Love Among the Ruins: Potential Post-Pandemic IT Scenarios for Higher Ed

Some say the global COVID-19 pandemic has irrevocably changed the IT landscape for colleges and universities. The latest EDUCAUSE Information Technology Issues Project “Top IT Issues, 2021: Emerging from the Pandemic” by Susan Grajek, Vice President, Communities and Research, for EDUCAUSE and the 2020–2021 EDUCAUSE IT Issues Panel outlines three post-pandemic IT scenarios for Higher Ed.

Institutions will either restore, evolve, or transform. That is, some “will be focused on figuring out what to do to get back to where [they] were before the pandemic,” while others will evolve by being “focused on adapting to the new normal.” Those which are nimble enough and can afford to “will be focused on redefining [the] institution and taking an active role in creating the innovative future of higher education.” Members of the 2020–2021 EDUCAUSE IT Issues Panel also identify Collaboration and Partnership as key to managing IT in 2021.

The different scenarios were determined by presenting nineteen potential 2021 IT Issues and having them evaluated by members in EDUCAUSE’s annual IT Issues survey. The priorities for each potential future are explored in depth by the report. The outcome is summarized well in this short video: “The EDUCAUSE 2021 Top IT Issues.”

Considering the library’s central role in the academic enterprise, librarians ought to contribute to any discussion on the technological commitment, capability, and future of the institution they serve.

“EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education through the use of information technology.”