01-05-2025
Baker Tilly's Insights Into Why Change Feels Impossible in Higher Education – and Why It Can't Be Anymore
Authored by Adrienne Larmett
Higher education is at a crossroads. Public trust is eroding. Demographic and enrollment shifts are accelerating. Revenue models are under pressure. The cost to operate, and to attend, continues to rise. If institutions are going to persist, thrive and continue serving the public good, transformational change isn't optional, it's essential.
And yet, in so many institutions, meaningful change feels impossible.
Why is that? What's standing in our way? And what can we learn from sectors that have embraced change management as a strategic advantage?
The reality: Change in higher ed is hard
Higher education is a uniquely complex ecosystem, and that's part of the challenge. Change doesn't happen in a vacuum. It's negotiated across decentralized departments, shared governance bodies, accreditors, regulatory frameworks and deeply rooted traditions.
Some of the key barriers include:
The contrast: What industry gets right
In the private sector, change management is not an afterthought — it's a built-in capability. Organizations invest in people, frameworks and systems to help navigate change deliberately and effectively.
A colleague of mine, a seasoned university leader, recently said something that stuck with me:
'Higher ed needs to adopt a change management mindset. The private sector has figured this out; they have entire offices dedicated to it. But we can't seem to get out of our own way.'
That tension is real. While higher education remains mission-driven and values-based, its operational habits often lag. In contrast, many businesses have embraced change as a continuous competency — and it shows.
Private companies tend to do the following, which higher education can learn from:
What does that look like in practice?
Two widely used change management frameworks, both adaptable in the higher education environment, offer structured, people-focused approaches to change: the Prosci ADKAR Model and Kotter's 8-Step Change Model.
The ADKAR Model breaks change down into individual experiences, outlining five key building blocks:
It's a practical tool for helping faculty, staff and leadership adopt new ways of working, whether it's implementing new systems, realigning services or rethinking academic delivery.
Kotter's 8-Step Change Model offers a road map for organizational transformation, emphasizing leadership, momentum and cultural reinforcement:
It's especially relevant for higher ed because it integrates structure with inspiration. Both are needed to move institutional culture.
But can higher ed actually do this?
Yes, but it requires courage and a mindset shift.
Real, sustainable change in higher ed is absolutely feasible, but only if leaders embrace the fact that colleges and universities are no longer insulated from public pressure, workforce expectations or fiscal consequences.
We don't need to abandon the values that make higher education unique, but we do need to modernize the way we manage change to uphold them.
What must happen next?
If higher education wants to reclaim trust, deliver on its mission and remain viable into the future, leaders must:
And critically:
Final thought: Higher ed doesn't need to become a business, but it must become more change-capable
The mission of higher education is too important to let inertia hold it back. Colleges and universities exist to transform lives. But that mission is at risk if we don't also transform ourselves.
The question isn't whether change is possible. The question is: will we lead it — or let it happen to us?
Baker Tilly is here to help
For more information, or to learn how Baker Tilly's higher education specialists can support your institution on its change management journey, contact our team.
