June 12-14, 2024
Loews Chicago Downtown
Featured Presenters
Byron Reese
Arne Duncan
Cassidy Leventhal
George Siemens
Higher Ed Reimagined
Higher education has never been more in need of events like Eduventures Summit. The sort of illumination, exposure, debate, and strategic clarity Summit aspires to are vital if college and university leaders are to find their way through today’s market maze.
Eduventures Summit is a unique event. Spanning both traditional and nontraditional markets, it offers cutting-edge research on high school students, adult and online learners, graduate school prospects, and the non-degree space. Presidents, provosts, enrollment leaders, online learning leaders, policy heads, company leads, and others come to Summit, ensuring a diversity of viewpoints.
Just as higher education leaders are thinking differently—new programs, novel modalities, unorthodox models—we are taking Eduventures Summit in a fresh direction with a new theme, new format, and new location.
Eduventures and Encoura Platform clients have complimentary passes as part of their membership. Please reach out to summit@encoura.org with any questions.
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Noise + Friction
For years, the evergreen theme of Summit was “Higher Ed Remastered.” But this year feels different. Our new Summit theme “Higher Ed Reimagined” captures our commitment to shine a light on the confusing trends and challenges facing the industry so that we can find new ways to grow as institutions and as leaders. Growth is indicative of, yes, our work to help clients grow enrollment, but even more importantly, how to learn to adapt and not just react, but to discern and build anew.
We must meet the moment.
In the past, higher education seemed always to be moving forward. Throughout our nation’s history, the spread of institutions and expansion of enrollment were marks of economic progress and social inclusion. Universities were lauded for scientific advancement and the disinterested pursuit of knowledge.
Such a sunny view of American higher education’s past is simplistic—the academy has never lacked for controversies over admission, curriculum, and culture—but today’s cacophony of troubles seems unprecedented.
Population shortfalls, sliding enrollment, soaring marketing costs, doubts about student outcomes, public distrust and polarization, and the championing of college alternatives pose tough questions for all but the most selective institutions. Recent rebounds at the undergraduate level still leaves student numbers far short of the pre-pandemic baseline.
Complementary markets appear either in long-term decline (adult undergraduates), past their peak (master’s programs), or highly uncertain (microcredentials, noncredit). The ruptures in the Online Program Management (OPM) industry point to maturation in even the online market as the COVID tide ebbs away.
The Supreme Court’s striking down of affirmative action, amid the politicization of DEI efforts, has thrown institutional outreach into disarray. Colleges and universities—most dramatically at Penn and Harvard—have been dragged into the culture wars like never before. And then AI lurks around every corner.
Reimagining a New Tomorrow
How can a higher education conference help leaders make sense of trends, turn choices into strategies, and thrive tomorrow?
Eduventures Summit is a unique event. Spanning both traditional and nontraditional markets, it offers cutting-edge research on high school students, adult and online learners, graduate school prospects, and the non-degree space. Presidents, provosts, enrollment leaders, online learning leaders, policy heads, company leads, and others come to Summit, ensuring a diversity of viewpoints.
Where other conferences offer endless parallel sessions, we curate top-notch keynotes and a common experience.
Higher education leaders cannot ignore dissenting voices. Calls for more work-ready graduates, more focused and relevant programming, and a greater variety of postsecondary pathways speak to genuine frictions with the status quo. But—in the final analysis—students, parents, employers, officials, and even pundits want higher education to do what no other sector can: challenge norms and politicization; respect, yet transcend division; and meet, yet see beyond the pressing needs of today.
We look forward to welcoming you to another Eduventures Summit!
2024 Keynote Speakers
Byron Reese
Speaker, Author, Entrepreneur & Futurist
Speaking across the globe, Byron brings great enthusiasm and talent for deciphering our common destiny and unlocking business opportunities within it. As a successful entrepreneur and award-winning futurist, Byron employs his perspective as a historian, futurist, and technologist to illuminate how the technology of today can solve some of our most daunting global challenges.
As a futurist, he understands the unprecedented technological change upon us and explores the dramatic transformation of society it will bring. As a technologist and entrepreneur, he knows
how to manage change and inspire innovation, while still meeting the immediate obligations and
realities of operating a business.
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Byron has enjoyed a wide range of success over 30 years, including two NASDAQ IPOs as well as the sale of three companies he founded. He has written six books that have been translated into a dozen languages.
A highly sought-after keynote speaker, enlightening attendees across nations, Byron is an in-demand forward thinker in his field.
Arne Duncan
Former U.S. Secretary of Education; Managing Partner at Emerson Collective
Arne Duncan served as U.S. Secretary of Education from January 2009 through January 2016 as part of the Obama Administration. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Duncan served as chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools. From 2001 to 2008, Duncan won praise for uniting the city’s stakeholders behind an education agenda that included opening 100 new schools; expanding after-school, summer learning, early childhood, and college access programs; dramatically boosting the caliber of teachers; and building public-private partnerships around a variety of education initiatives.
