The Trends Report, 2022

Along with causing terrible losses of lives and livelihoods, the coronavirus pandemic has shaken loose many of higher education’s conceptual mainstays — about the future face of the student body, the nature of faculty jobs, and what a campus should look like.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that these challenges force higher ed to reconsider its assumptions and traditions. Maybe the tenure system is not non-negotiable. Maybe campus expansion is not always a smart move. Maybe in-person meetings are not the only, or best, way to build an inclusive, vibrant scholarly community. That may be Covid-19’s most lasting impact: a bone-deep understanding that change is inevitable and that the best way to stay afloat is to expect it.

This report highlights four emerging trends percolating across higher ed, with expert analysis, data, and case studies, that will help spark thinking on your campus about how to prepare for what’s next.