Creating Resilience in Uncertain Times

A Microsoft Virtual Education Transformation Summit for Higher Education

Over recent months I’ve continued to be inspired and amazed by the efforts of higher education leaders around the world as they respond to the challenges presented by the pandemic. Over a very compressed period of time, education institutions and systems globally have worked to move courses to remote delivery and address the growing threat to on-campus, in-person experiences, including the all-important graduation ceremony for many students worldwide. During these times I’ve had the opportunity to connect with many of our higher education customers to listen and learn from their experiences and ensure Microsoft Education continues to do what is needed to help institutions adapt, and transition, to a new world of learning. One topic that regular comes up during these conversations is ‘what are we seeing from other institutions’ ‘how are institutions in other countries responding’ ‘what can I learn’?

On May 27th, I had the honor of hosting Microsoft’s Virtual Education Transformation Summit, specifically focused on addressing the needs of higher education. Available for on-demand viewing, alongside the earlier recording of the K-12 Education Transformation Summit, the summit provided an opportunity for almost two hours of important discussion on the impact of COVID-19 and the future of higher education.

During the summit, I was thankful to be joined by esteemed leaders including Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, Professor Carolyn Evans, Vice Chancellor and President Griffith University, Australia, Mohandas Pai, Chairman of the Board, Manipal Global Education Services, & Professor Subra Suresh, President, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, joined me to provide his perspectives on the role of technology organizations during these unprecedented times and the importance of addressing gaps that have been increasingly exposed including access to devices and access to broadband – key enablers for remote learning. Brad also shared the important role higher education institutions will play in readying students with the skills needed to thrive in the evolving digital economy, one which is much more richly infused with technology across multiple disciplines. 

To further the conversation, I was grateful to introduce Professor Subra Suresh, President of Nanyang Technological University, and who has founded the Global Learning Council and also the Global Research Council that he founded while head of the United States National Science Foundation. Professor Suresh’s work has been instrumental in ensuring technology for the benefit of education at all levels, from primary, secondary and tertiary education. Together with Professor Evans and Mr. Pai, these three leaders joined a panel to explore how the pandemic has affected their universities across student success, teaching and learning, and academic research. It was clear just how much the pandemic affected every part of the institution as well, from student support, enrollment, commercial activity, residential accommodation and more, often requiring each scenario to be handled uniquely across each institution. As the initial urgency moves to a more sustained effort, Professor Suresh, Professor Evans, and Mr. Pai discussed how they are planning for the coming academic terms and shared advice with the audience.

I encourage you to listen to the on-demand recording and hear directly from these leaders as they share advice and engage in this important dialogue. Additionally, take a look at the recording, starting five minutes in, of a recent webinar focused on remote learning with Dr. Tanya Joosten, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and Dr. David Kellermann of the University of New South Wales. Finally, please consider the resources we offer in our Education Transformation Framework for Higher Education, our remote learning website and continue the conversation with other higher education leaders in our Higher Education LinkedIn Community.

We will create resilience in our learning institutions through our work together. Thank you for your leadership.