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Cassidy Leventhal
Principal at Achieve Partners; Co-Founder alternativestocollege.com
Cassidy Leventhal is a Principal at Achieve Partners and was formerly at University Ventures where she was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education. She is a Director of Optimum Healthcare IT, Ease Learning and Ro Health, and is regularly featured in outlets and events focused on the future of education and work, including Staffing Industry Analysts, ASU GSV, Talent Tech Labs, and Techstars.
Outside Achieve, Cassidy co-founded alternativestocollege.com and serves as co-chair for Talent & Diversity at Impact Capital Managers. Prior to Achieve and UV, Cassidy was a consultant at McKinsey and led the Firm’s women’s recruiting at multiple colleges including her alma, Barnard College.
George Siemens
Chief Scientist and Architect of SNHU’s Human Systems
George Siemens researches how human and artificial cognition intersect in knowledge processes. He is co-founder, Chief Scientist and Architect of SNHU’s Human Systems – an organization building resources to respond to the systemic impact of AI on learning and wellness. He is the founding Director and Professor of the Center for Change and Complexity in Learning (C3L) at University of South Australia and developed the Masters of Science in Learning Analytics at University of Texas at Arlington.
He has delivered keynote addresses in more than 40 countries on the influence of technology and media on education, organizations, and society. His work has been profiled in provincial, national, and international newspapers (including NY Times), radio, and television. He has served as PI or Co-PI on grants funded by NSF, SSHRC (Canada), OLT (Australia), Intel, Boeing, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Soros Foundation. He has received numerous awards, including honorary doctorates from Universidad de San Martín de Porres and Fraser Valley University for his pioneering work in learning, technology, and networks. He holds an honorary professorship with University of Edinburgh.
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2024 Agenda
Wednesday, June 12 | |
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5:30pm - 7:30pm | Welcome Reception |
Thursday, June 13 | |
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9:00am - 9:15am | Opening Remarks |
9:15am - 10:00am | Opening Keynote Byron Reese, Speaker, Author, Entrepreneur & Futurist |
10:00am - 10:45am | Research Keynote Kim Reid, Eduventures Principal Analyst, Encoura |
10:45am - 11:15am | Break |
11:15am - 12:00pm | Research Keynote Richard Garret, Eduventures Chief Research Officer, Encoura |
12:00pm - 12:15pm | EdTalk |
12:15pm - 1:30pm | Lunch and Breakouts Session I (6 Sessions to Choose From) |
1:30pm - 2:15pm | Breakout Session II (6 Sessions to Choose From) |
2:15pm - 2:45pm | Break |
2:45pm - 3:30pm | President Panel |
3:30pm - 4:30pm | Higher Education Policy Keynote Arne Duncan, Former U.S. Secretary of Education |
4:30pm - 5:00pm | Innovation Awards Ceremony |
5:00pm - 7:00pm | Innovation Awards Reception |
Friday, June 14 | |
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7:30am – 8:15am | Online Program Management (OPM) Breakfast Session |
8:30am – 9:15am | Opening Keynote Cassidy Leventhal, Principal at Achieve Partners; Co-Founder alternativestocollege.com |
9:15am – 10:00am | Panel Presentation |
10:00am – 10:15am | EdTalk |
10:15am – 10:30am | Break |
10:30am – 11:15am | Marketing Keynote |
11:15am – 12:00pm | Fireside Chat Featuring George Siemens, Chief Scientist and Architect of SNHU’s Human Systems |
12:00pm – 12:45pm | Lunch and Closing Breakout Session III |
Innovation Awards
Recognize your work and team efforts with an Innovation Award.
Each year Eduventures Research solicits award applications, completes judging, and announces winners in three categories (listed below). We welcome submissions focused on enrollment, student experience or outcomes innovation. Award winners will be featured at Eduventures Summit 2024.
About the Program
Judges select winners from written applications and, if needed, follow-up interviews. Entries are scored on value to the institution, innovation, and relevance to the mission of the school.
Innovation Categories
Enrollment
Student Experience
Outcomes
Congratulations to our 2023 Innovation Award Winners
Hotel Accommodations
Encoura has secured a heavily discounted block of rooms for Eduventures Summit 2024 attendees. The Loews Chicago Hotel, located in the heart of the city and steps from the Navy Pier, will host all of our activities.
Loews Chicago Hotel
455 North Park Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60611
Phone: 1-312-840-6600
Attendees will receive a discounted rate of $289 per night.
Register and book your room before Wednesday, May 22 to secure the discounted rate. Please refer to your registration confirmation email for information on how to become part of our room block.