Higher Ed Crystal Ball Recently Discovered!

by Matt Alex | Beyond Academics

As I roamed the dimly lit corridors of an abandoned library on a client's campus, I was drawn to an eerie energy emanating from a cobweb-covered corner. Hidden beneath layers of dust and obscured by piles of old academic journals and paper transcripts, I discovered an intriguing artifact. It was a crystal ball, cradled within an ancient wooden box, its surface etched with cryptic inscriptions hinting at its celebrated past. Driven by curiosity and the thrill of discovery, I carefully lifted the lid. Inside was THE legendary 2015 Higher Ed Crystal Ball, a mystical object reputed to hold visions of the future. Compelled by its allure, I posed a question to the crystal ball.

Oh, Crystal Ball, can you predict 25 future outcomes for campuses aiming to evolve through their IT department?

1. ?? I foresee ... a group of campus leaders searching for a miraculous tech solution to address issues of enrollment, student experience, and operational efficiency.
2. ?? I foresee ... these leaders being overly influenced by vendors and analysts who profit from steering the campus in a certain direction.
3. ??I foresee ... campus leaders being captivated by the prospect of being seen as pioneers, quickly adopting new solutions in hopes of setting trends.
4. ?? I foresee ... staged webinars on tech transitions where real questions are avoided, promoting misleading narratives and causing confusion within the higher ed community.
5. ?? I foresee ... campus leaders justifying substantial expenditures with student transformation, though actual work may not start until many years, after HR & Finance.
6. ?? I foresee ... campus presidents relying on their CIOs to make sound decisions without posing critical questions to guide those decisions.
7. ?? I foresee ... a lack of clear expectations for the system, leading to minimal perceived change upon project completion.
8. ?? I foresee ... underestimations of both the effort and funding required for successful project execution.
9. ?? I foresee ... campus leaders allowing vendors to design the project plan, which leads to solutions that may not align with the institution's actual needs and challenges.
10. ?? I foresee ... many unkept promises
11. ?? I foresee ... projects exceeding budgets, with many excuses offered in explanation.
12. ?? I foresee ... numerous change orders necessary to complete implementations
13. ?? I foresee ... considerable blame-shifting when the reality of the situation becomes apparent on campus.
14. ?? I foresee ... project teams being overwhelmed by their workload.
15. ?? I foresee ... campuses merely replicating their old systems and processes in new technologies.
16. ?? I foresee ... consultants resigned to the idea of simply getting systems operational.
17. ?? I foresee ... celebratory Go Live announcements on LinkedIn, despite no real improvements over legacy processes.
18. ?? I foresee ... promises of enhanced reporting capabilities falling short, still requiring third-party systems.
19. ?? I foresee ... campuses struggling with production support and spending millions on consulting services to maintain their new systems.
20. ?? I foresee ... campus leaders realizing the lack of ROI too late to admit without losing face.
21. ?? I foresee ... frequent changes in IT leadership during or after implementation.
22. ?? I foresee ... CIOs moving on to new positions or retiring after failed transformations
23. ?? I foresee ... campus sponsors proudly sharing their 'successes' at conferences while their staff struggle with the new systems.
24. ?? I foresee ... expectations not being effectively set, leading to dissatisfaction among staff with the delivered results.
25. ?? I foresee ... many campuses continuing to operate in their old ways, only now with much higher technological costs.

Hmm, were these predictions stored from 2015, or are they forecasting what's yet to come?

For those who have already navigated the challenges predicted by the 2015 crystal ball, perhaps it's time to explore a new direction.

For those about to embark on your transformational journey, we hope our discovery of the Crystal Ball offers you essential insights to either sidestep potential obstacles or at least encourage you to ask the necessary questions.