Chancellor's Reading List

Articles

“Colleges Face Widespread Closures. So Why Are They Still Resisting Change?”

By Arthur Levine and Scott Van Pelt

The authors point to a range of emerging models that are adapting to new realities while navigating familiar constraints—faculty resistance, political pressure, accreditation, and financial constraint. One example that stood out was Lewis and Clark Community College, which amid declining full-time enrollment embraced a competency-based education (CBE) model, a concept I became familiar with during my time as provost at Illinois Institute of Technology. Since then, Lewis and Clark has converted some 40 courses to CBE, spanning disciplines from welding to criminal justice to math. Another example was Arizona State University, where excellence has thrived during a sustained period of significant and inclusive enrollment growth. Through an embrace of new and novel pedagogical approaches that support student success, ASU has demonstrated its commitment to advancing research that is valuable to the public. As the authors observe, these efforts at reinvention have been happening in plain sight for years. Across the cases they highlight, a consistent pattern emerges: focused leadership, a clear picture of the institution's realities, a coalition of the willing, and a cadence of pilots that became practice.

“Six Things We Hope to See From U.S. Higher Education in 2026”

By David Rosowsky

This article aligns strongly with our Strategic Plan Refresh, particularly Rosowsky‘s hope that higher education embraces new teaching and learning modalities. This includes acknowledging the role of AI in our future as we seek relevance in response to the needs of our learners. He also issues a call for colleges and universities to begin to acknowledge that, as institutions, we are not above nor immune to the constraints of economics and market forces.

“The Edge: Stop Assigning Traditional Essays”

By Matthew Brophy

Brophy introduces a prompt he claims every professor will agree with: Everyone is cheating with AI and no one knows what to do about it. He cites a survey in Teaching of Psychology showing that 41% of respondents had used AI in ways prohibited by their instructors. We can debate the veracity of his claim, but where I connected most was Brophy's call to look inward. To continue business as usual is to spite ourselves. We owe it to our learners to build relevancy in how we educate them, and that includes embracing AI in positive and productive ways, both inside and outside of our classrooms.

“Why Speed Isn't Higher Ed's Real Innovation Problem”

By James DeVaney

Are universities slow to react? This is DeVaney's central question as he explores the many variables affecting institutional evolution. He argues that universities are both innovative and responsive. He cites pilots, task forces, partnerships, and new courses as examples. The real issue, he says, is a mismatch in implementation within the slower work of building capacity, where multiple tempos operate simultaneously. He and I tend to agree here! DeVaney identifies three interconnected levels of innovation: individual (where much of the energy lives), programmatic (coordinated across multiple units), and institutional (change that shapes what the institution sustains). As DeVaney notes, “A more useful question is whether innovation efforts are operating at the right level and whether the surrounding system is prepared to meet them.”

“Rethinking the University for a Lifetime of Learning”

By Catherine Wehlburg

Wehlburg contracts the old model, where a degree marked the end of a journey, with the modern reality: The average person will change careers five to seven times over a lifetime. Lifelong learning is no longer optional, but “the currency of resilience.” Learners expect education to meet their current needs and lives. “They want to learn something today that will help them perform better tomorrow,” Wehlburg writes. Our traditional product, a degree, may not meet these expectations. As such, we must make our learning products adaptable to the learners’ evolving needs along their complete career arc if we are to convince them to partner with us in their lifelong learning journey.

“Colleges Face a Financial Reckoning. The University of Chicago is Exhibit A.”

By Sara Randazzo and Heather Gillers

This deeply reported piece illustrates the difficult position many institutions occupy as they navigate growth and deficit concurrently. The University of Chicago grew its undergraduate population from 3,500 students in the 1990s to 7,500 today while maintaining incredibly high selectivity (low admissions rates) with a yield rate (percentage of admitted students who choose to enroll) that is among the highest in the country at 88%. During this growth, the university ran a budget deficit for 14 consecutive years as it built dormitories, dining areas, a new library and arts center, and launched a 10-story biomedical research center. Now, the university aims to cut $100 million in expenses to progress toward a balanced budget. Though just one example, the article highlights how universities of all types are determining what sustainable financial growth looks like amid uncertain times.

“The Unsung Builders of Online Learning; IU Online.”

By Gelmda Morgan

Morgan highlights Indiana University’s centralized model for online learning which serves seven campuses, more than 200 programs, and more than 10,000 students, which equals 12% of total IU System enrollment. As I've discussed, most online learners’ top priority is timely and convenient access. IU, like CU Denver, has listened to its learners and developed a flexible model that includes both short-term and full-term courses. The framework of the IU model is one option for how CU Denver could provide centralized online learning services to our colleges and schools.

“Delegated Governance Is More Innovative, Strategic Way to Manage Institutions”

By John Kroger

Kroger, president of Reed College from 2012-2018, provides a modern perspective on a centuries-old form of institutional management: governance. He writes:

“…that concept [governance] is over 100 years old, and much has changed since then. In 1920, only 3 percent of Americans were college graduates. Universities were smaller, cheaper, less regulated, faced less competition and were less central to the American and regional economics. The idea that our theories about university management should be frozen in time, that they should not advance as do other fields, is bizarre. It is time. Let’s have an honest conversation about how universities are actually run—and should be run.”

“Leadership Tips for Department Heads”

By Jay Akridge and David Hummels

As a former department chair, I recognize the endless list of responsibilities and the requirement to shift between trying to lead, maintaining a relationship with the dean, and acting as a link between employees and institutional structure. This is all in addition to ensuring that things operate well on a daily basis. The authors share a thoughtful list of tips, but where I connect most is the need to establish vision and priorities while still managing the day-to-day. Doing so involves not only understanding institutional priorities but also aligning departmental and learner interests. This investment in future planning is key to long-term success and growth.