Education Leaders Convene at U.S. News Summit Navigating Higher Education's Future

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders from higher education, industry and government gathered on Tuesday, April 29 to join U.S. News & World Report in discussing what the future of higher education can and should be.

In the early morning higher education summit, "Leadership of Tomorrow: Challenges and Opportunities in Higher Education," U.S. News – the global authority in education rankings and consumer advice – convened ten leaders across higher education in dialogue about the industry's future and its leaders.

"Being a leader at a university today is one the most difficult jobs there are; you have to balance different constituents, including alumni, students and faculty, while also managing endowments and research centers," Eric Gertler, U.S. News executive chairman and CEO, told attendees. "But how are you making sure your students are getting the education that they deserve and are demanding?"

"When we think about these issues, we like to look at them and provide solutions and an objective way for you to understand what higher education looks like and offer a balanced approach to these issues," Gertler added.

The summit follows recent funding challenges, policy changes and executive orders levied at universities, which have left colleges, their leaders and students contemplating what to expect in the years ahead.

While examining policy changes reshaping higher education, Roxanne Garza, director of higher education policy at The Education Trust, highlighted the nontraditional pathways students are taking now. "We are seeing much more focus on what different pathways look like, into post-secondary education, into the middle class. We are seeing more emphasis on other kinds of high-quality pathways," said Garza. "We want to make sure that these different pathways available to students, which may be shorter and cheaper, are of higher quality, and we see more variety in what's available to students post-high school graduation."

In a session discussing the new era of university leadership, Jonathan Alger, president of American University, spoke about the opportunities available to colleges, stating that "it's an opportunity to rethink our priorities, what we do, and how we do it. That is something that many of us in higher education are trying to do: be more nimble and look at some of the bureaucratic hurdles to producing new types of programs that might be interdisciplinary."

"Higher education is critical, but we have to rethink the way we talk about higher education; we have to focus not on who we exclude but on who we include. We have to think more about some of the reasons why the public is dissatisfied with what we do," said Mary Papazian, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges executive vice president, in the same session. "It's critical that we keep doing the work we do. Because without a strong higher education system that is truly inclusive, we are not going to be the kind of society and country we hope to be."

The two-hour summit featured sessions on higher education policy, what a new era of university leadership looks like, how mission-based thinking can solve societal problems and connecting educators with employers.

In a conversation titled "Combining Mission and Venture to Solve Critical Societal Problems," Arun Gupta, CEO of NobleReach Foundation and premier partner of today's event, addressed student motivation in uncertain times. "When things get uncertain, individuals want to be part of something bigger than themselves and want to serve. I think that's an important backdrop to say, why do we think students want to do this," Gupta told attendees. "We think students are looking for ways to solve big problems...There's an agency that they're feeling that they want to be part of the solution."

In the final segment discussing the importance of bridging the gap between academia and industry, Lt. Gen. Leslie Smith (Ret.), vice president of the Association of the United States Army, emphasized the importance of students being open to new and different opportunities. "To grow, you have to go. You have to go to places you haven't been before," said Smith. "To do the jobs that you never thought about having to do. Because it will prepare you for what will happen in the future because it'll be something different."

Additional speakers included David Attis, Managing Director, Research Advisory Services, EAB; Mark Becker, President, Association of Public & Land Grant Universities; Michelle Dimino, Director of Education, Third Way; Vincent Ponzo, Amazon AI Lead; and Jennifer Engle, Georgetown University Center for Education & the Workforce.

The U.S. News analysis of the event is available here. Video of the full summit is available on LinkedIn and YouTube.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report