Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
Education
Five ways higher education can thrive post-pandemic
Excerpts from an article by Tal Frankfurt, Forbes Councils Member, published in forbes.com
The higher education sector finds itself at a historic crossroads. At this intersection appears two varying paths: one headed in the same direction that led to this crossroads, and the other branching off in an entirely new direction.
Institutions are grappling with a rocky start to fall semester as a result of Covid-19’s overstayed welcome. Those fairing best are the institutions adaptable to change and ready to make mindful pivots in their technology strategy. Here are five ways in which higher education can adjust to the changes and thrive:
1. Go all-in on online learning
Many institutions have been pushed into online learning as a result of the pandemic. While the circumstances are unfortunate, that push can be exactly what these institutions need to shed outdated beliefs and openly embrace the advantages of online accessibility and opportunity.
Many institutions that are not accustomed to engaging with their students and faculty in the online environment might have to reckon with the issues that present themselves.
2. Cut the red tape surrounding procurement
Procurement departments within the higher education space are vital to the success of their associated institutions. The ability of these departments to direct, plan and coordinate the strategic use of institution resources ensures that students, teachers and faculty are provided with the tools, technology and facilities needed to excel.
Unfortunately, so often we see these departments getting tangled in red tape, slowing their ability to effectively manage buying decisions and create transformational value. The pandemic has shown us that higher education institutions can move fast and make quick decisions when needed.
3. Facilitate quick & easy funding
Too many form fields on online funding pages of higher education institutions can make them cluttered and confusing. A connected and intuitive online experience is essential to the well-being of an institution’s fundraising and donor engagement. Institutes must ensure that their online donation pages are optimised for mobile devices and tablets, and streamline the process so that only the most pertinent information has to be filled in.
4. Consolidate communications
Whether related to alumni engagement, fundraising solicitation or the online student’s connection with their institution, a centralised, consolidated communication network provides higher education institutions a foundation in which to grow and prosper.
A fragmented communication strategy will lead to students engaging with their institutions in a splintered manner. As we navigate towards a post-pandemic landscape, communications have to be streamlined.
5. Incorporate AI into your tech strategy
Now is the time for procurement, fundraising and engagement departments to become more proactive and rely on data-driven analytics and technology to push past the pandemic.
AI tools can help institutions drive enrollment, assist students in their course selections and aid teachers with their online instructing. They can gain insight into student concerns and questions, allowing an institution to better understand, and then address, the needs of its student body.
Career
Jacinda Ardern’s career has created a more robust template for the New Political Woman
Excerpts from Mrinal Pande‘s article published in The Indian Express
In our generation, the late Aruna Asaf Ali once told me, even emancipated women were secretly conformist. They took a certain righteous pleasure in saying they were in the political movement for freedom to support their father, brother or husband. Such indifference to the power differential between males and females within their families meant, she said, that women continued to accept male-defined hierarchies in mainstream politics after Independence. One now realises they were not the only ones.
In 2020, a collective dream of women of several generations —leading with their own agenda from the front — has begun to take shape. It is most clearly visible in the rise of a leader like Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern, voted in for a second term as the Prime Minister of New Zealand, with a landslide 64-seat victory for her Labour Party.
Early start
Mentoring matters a great deal in politics. The earlier it begins, the better. Today’s young women need not wait in the wings for their turn. Ardern began early. As president of the International Union of Socialist Youth, she gathered political wisdom, travelling extensively, meeting other youth leaders from the US, Jordan, Israel, China and Algeria. She was mentored by two strong women.
In 2008, she was introduced to her country’s mainstream politics by her aunt, Marie Ardern, a long-time member of the Labour Party. She began as a researcher for PM Helen Clark. Ardern describes Clark as her “political hero”.
Inspired empathy
Ardern has unflinchingly faced challenges that male politicians seldom do but all young women encounter: How will marital partnership and parenthood mesh with political work? Ardern chose partnership outside of traditional matrimony for herself and is today, after Benazir Bhutto, the second head of state to have had a baby in office.
In her political decision-making, she has espoused causes that acknowledge her own trajectories. The empathy she thus gained has helped her take all women along, with all pro-women, pro-democracy and progressive men around her.
Turned negatives into positives
Even as the incumbent PM facing elections, Ardern was able to keep her nation united in the fight against COVID-19.
We all look for heroism such as Ardern’s. Memorably, Ardern carried her baby to the ultra-sedate UN General Assembly Session, so she could feed it on time. A brilliant gesture that put all potential critics of breastfeeding for infants and mothers’ human rights immediately on the defensive. With this, she turned an age-old negative into positive.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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