanna J. Johnson, Associate Chief Academic Officer for Faculty Affairs, University of the District of Columbia (Cohort 6), Ruth Watkins, President, Post Secondary Education, Strada Education Foundation
  • Digital Transformation: AI, new kinds of learners, and new technology is shifting how we serve students and deliver education to them. How might universities think about their various silos to develop a more cohesive transformation strategy and where should institutions start on this journey about what they do online, how they serve a new generation of learners, the student experience and how the university itself operates? ​​​​​ 
    • Facilitated by: Hector Molina, Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Fayetteville State University (Cohort 9), Devesh Ranjan, Eugene C. Gwaltney, Jr. School Chair and Professor George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (Cohort 9), Ame Lambert, Vice President for Global Diversity and Inclusion, Portland State University (Cohort 8)

 

5:30 pm Depart by shuttle bus to dinner venue

6:00 pm Dinner at The Heard Museum

 

January 31, 2025

8:00 am  Breakfast & Takeaways from Breakout Sessions

Facilitator: Randy Bass, Vice President for Strategic Education Initiatives, Georgetown University

 
9:00-10:00 am  Keynote: Solving the Crisis of Men and Boys in Higher Education: Richard Reeves, author and president of the American Institute for Boys and Men
The gender gap in education is not only persistent but growing, threatening to leave a significant portion of the male population ill-equipped to succeed in a knowledge-based economy. In this keynote, Richard emphasizes that this issue is not about pitting boys against girls but about recognizing and addressing barriers that disproportionately affect boys. By implementing targeted policies and rethinking how we educate and support boys, Richard believes we can foster a more inclusive and equitable education system that benefits everyone. His analysis from his bestselling book, Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It, is a call to action, urging policymakers, educators, and families to confront these challenges with the urgency and empathy they deserve.

 

10:00-10:15 am  Break 

 
10:15-11:00 am Panel Discussion - Now What?
Alumni share their perspectives on what it means to create access and a sense of belonging for communities around the U.S. that right now feel left out of higher education. Attendees will leave this session with hope and actionable ideas.
 
Nancy Gonzales, Provost, Arizona State University (Cohort 3)
Susana Rivera-Mills, President, Aurora University (Cohort 4)
Heather Shipley, Provost, University of Texas at San Antonio (Cohort 6)
Roger Ward, Provost, University of Maryland, Baltimore (Cohort 5)
Moderator: Terry Flannery, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Council for Support and Advancement of Education (Cohort 5)
 
 

11:00-11:30 am Break

11:30-12:00 pm Closing Actions: Jeff Selingo

 

* Program may be revised.

Learn more about the upcoming event.
 

Location  
We will gather in Tempe, AZ at the new Omni Tempe at ASU.


 

Agenda  
A day and a half of networking and programming only the Academy can provide.


 

Networking and Connecting  
Connect with 10 years of Academy fellows.