As we kick off 2025, I feel a renewed energy and optimism in the year ahead mixed with a deep empathy for higher ed leaders, particularly our partners and peers in marketing and communication roles.
We’ve all been under incredible pressure lately. The questions we routinely ask ourselves seem to weigh a little more than they used to—the stakes feel higher than ever.
Will our enrollment plunge? Will the FAFSA work? Is AI going to replace us? How will global tensions show up on our campus? Are we equipped to handle a crisis? Will we have the budget to fully pursue our ambitions? Will we hit our fundraising targets? What could a new political administration’s impact be on education as we know it?
For much of last year, we were on the defense, carefully placing small investments and making incremental progress. We all know it’s not enough.
The industry is crying out for bold, breakthrough work. But bold work requires risk — and risk tolerance is at rock bottom right now.
My prediction for 2025: It’s the year that higher ed fights back.
I can see the pent-up need for a massive shift in how we market our institutions. I’m looking forward with excitement for what we can do together, as a team of marketers on the right side of higher education.
2025 is the year that we reclaim the narrative of our industry: Through widespread conviction and a united stance for our beloved colleges and universities.
2025 is the year that we restore trust in the only industry that advances all other industries: By sharpening our messages about research, business, and government partnerships. By proudly marketing how we help shape policy, fuel the economy, and make advancements in health care, agriculture, and beyond. And by investing in new ways to help learners of all types and of all life stages accomplish their educational goals.
2025 is the year that we do breakthrough work that the world has never seen from higher ed: By taking risks, making brave decisions, and doing something unexpected. Those who make bold moves with their marketing efforts (that is, those who take smart risks) will be the ones who see success that exceeds expectations and sets the path for others to follow.
Together, as a community of marketers and creative professionals, we must greet 2025 with confident decision-making.
We must take the smart risk and be bold. Do something unexpected. And know that you’re doing so out of a deep belief in a product that, over and over, changes the trajectories of individuals, families, communities, and entire generations: a college education.
