Evolve, We Must

This past week in New York City left me wondering: How can we frame change in higher education as evolution, not as a threat to what we value most?

At Columbia University, during EDTECH WEEK, Google previewed its AI-driven career pathways solution, promising personalized guidance at scale — an innovation poised to help higher education better meet diverse student needs and address growing skills gaps.

An earlier panel with Siya Raj Purohit from OpenAI and the Chancellor of SUNY John King teased OpenAI’s vision for an individualized learning future, contrasted with New York’s higher ed system constrained by bureaucracy.

I’ve spent the past decade confronting this specific challenge from multiple perspectives: from leading academic innovation at a top university in India, to building solutions at a community college in Oklahoma. I’ve worked alongside global edtech pioneers, integrating cutting-edge technology into traditional systems, and partnering with both community-focused leaders and visionary thinkers. And I’ll admit, innovation in higher education is a difficult problem to solve.

On another panel during Edtech Week, Matthew Rascoff from Stanford University wisely referenced the concept of “Chesterton’s Fence” which says, “Don’t ever take down a fence until you know why it was put up.” I’ve grown to respect this principle working in higher education and I am concerned about what could be lost from rapid technological change. A new tool or technology alone won’t bring lasting change, especially if it’s perceived as a threat to established systems. But evolve we must.

During a personal visit to the United Nations at the end of the week, I had the opportunity to observe a Security Council session on the escalating Middle East conflict. While the issues are vastly different, I couldn’t help but notice the parallel: entrenched systems resisting change to protect long-standing interests.

Too often in higher education, progress feels like a threat to established values. Navigating this requires the same approach as diplomacy — empathy, dialogue, and persistent engagement. We may not be solving global wars, but how can we better guide higher ed’s evolution without letting resistance hold us all back?