Higher Ed in Crisis: What It Needs From Vendors and Partners | August 2025

Since taking office, President Trump has upended colleges and universities nationwide with a series of executive orders, a rollback of federal programs, scrutiny of international students, and investigations of Harvard University and other institutions. As higher-ed administrators navigate the tumult, what do they need from the businesses and nonprofits that work closely with campuses? 

As the new academic year kicks off, join a panel of experts on August 13, from 1-2:15 PM ET, for a premium webinar to discuss what higher ed needs from vendors and partners now and in the months ahead. The virtual session, moderated by Ian Wilhelm, a deputy managing editor with The Chronicle, will explore the effects of the Trump administration as well as longer term trends affecting colleges, such as enrollment and financial volatility, technological change, and a decline in Americans’ trust in postsecondary institutions.  

The conversation will be geared toward those who work with campuses in a business relationship, such as ed-tech vendors, enrollment and management consultants, and architecture and design companies.

Speakers:

Vince Kellen, Chief Information Officer, University of California at San Diego

Dr. Vince Kellen currently serves as the Chief Information Officer for the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego), as well as a member of the Chancellor's Cabinet. Dr. Kellen brings a combination of academic, business and IT strategy experience to his role, with a focus on transformational leadership within IT, applying leading edge approaches to current business challenges. His 25 years of executive-level information technology experience offers a proven track record of successfully integrating innovative applications of information technology into all aspects of teaching, learning, and student success. 

Nico Washington, Vice President for Finance and Administration, Haverford College

Ms. Washington joined the Haverford College community as the vice president for administration and finance in March 2023. She is responsible for directing the College's financial affairs and overseeing the administrative policies of the college. The vice president for administration and finance’s portfolio includes overseeing campus operations that includes administrative auxiliary services, budgeting and planning, controller’s office, human resources, facilities management, dining services and campus safety.

George Justice, Professor of English and former Provost, University of Tulsa
Co-founder, Dever Justice LLC

George Justice, Ph.D., is a professor of English in the Kendall College of Arts & Sciences at The University of Tulsa, and was formerly the University's provost. Justice is also the co-founder of Dever Justice LLC, a consulting firm supporting faculty leadership development, as well as the author of “How to Be a Dean” from Johns Hopkins University Press. Before joining The University of Tulsa, Justice served as a professor and dean at the University of Missouri and at Arizona State University. He has also held academic positions at the University of Pennsylvania, Marquette University, and Louisiana State University.

In addition to being able to attend the session and ask the panel questions live, registrants will be able to submit questions prior to the webinar, receive Chronicle materials related to the topics, and get access to a special followup Q&A.  

Please note that the program will be recorded and distributed to registrants upon its conclusion. If you won’t be able to join us live, you can still save your spot to access the recordings and resources at a later time.

Event access instructions will be sent separately, from Zoom and from workshops@cs.chronicle.com. Please add workshops@chronicle.com and workshops@cs.chronicle.com to your approved senders to ensure that communications arrive directly to your inbox.