For university administrations across the U.S., the 2023-24 academic year may well have been known as the year of managing chaos. Opening convocations had barely concluded when administrations were caught scrambling without a practicable playbook for responding in the aftermath of the October 7th attack and ongoing conflict.
With more questions than answers about what awaits this fall, universities should be approaching the year ahead with one goal in mind: to make 2024-25 the year of rebuilding trust.
When the spring semester ended, more than a dozen universities saw faculty votes of no-confidence. Protest encampments folded not with harmonious handshakes, but with a sense of unease and premonitions of renewed conflict come fall. And while campuses opened disciplinary cases against student activists, the path to their resolution remained unclear. At a broader level, media coverage left its mark: As of June, nearly one-third of U.S. adults say that they “have very little or no confidence in higher education,” marking a double-digit increase from just one year ago. That’s all to say that rebuilding trust—or establishing a larger reservoir of it—should be every institution’s top priority.
This fall, university administrators should focus on three key actions:
- Reassert the core value proposition of the university: According to Gallup, those with cratering confidence in higher education cite universities’ “failure to teach students relevant skills.” Universities need to be thinking more about trust beyond campus walls, focusing on earning the trust of the American electorate—those who ultimately help to shape who sets higher education policy.
- Lead by principles before rules: If divides are going to be bridged and relationships repaired, stakeholders need to understand the “why” behind leaders’ actions. The “why” needs to clearly ladder back to the university’s purpose and values.
- Engage your communications department as a strategic partner: Whether communications is a final arbiter or not, ensuring that audience-focused sensibilities are part of the decision calculus is essential in a highly charged, polarized environment.
Read Laurie & Kate's full piece.
