Matthew Winn, PhD.s recent article, The Golden Years Are Over, lays bare the forces reshaping higher education. As he points out, institutions no longer have the luxury of relying on prestige or tradition to carry them forward. The time for bold leadership and clear-eyed strategy is now.
So, what does that mean for IT?
Institutional leaders have long understood the need for transformation, but what was once a gradual imperative has now become an urgent, tangible necessity with real consequences for inaction. In this moment, IT teams must not only be at the table but also deeply aligned with what the institution is trying to become. That alignment starts with clarity.
Every institution is fighting to define its place in a competitive, declining market. What is your institution trying to lead in? Where is it placing its energy? What makes it distinct in its region, among its peers, and in the lives of its students? If you’re in IT and you can’t answer those questions with confidence, then your roadmap is disconnected from the mission.
True strategic alignment means that IT isn’t just a service organization; it’s a strategic enabler. If the institution prioritizes retention and completion, is the data infrastructure equipped to identify which students are falling behind, and why? If it’s building a niche in workforce development, how are your systems enabling agile credentialing and employer partnerships?
Even with good intentions, institutions remain fragmented. IT often believes earlier involvement would prevent issues, and sometimes it would. But there are reasons the business side avoids IT: slow processes, burdensome security reviews, and compromises that don’t serve their needs. IT, stretched thin, must make decisions for the majority, while departments push forward with tools that may solve their problems but introduce new silos and inefficiencies.
These systems aren’t chosen out of defiance; they’re attempts to improve outcomes. One team may invest in tools for admissions, another for registration, another for career support, each disconnected and with its own dataset.
The result? No integrated view of the student journey, and no reliable way to understand what’s helping or hindering success. Without that full picture, it’s hard to credibly pursue “student success” across academic, emotional, social, and career needs.
The value of IT is not measured by what it controls, but by what it enables. To deliver that value, institutions need to focus, starting with a modern data strategy, a comprehensive view of systems, spend, and what business value they deliver to the institution, and a deep investment in change management.
This isn’t just about reporting, it’s about data architecture, governance, and stewardship. If you can’t trust your data, access it in real time across systems, or if it takes weeks to clean and prep, you can’t make timely decisions. You can’t support early alerts for at-risk students or measure the ROI of curriculum programs. And if your institution is exploring AI-driven tools or advanced analytics, none of it will matter without a solid data foundation. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that simply modernizing your tech stack will fix your data issues. If the data is poor going in, the dashboards might look better, but the insights won’t be.
The real “magic” of better analytics doesn’t happen at go-live. It happens now by investing in your data strategy, aligning and cleaning your data, and putting the right governance in place. Institutions that want real value from AI and modern platforms must first build the foundation on which those tools depend.
Many campuses lack a clear inventory of their technology landscape. While IT manages core systems like ERPs and LMSs, numerous other tools are acquired and operated independently by departments, often without centralized oversight and frequently purchased with P-Cards. These systems are intended to meet business needs, but are rarely evaluated for strategic fit, integration, or lifecycle planning.
This isn’t just about knowing what exists; it’s about aligning technology to institutional value. That includes understanding system costs, usage, and whether tools are delivering meaningful outcomes or simply persisting out of habit. Evaluation must balance both functional and technical perspectives: What problems are being solved? What hidden costs or inefficiencies are introduced? What’s the total cost of ownership, including licensing, integrations, support, and long-term sustainability? And how do institutional priorities or changes affect these systems?
IT must partner with departments to understand what they are trying to achieve. Instead of viewing systems solely through a lens of compliance or control, IT should collaborate to clarify intended outcomes and identify whether technology is enabling or impeding progress. That requires empathy, shared problem-solving, and a willingness to engage with users’ day-to-day frustrations: slow systems, clunky workflows, and pressure from students, parents, and faculty alike.
Functional teams aren’t bypassing IT out of convenience; they’re often trying to innovate and meet growing demands with limited resources. By building shared visibility into technology use, cost, and outcomes, institutions can transform shadow systems into opportunities for alignment and move forward with purpose.
Finally, no transformation can succeed without a thoughtful approach to change management. This means working closely with executive business leadership to articulate the “why” behind major initiatives and ensuring that messaging is consistent, transparent, and aligned with institutional values. It also means engaging people leaders, those who manage teams and shape culture on the ground, to help translate high-level goals into tangible benefits for individual staff and faculty. Change is never easy, but with the right strategies, it can be embraced rather than resisted.
And change management must begin before you sign a contract. Too often, institutions make significant technology investments without first laying the groundwork for what it will take to succeed. Before finalizing any purchase, be able to answer: What specific outcomes are we aiming to deliver, and how will success be measured? Which roles across the institution will be impacted, and in what ways will day-to-day responsibilities need to shift? A strong change management plan isn’t something you tack on after procurement; it’s the foundation for ensuring that the investment pays off.
Once you’ve built that understanding, then you can move into the next steps of your change strategy, designing communication plans, identifying champions, developing training approaches, and monitoring progress. Technology implementation without a people-centered approach is just installation, not transformation.
In short, the institutions that will thrive in this new era aren’t the ones clinging to legacy or waiting for clarity; they’re the ones moving forward with it. Success will come to those who align strategy with action, invest wisely in data and technology, and lead their people through meaningful change. The golden years are over. But for those willing to lead with purpose, the defining years are just beginning.
Originally posted by Novita Rogers on LinkedIn. Be sure to follow her there to catch all her great industry insights.
Share Article:
© Copyright 2025, The Tambellini Group. All Rights Reserved.
Get exclusive access to higher education analysts, rich research, premium publications, and advisory services.
Weekly email featuring higher education blog articles, infographics or podcasts.
