Leading Higher Education Through Crisis

Higher education has entered the early waves of a storm that will test its foundations. Across the country, institutions are facing a political assault that fuels public skepticism, undermines academic freedom, and aims to erode institutional autonomy. Coupled with enrollment volatility, resource constraints, and shifting student expectations, higher education finds itself navigating continuous disruption.

The financial structure of higher education no longer supports the access and opportunity the nation urgently needs. What once felt foundational, such as free speech, inclusion, and student development, is now being challenged by the forces of exclusion, marginalization, and censorship. The environment continues to shift and institutions who will survive are the ones that adapt.  

Higher Education Has Adapted Before

Higher education has been tested before. The McCarthy era, the civil rights and Vietnam War protests, the culture wars and disinvestment of the 1980s–90s, the post-2008 economic collapse, and the COVID-19 pandemic each reshaped the sector. Demographic shifts have created the natural consequences of the “enrollment cliff” which have forced us to revisit our assumptions about who our students will be and where they will come from.  

Each disruption has required higher education to adapt, not perfectly, but consistently. Every disruption leaves a mark, and every mark alters the canvas. Change is not episodic. It is continuous. Today’s challenges represent the next phase in an ongoing transformation. 

What University Leaders Must Accept (About Crisis)

Crisis has patterns. And across institutions, they tend to follow a predictable arc. These are five realities university leaders must expect and recognize when disruption hits:

1. Change is continuous, not episodic. One of the most common mistakes we experience leaders make is assuming that disruption is temporary. It’s not. While a particular crisis may be temporary, change is continuous and disruptive by nature. Turbulence is now the environment, not the interruption. Institutions that wait for a return to “normal” risk being unprepared again. Organizations cannot wait for a more perfect future. Resilient organizations prepare and plan for what’s “next” while working to optimize what is “now”. 

   
   

2. Organizations tend to drift from their Mission. In the urgency of crisis, institutions often lose sight of their purpose. Mission gets crowded out by pressure, headlines, and soundbites. Focus may shift from students or purpose to reaction and survival. In the face of volatility, the Mission serves as an anchor. It is the foundation of who we are (Identity), why we are here (Purpose), and what we are meant to do (Mission). 

   
   

3. Resources will be constrained. Every crisis squeezes the same three things (at least): people, time, and money. Budgets shrink, staffing tightens, and timelines collapse. Without clarity, communication, planning (and courage), resource constraints produce fear, confusion, and organizational paralysis. What we know is that leaders who can communicate clear priorities gain trust and buy-in. And, institutions that clarify the principles that will ground their decisions make more disciplined choices about what to pursue, what to stop, and how to pivot. 

   
   

4. Students will move faster than your structures. Students’ needs shift quickly, and they expect institutions to move with them. If institutional approaches, programs, processes, or policies lag behind student realities, trust erodes, and confidence fades. In crisis, students look for responsiveness, clarity, and reliability – not perfection. Institutions that cannot flex, clearly communicate, be there when students need them, or shift organizational approaches lose students' and families’ confidence, trust, and loyalty. 

   
   

5. Crisis moments are inflection points. Crisis doesn’t just test systems; it reshapes them. The decisions made in these moment (such as what to protect, what to change, and what to let go of) will often define an institution’s trajectory. Disruption isn’t a STOP sign; it’s a detour, a fork in the road, or a turning point. Those moments may require a pause so that successful leaders and organizations can determine how to navigate them.  

Leadership Imperatives in a Time of Crisis

Given these common realities about crisis, what does higher education need from its leaders now? In our conversations with leaders, teams, and organizations a number of leadership imperatives have emerged. 

1. Seek clarity. Crisis creates noise, urgency, and confusion. Clarity becomes an act of leadership. Leaders must articulate, defend, and align around a clear sense of purpose, what matters most, what we are here to do, and what we will prioritize. Purpose gives us the footing to make disciplined, strategic decisions when the ground shifts.

   
   

2. Lead beyond your title. In times of crisis, fear often drives people inward toward silos, routines, and self-preservation. But what institutions need most are leaders who step up and lead across boundaries. Leadership is not just about title or territory; it's about acting on behalf of the whole. Institutions thrive when individuals see themselves as stewards of the entire mission, not just their corner of it. We asked presidents and vice presidents to reflect on a crisis; several noted that the leadership team that helps run the institution daily may not be the team that best leads it through a particular crisis. Those leaders may sit outside the formal cabinet and possess competencies and experiences ideally suited to the situation (e.g. health center directors, dining directors, and student affairs professionals during COVID).  

   
   

3. Lead differently. Outdated paradigms won’t solve today’s challenges. Leadership in crisis requires adaptability, creativity, and courage. Yesterday’s reliance on authority and control has been replaced by today’s desire for leaders to reflect understanding, connection, and alignment. To succeed, leaders must be willing to lead differently, evolve their organizations, and effectively motivate people to innovate and test new approaches that better serve students, increase effectiveness, and improve outcomes. 

   
   

4. Prioritize strategic investment over preservation. Preserving outdated programs, structures, or practices out of nostalgia will only drain limited resources (people, time, and money). Leaders must invest in what drives mission, student success, and long-term sustainability and have the foresight, strategy, and courage to redirect or retire what no longer serves those goals. The strategic question is not only “What will we do?” but also “What must we stop doing?”

   
   

5. Establish reliability. In disruption, people crave stability and predictability. Leaders and institutions must become trustworthy by being steady and by doing what they say they will do. Students, parents, and communities must be able to count on what we say, how we show up, how we follow through, and what we promise. Loyalty and fidelity are built through demonstrated follow-through. Institutions cannot build trust. Reliability builds Trust, not through perfection, but through consistent and predictable outcomes. “What can students and families reliably expect from you? What do you promise and deliver every day?” 

You are the leader you’ve been waiting for. 

No one is coming to save higher education. There is no hero on the horizon. The institutions that endure and shape what comes next will be those led with strategic clarity, courageous decision-making, an unwavering focus on students, and a relentless commitment to delivering on the outcomes they promise.

Higher education won’t wait for calmer waters. It needs leaders ready to move forward in new ways, grounded in purpose, open to change, supported by strong partners, and steady enough to lead through whatever comes next.