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 2026 award celebrates institutions that have demonstrated resilience by design, using data, artificial intelligence, and engagement to adapt to shifting conditions with speed and intention. This year’s honorees will show how they’ve demonstrated resilience in the face of challenges and uncertainty to deliver measurable impact in one of three areas—teaching and learning, operations, or research—while staying focused on long-term institutional transformation.
$2,500 will be awarded to each of the category winner’s institutions.
The application window for the Future Campus Award is now closed.
Nominated institutions should demonstrate excellence in one of the following categories, while illustrating the future vision, scalability, and long-term impact of their strategies.
Institutions or a nominating entity can submit applications detailing achievements and initiatives in line with the award criteria by Friday, June 19, 2026.
A panel of Tambellini analysts and advisors will review submissions. Finalists will be selected based on their:
The grand prize winner and three category winners will be announced at Tambellini’s Future Campus™ Summit, taking place August 4–6, 2026, in New York City. One representative from each of the four winning institutions will receive a complimentary event package to this invite-only executive retreat, 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.
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.
Category Winner
Honorable Mention
Category Winner
Honorable Mention
2024
Category Winner
Honorable Mention
2024
Category Winner
Honorable Mention
2024
Category Winner
Honorable Mention
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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