Educators: A Missing Piece of the Higher Education Strategic Planning Puzzle

March 13, 2026

In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media.

Over the years, I have seen a range of higher education strategic planning frameworks and guidance. These often speak to many of the challenges that confront the higher education sector, such as:

·      Stability and shifts to governmental (and other) funding models and streams, including research

·      Shifting patterns of enrollment, impacted by demographic shifts, national and international pathways and policies, and tuition and others costs

·      Connection and alignment with labour market partners

·      Adoption and impact of new forms of technologies from digital tools to genAI

·      Increasing complexity of student needs

Some of the other challenges, such as the “value proposition” of a higher education credential and the “competition” from “competitors” (i.e., other postsecondary institutions) are also part of the mix, although these are in many ways, similar to all organizations in a globally competitive landscape.

What tends to be missing is what, I would argue, one of the “pieces” of higher education strategic planning puzzle. Educators.

Educators:

·      craft and facilitate the learning that engages students through in part the incorporation of new technologies and through a variety of formats from in-person to hybrid to distance

·      develop and deepen skills and competencies to respond to labour market demands and shifts

·      formally and informally, serve as mentors and catalysts for a variety of innovative learning, including work-integrated, community-based, case-based, lab-based and global

·      perform valuable emotional labour to respond to student needs, both pedagogic and social

Lastly, educators offer skills, knowledges, experiences and networks that can be salient for higher education strategic planning, a set of human resources that are often not sufficiently considered in the value proposition of the postsecondary institution.

Rather than involving and leveraging this human resource, higher education administrators often try to compel educators to fit into the strategy after its made. No wonder there is resistance or disengagement (apart from the dynamics of labour negotiations).

Unfortunately, this pattern of forgetting about workers and talent is not restricted to higher education. In fact, it may be more common than we think in how we recruit and staff, strategize and plan. Yet, if we are looking for differentiation and success in any crowded, competitive industry, why not look within first, and build and leverage your talent?

From Unsplash, Seema Miah