The end of the year is often a time for launching new initiatives in hopes of showing improvement in areas that may have fallen flat. For many institutions, those initiatives involve revamping the website by engaging in a redesign that is easier to navigate and can boost lead generation.

Over the last few years, online programs have made a strong impression on students everywhere, institutions everywhere look to make the classroom more accessible geographically. From the popularity of online MBA programs to certificates available at the student’s convenience, it was only a matter of time before higher ed faced an imperative to embrace hybrid learning.

The vast majority of students will never use the academic library for its true purpose. Most students just want a quiet place to study or are looking to check the box for an assignment such as gathering peer review sources or compiling a list of research sources with proper citation. 

At a time when we are more connected than ever, being “cyber smart” is of the utmost importance for higher education. This year has already seen more than a fair share of attacks and breaches, including the SolarWinds and Kaseya breaches as well as high-profile attacks on the Colonial Pipeline and other critical infrastructure. 

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way students viewed higher education forever, and while the country may be reopened, students don’t necessarily want everything going back to the way it was. In some cases, students hope certain changes resulting from the pandemic will never change.

Over the past few years, mental health awareness has become an increasing priority within higher education. With no shortage of problems running anywhere from depression and anxiety to much more serious issues like food insecurity, self-harm, drug abuse and more, administrators are doubling down on hiring social workers, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals to combat the rampant issues at institutions.

Close your eyes and think back to your college experience. What if, instead of taking your Calculus 101 class in an overstuffed, 500-person lecture hall with a professor barely audible from the top row, you could instead take that same class from the comforts of an AirBnB on Miami Beach. 

The human resources department has long owned the employee experience within higher ed, taking responsibility for employee satisfaction. But as the future of work moves towards an asynchronous environment, IT is now playing an increasing role in improving employee satisfaction.

Fall enrollment in 2021 across most institutions is on the decline. Data from the National Student Clearinghouse indicated in a recent report there has been a 3.5% decline in enrollment year over year. While total enrollment has reached historic lows, interestingly several institutions have reported that this year’s incoming freshman class is projected to be larger than any other in recent history. Institutions such as The University of Houston, The University of Dayton in Ohio, Old Dominion and others are showing encouraging trends toward growing enrollment. 

We aren’t ones to talk about ourselves much, but this accomplishment calls for an exception to that rule. Inc. ranked Ivy.ai as No. 168 on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies and we couldn’t be more thrilled about this honor.