Revolutionizing Higher Education: Navigating the Tensions of Tradition and Innovation

Donna Johnson, Ed.D., Deputy Chief Innovation Officer, Louisiana Tech University

Donna Johnson, Ed.D., Deputy Chief Innovation Officer, Louisiana Tech University

The future of work is a term that has gotten the attention of employers and employees alike. With growing expectations and accommodations for “work from anywhere” capabilities, a five-generation workforce, and the infusion of intelligent and dynamic technologies, the world of work is undergoing shifts, the likes of which have not been seen since the last industrial revolution. To some, it’s a beautiful becoming, while to others it sends shudders of fear. At times, these opposing views are simultaneously pondered while we are trying to assimilate new concepts with old schemas related to productivity, work relevance, personal privacy, human-machine interactions, and even the human condition. 

The tension-laden border created when the “what was” meets the “what will be” is the permeable layer that innovators attempt to transverse. This dense boundary between ‘was’ and ‘will’ has become more like a brick wall rather than a penetrable membrane within many organizations and industries, particularly those with long histories of resource scarcity and reels of red tape. Case in point: higher education.

COVID gave the industry of higher education (yes, I just called it an industry) a push in the direction of getting outside the boxes of ivory towers, brick-and-mortar lecture halls, and sports arenas. While that push was painful, it opened doors to innovative responses. Some institutions have embraced the new norms and are looking to make improvements and develop yet still more innovations, while others have reverted to their old ways like a bad habit they just can’t kick. Innovation divisions have started showing up on institutional organization charts, and while that shows some lip service and perhaps even actual buy-in to the idea that colleges need to innovate, what is still prevalent is a lack of runway for innovators in higher education to launch real changes.

 “Some institutions have embraced the new norms and are looking to make improvements and develop yet still more innovations, while others have reverted to their old ways like a bad habit they just can’t kick.”

It is important to note that innovation is not to be confused with improvement. While both have a rightful place within institutions that are looking to retain or enhance relevance in the push just to survive the shifts to the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), they are not synonyms. Innovations are new or novel means, methods, or products, and while they solve problems, they do not always provide improvements. Improvements, on the other hand, are not always new or novel ideas or approaches, but they always provide value. The relationship between innovation and improvement can be represented as a Venn diagram where each has its respective unique role, and they often overlap in the center where innovations provide improved conditions.

Creating an atmosphere and appetite for innovation in the rigid framework of higher ed is an innovative task in and of itself, and when done well, it should permeate all aspects of campus. Student life, library, technology, facilities, academics, funding mechanisms, employment, and community engagement, no facet is too small or large to benefit from new approaches. With that said, change only for change's sake leads to pet projects and less-than-strategic expenditure of efforts and resources. 

With mounting pressure to sustain operations in a competitive market, institutions of higher education are having to think in the overlapping center where innovation meets improvement in order to remain relevant—to improve their conditions through innovative approaches. It was once acceptable to simply offer a formal campus improvement plan, or quality enhancement plan (QEP), to satisfy accreditors and stakeholders who stay hungry for proof of progress on campuses. This simple approach no longer pads the coffers. 

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