Charting the Future of Higher Ed

SUNY developed its Critical Issues in Higher Education conference series to create a dynamic forum for conversations about the status and future of higher education among society’s stakeholders—scholars, academic leaders, business and industry, and policy makers. As the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, SUNY takes seriously its role in facilitating the idea exploration that empowers colleges and universities to master the social challenges of the 21st century.

Since 2011, SUNY convenes this national two-day conference annually around a topic of pressing urgency in higher education, drawing hundreds of topic experts and participants. Following each event, SUNY publishes a companion volume, further substantiating the conference theme.

In year one, we focused on the topic of higher education’s contributions to economic development. In year two, we focused on the future of higher education systems. In year three, we explored big data and all its potential for higher ed. In year four, we reviewed and considered the themes of change and collective impact. And last year, we discussed building a new business model for the Academy.

We invite you to join the conversation each year as we continue to explore the unmapped frontier of the future of higher education — attend our annual conference, take a deep dive into one of our edited volumes, or follow the conversation live on Twitter.

Revisit past year's SUNYCON Conferences:

SUNYCON 2015
Building a New Business Model for the Academy:
Partnerships, Affiliations, Mergers, & Acquisitions
October 29-30, 2015

SUNYCON 2014
Higher Education Reconsidered:
Executing Change to Drive Collective Impact
October 29-30, 2014

SUNYCON 2013
Building a Smarter University:
Big Data, Innovation & Ingenuity
October 29-30, 2013

SUNYCON 2012
Harnessing Systemness, Delivering Performance
Charting a New Path for Higher Education
November 8-9, 2012

SUNYCON 2011
Universities as Economic Drivers
Measuring and Building for Success
September 26-27, 2011