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Visioning the

Future of Higher

Education

BILL IHLENFELDT

Anyone involved with higher education can enumerate problems Let’s talk about future change!
that will need solutions well before we get to “tomorrow’s In the decades to come, higher education will be in need
world”. While it is probably safe to say that many of the future of inspiration from leaders who have the vision to lead our
challenges will be similar to those we face today, the scope of organizations in new global directions, help develop new
current challenges may be far diferent from future emerging products and technologies, and stimulate future graduates to
trends and needs. For example, it is a safe bet that fnancing move our world toward yet undiscovered horizons. In order
higher education will probably continue to be a major challenge to accomplish these tasks educational leaders of tomorrow
in the future. Similarly, emerging leaders will have to deal will not only need to deal with a morass of new trends and
with continuing concerns such as developing meaningful directions, but also, and most importantly, a new and diferent
accountability measures, creating quality programming to meet clientele or learner. Recognizing the increasing diversity and
emerging needs, integrating technology and data, establishing skills of future learners, leaders will need to understand and
entrepreneurial partnerships, and integrating two- and four-year utilize very diferent leadership skills than those that are
higher education tracks. Future leaders who are able to embrace acknowledged to be efective today.
those areas will more than likely be in control of their destiny
and ours. However, if they are to be true change agents capable of Since we know that leadership takes vision, let’s examine
discovering and implementing solutions for the next generation, the skills that will be necessary to be a visionary leader in
they will need to understand the changing demographics and the future. Many conferences highlight keynoters billed as a
leadership needs of that cohort. futurists or visionaries. Many times leaders are characterized

13 LEADERSHIP Vol. 20.2 Fall 2014 LEADERSHIP Vol. 20.2 Fall 2014 13

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