As 2025 draws to a close, Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo reflect on their biggest takeaways from the year’s most notable episodes. They highlight how colleges can cultivate a more innovative campus culture, respond strategically to AI, and navigate mounting financial and enrollment pressures. Looking ahead to 2026, Horn and Selingo predict more mergers and acquisitions, a continued focus on AI, and a lower federal prioritization of higher education under the Trump Administration.
Horn offers a piece of advice on navigating upcoming changes: “as long as [education leaders] are in their functional silos, they’re just gonna come up with ideas that serve the existing silos…they need space to ask bigger questions.”