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Center for Higher Education Excellence

Exploring higher education innovation and trends

Deloitte’s Center for Higher Education Excellence focuses on groundbreaking research to help colleges and universities navigate these challenges and reimagine how they achieve innovation in every aspect of the future college campus: Teaching, learning, and research.

About us

Higher education institutions may confront a number of challenges, from dramatic shifts in sources of funding resulting from broader structural changes in the economy to demands for greater accountability at all levels to the imperative to increase effectiveness and efficiency through the adoption of modern technology.

Through forums and immersive lab sessions, we plan to engage the higher education community collaboratively on a transformative journey, exploring critical topics, overcoming constraints, and expanding the limits of the art of the possible.

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Our perspectives

What does the future university experience hold for students, faculty, and administrators? Explore our recent research to learn more on the higher education trends and innovations people can expect to see.

2023 Higher Education Trends

The articles in this collection report outline trends and opportunities that face the higher education sector today, regardless of geography, institutional type (e.g., research, teaching, public, private, etc.), or brand.

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Student success benchmarking in higher education

Improving student outcomes starts with understanding what motivates different types of learners and what their unique needs are. With the learning needs of many college students changing, how well do US colleges and universities serve different learner segments—in college and beyond?

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Five strategies for student success

Our new report from the Center for Higher Education Excellence, in collaboration with Salesforce.org, provides five strategies that leading colleges and universities are following to help reduce the financial or administrative roadblocks that hinder strong student success outcomes.

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College students’ mental health and well‐being

Over the past year, COVID‐19 has taken a dramatic toll on college students’ well‐being. But studies show that student mental health, an important component of overall well-being, was worsening even before the pandemic. What can colleges and universities do in response to chart a course to improve student mental health and well-being on their campuses?

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students

Return to Campus: Perspectives from Higher Education Leaders

Deloitte hosted virtual forums for higher education leaders from across the country to share their experiences about navigating the Future Of Work challenges presented by the pandemic. By looking at both quantitative and qualitative measures of employee sentiment, student experience, and campus needs, it is clear that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to returning to campus.

What a Biden-Harris Administrations means for HBCUs

Deloitte’s Center for Higher Education Excellence, in collaboration with Lumina Foundation, virtually convened the higher education community for a wide-ranging discussion with a distinguished panel of HBCU leaders to explore what the new administration will mean for both public and private HBCUs. During this webinar, we discuss the administration’s policy agenda and what’s possible legislatively; what HBCUs can do in order to maximize the window of opportunity that’s opened; and the impact of having an HBCU graduate elected vice president; among other topics.

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Graduates

Building the post-COVID adaptive workplace in higher education

COVID-19 expedited changes in higher education that many predicted would happen over decades, forcing those seemingly distant changes to happen within weeks. The vision for what the workplace looks like next has moved beyond the traditional binary choice of onsite or telework. Can universities designed around in-person interactions transform into hubs brimming with innovation enabled by an adaptive workplace?

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future of work

The hybrid campus: Three major shifts for the post-COVID university

This report examines how a hybrid approach—a mix of face-to-face and online—adopted by many higher education institutions during COVID-19 to deliver education remotely could be expanded across campus to student services and the workforce, and as a result, become a more permanent feature after the pandemic.

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Campus

Strategies for tackling the financial challenges facing colleges and universities

The coronavirus pandemic has upended business as usual for colleges and universities.

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COVID-19 cell

Student success by design supplemental report: Five high-impact, low-cost ideas for college leaders

How can colleges and universities prioritize student success? Here are five high-impact, low-cost strategies academic leaders can use to improve student retention and graduation rates.

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Students yellow stairs graduation hat

The future of public higher education: Five new models for state university success

How can US state universities meet growing demands for relevance even as they face a funding squeeze? Here are five innovative ways that stakeholders can collaborate to deliver an effective yet affordable educational experience.

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Lighthouse

Elevating cybersecurity on the higher education leadership agenda: Increasing executive fluency and engagement in cyber risk

Universities are an attractive target for cyberattacks because of the sensitive and lucrative data their IT systems house, combined with the vulnerabilities that come with an open-access culture. While developing the capacity to contain damage and reduce the impact of attacks is vital, another top priority for IT professionals in higher education is to bridge the disconnect between the IT department and institutional leaders.

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Unlock

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-171 for higher education

Higher education has always enjoyed a culture of openness. But cybersecurity experts are increasingly wary of open-source information-sharing, and a new regulation demands that colleges and universities with federal contracts tighten their cyber practices and work to safeguard information.

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Pathways to the university presidency: The future of higher education leadership

The dynamics of higher education in America today are driving the demand for a new set of skills and capabilities for tomorrow’s leaders. Learn how the role of college president is being transformed, the reasons behind these changes, and what the future implications may be for universities.

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Pathways to the university

Success by design: Improving outcomes in American higher education

The path to college graduation is more uncertain than ever: Nearly one-third of undergraduates leave after their first year, and many require six years to complete their studies. What’s behind these trends? What steps can colleges and universities take to more effectively support their students?

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Life events

It takes an eco-system: A review of the research administration technology landscape

Why is it so challenging for university research administrators to achieve their goals, given the multitude of technology options available to support their work? Read our take in the latest issue of Research Management Review.

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Reimagining higher education

As an integral part of the fabric of American society, everyone has a stake in making higher education more accessible, affordable, and relevant.

While it’s still early days, we’re beginning to see the emerging outlines of a new landscape for higher education.

 

 

 

The lifetime learner

The increasingly disparate needs and expectations of individual learners are fueling the growth of a rich ecosystem of semi-structured, unorthodox learning providers at the “edges” of the traditional higher educational system.

What does this mean for traditional players and the educational landscape?

Taking the reins as a business school dean

Business school deans have a complex role, yet many newly minted deans find that the experiences they acquire in academia and industry do not adequately prepare them for their new responsibilities.

In this article, we synthesize key findings from our interviews with 20 business school deans, our labs, and related experiences on executive transitions and business school strategy.

Get in touch

Roy Mathew

Roy Mathew

National Practice Leader | Higher Education

Roy is a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP and leads the Higher Education Consulting practice. He has more than 20 years of consulting and industry experience across both private and public secto... More

William D. Eggers

William D. Eggers

Executive Director

William D. Eggers is the executive director of Deloitte’s Center for Government Insights where he is responsible for the firm’s public sector thought leadership. Eggers is the author of numerous books... More

Betty Fleurimond

Betty Fleurimond

Principal | Deloitte Consulting LP

Betty is a principal within the Higher Education sector at Deloitte Consulting LLP. She leads the firm’s Higher Education Cloud ERP Portfolio, nationally, with responsibility for bringing together an ... More

Cole Clark

Cole Clark

Managing Director | Higher Education

Cole is a managing director within the Higher Education sector at Deloitte Services LP. He has more than 30 years global experience engaging with education and non-profit research organizations, with ... More

Tiffany Fishman

Tiffany Fishman

Senior manager, Deloitte Center for Government Insights

Tiffany Fishman is a senior manager with the Deloitte Center for Government Insights. Her research and client work focuses on how emerging issues in technology, business, and society will impact organ... More