Recognizing Visionary Higher Education Institutions

The Tambellini Future Campus Award™ honors innovative higher education institutions making meaningful progress toward building a more sustainable, efficient, and inclusive future by leveraging emerging technologies to transform learning, administration, and campus life.

The 2025 award celebrates institutions that have demonstrated radical agility—adapting to shifting conditions with speed and intention. This year’s honorees will show how they’ve navigated uncertainty to deliver measurable impact on either learning outcomes and experience or operational efficiency, while staying focused on long-term institutional transformation.

Prize Package

$5,000 will be awarded to the grand prize winner’s institution

$1,250 will be awarded to each of the category winner’s institutions

Key Dates

Future Campus Award Timeline 2025

2025 Future Campus Award Criteria

Nominated institutions should demonstrate excellence and radical agility in one of the following categories, while illustrating the future vision, scalability, and long-term impact of their strategies.

Categories

  1. Learning Outcomes and Experience 
    This category honors institutions that have demonstrated radical agility in elevating the student experience amid shifting external pressures that continue to reshape priorities and challenge long-standing educational models. Submissions should highlight how the institution’s bold, adaptive efforts have improved learning outcomes, deepened student engagement, expanded access, or reimagined support structures, whether through strategic persistence or timely pivots.

  2. Operational Effectiveness
    This category recognizes institutions that have demonstrated radical agility in strengthening operational effectiveness and institutional resilience. Submissions should highlight how the institution created sustainable improvements, whether through process innovation, organizational redesign, or strategic use of technology, to navigate recent uncertainty—financial, workforce, or structural. Submissions should reflect the institution’s commitment to long-term financial health and capacity to adapt in the face of resource constraints.

Combined with:

  • Future Vision and Scalability 
    This component recognizes institutions with a clearly articulated and future-ready strategy. Their efforts reflect a commitment to scaling what works, anticipating what’s next, and aligning modernization efforts with evolving institutional goals. The institution’s vision should position it to adapt and lead in a shifting higher education landscape. 
     
  • Long-Term Impact
    Sustainable change requires more than quick fixes. This element celebrates institutions that are not only agile in the moment but intentional about creating lasting value. Their strategic planning bridges today’s challenges with tomorrow’s possibilities—ensuring that innovation and investment contribute to long-term institutional strength and student success.

 

The Future Campus Award Selection Process

Institutions or a nominating entity can submit applications detailing achievements and initiatives in line with the award criteria by Friday, June 20, 2025.

A panel of Tambellini analysts and advisors will review submissions. Finalists will be selected based on their:

  • Strategic approach to navigating institutional challenges with clarity and purpose.
  • Demonstrated outcomes that reflect meaningful and measurable impact.
  • Forward-looking vision that balances adaptability with long-term goals.


The grand prize winner, category winners, and honorable mentions will be announced at the
Future Campus™ Summit, taking place August 5–6, 2025, in New York City. One representative from each of the three winning institutions will receive a complimentary event package, including Summit registration and hotel accommodation.

The Future Campus Award aims to not only recognize but also inspire colleges and universities worldwide to embrace technology’s transformative potential, leading the way to a more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable future in higher education.

History of Future Campus Award

The Future Campus Award evolved from the Tambellini Technology Leadership Awards, which were established in 2015 to honor the achievements of higher education IT leaders and their teams. Over the past decade, significant changes in higher education technology and external forces have impacted institutions’ internal dynamics. Today, IT teams must collaborate institution-wide to ensure project and institutional success. The Future Campus Awards celebrate this evolution, recognizing the collective efforts of colleges and universities.

Higher Education Institutions

peertelligent

Solution Providers & Investors

market insights
Michael Bisson: Vice President of Student Product Strategy at Workday
Michael Bisson
Vice President, Student Product Strategy
Workday logo

Michael joined Workday in 2013 seeding the Student project team and contributing to its initial architecture and design. Michael led the Product Management team as they designed the core student product and facilitated a three-year customer design partner program. Today, Michael leads the Product Strategy team responsible for determining market fit, competitive market intelligence, and overall product direction. Prior to joining Workday, Michael worked 16 years at Peoplesoft and Oracle in support of the Campus Solutions product in Product Management, Development, and Support. Michael has committed his professional career to the improvement of higher education management through the design and development of Student Information Systems.

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