How to chart a course through crisis

Faced with an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous – or VUCA – world, how can universities adapt and prepare themselves and their students to successfully navigate through turbulent times?

A figure rowing a small boat through a storm

The world in which universities teach, support students and undertake research has become increasingly volatile and uncertain. Taken alone, the climate crisis, global pandemics, political instability and rapid technological advances pose huge challenges, but when combined as they are now, they can seem unsurmountable. And yet higher education is where our greatest minds are dedicated to seeking solutions to such wicked problems. At a time when uncertainty is perhaps the only thing educators and leaders can rely on, the resources in this spotlight offer advice on how to build resilience and adaptability in faculty, staff and students.

How to embrace change as a spectrum

In a complex, ever-evolving environment, faculty may need strategies to navigate their fluctuating comfort levels. Here are ways to lean into change – from reflection and curiosity to active participation

LaTrese Ferguson, Rachel Watts, Bryan Harber, Tim Edmonds-King

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A man looking through binoculars
A man silhouetted against dramatic storm clouds.