Innovators Talk: Back to School
Janet Kinard, Vice President for Engagement, Georgia Tech Alumni Association
Mario Vela, Executive Director of the University Career Center, University of Texas at San Antonio
Eva Blanco Masias, Vice President for Enrollment Management Santa Clara University
Key Takeaways:
Change Accelerated: As we’ve heard across our Innovators Talks, the panelists shared how Covid-19 accelerated work that was already in motion in each of their institutions. “We had been moving to adopting new technologies to scale our programming,” Mario Vela shared. “What the pandemic did for us was accelerate all that.”
Feedback Loop: In pivoting during the spring semester, many institutions innovated and experimented in different ways. Our panel highlighted how important it is to hear from the constituents they serve. “They tell us what works and what doesn’t,” Mario Vela said. As institutions implement strategies to support their communities in the new student journey, creating a feedback loop is crucial and gives constituents a voice in the process.
Forming Impactful Partnerships: Gone are the days where one office can go it alone. If initiatives are going to scale and reach as many constituents as possible, they have to be the result of strategic partnerships across offices. “The partnership aspect is really important for us because it amplifies the impact we’re able to make,” Janet Kinard shared. “That was a recognition that we were not going to be able to do this alone.”
This Fall Builds the New Foundations: We’re entering into a new era in higher education. With the value being questioned and other options in the market, what we create this semester is vital to ensuring we deliver on the experiences and outcomes students demand. Institutions should be intentional and strategic with how they support students this fall and not just treat this semester as another “stop-gap” until things go back to normal.
“In terms of importance, I’d give this semester a 10...I’d give it an 11 if that was your range. I think it’s a mistake to think that we’re ever going to go back to normal. I think that this has altered — from an individual standpoint — just how we look at the future. What our future hopes and dreams and aspirations are. So that’s true with students. They’re looking at the prospect of higher education in a number of different ways, so that behooves us as institutions to constantly be thinking about how we’re going to be relevant to make that impact that both students are seeking and that we as institutions should be making in our societies.”
What we build this semester will be the new normal in higher education for generations to come. As students evaluate institutions looking specifically at outcomes, we have to ensure that we are delivering and demonstrating our value at every turn. Our communities are the most important part of that value. By forming strategic partnerships, creating informative feedback loops, and building a culture of innovation, institutions can scale the impact of these communities at each step of the student journey. And when the day comes, the digital communities we cultivate today can “flex” between the offline and online with ease.
Learn more about how PeopleGrove is building these foundations across the new student journey.
