Redefining Partnership: Lessons Learned from the First EDUCAUSE Partner Summit

EDUCAUSE members have increasingly asked the association to provide a more meaningful definition of "EDUCAUSE partner"—one that clarifies partnership roles, expectations, and opportunities within the higher education technology context. In response, EDUCAUSE convened the inaugural Partner Summit at the 2024 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference. The Partner Summit gathered over eighty higher education, industry, and association leaders to uncover and address key challenges impacting the higher education technology market and leaders' ability to collaborate on its evolution (EDUCAUSE Strategic Priority #3).^Footnote1 The summit sought to foster a sense of connection and community, change cultural perceptions around partnerships involving industry and higher education, and reduce friction among higher education and industry stakeholders.

The event was broken into four 90-minute segments. In each segment, brief presentations—one to set the tone and another to share partnership case stories—provided thought prompts for small group discussions that explored the following themes:

• Getting on the same page: How do we intentionally create great partnerships that are good for business?
• Investigating how higher education can work with industry: How can higher education and industry create mutually beneficial partnerships?
• Exploring how industry can work together with industry: What problems can industry solve together?
• Clarifying association roles: What can EDUCAUSE and other associations do to support partnerships?

Shared Goals

Summit participants began with the end in mind—to describe the changes partnerships enable. Together, the group determined that partnerships have the potential to transform higher education by fostering innovation, expanding reach, increasing scale, and creating new opportunities for collaboration and resource sharing. Collaboration can lead to enhanced sustainability, improved student experiences, and a more equitable and inclusive higher education landscape. By embracing partnerships and working together strategically, higher education institutions and industry partners can unlock new possibilities and shape a brighter future for education.

Following are a few capabilities partnerships enable:

• Meeting accessibility standards and ensuring compliance with regulations, particularly staffing and expertise
• Improving sustainability by generating new business models or shared services
• Fostering the co-creation and sharing of intellectual property
• Increasing organizational efficiency by pooling resources, talent, professional development opportunities, and back-office support
• Promoting equity and inclusion by providing access to resources and opportunities for under-resourced institutions and diverse learner communities
• Breaking down operational and technical silos, both within institutions and across industries, leading to more integrated and holistic solutions
• Streamlining procurement processes
• Assisting solution providers in understanding and meeting regulatory compliance

Characteristics of a Good Partnership

Pre-summit survey responses identified five important characteristics of a good partnership: mutual benefit, open communication, trust, commitment, and a shared vision for innovation. By focusing on these key elements, higher education institutions and industry partners can cultivate strong, collaborative relationships that advance the mission of higher education.

Good partnerships require effort. Summit participants discussed how to be more intentional about creating partnerships that exhibit the characteristics identified above. When thinking about mutual benefit, for example, if each partner does not perceive the same value in the relationship, how can both parties invest in the success of the partnership?

The group determined that mutual benefit in partnerships hinges on the ability to identify and align on shared goals. By identifying shared goals, higher education institutions and industry partners can build relationships that drive meaningful progress for both. Achieving this level of alignment requires open communication, transparency, and a willingness to understand each other's motivations and challenges.

Participants described various strategies for cultivating mutually beneficial relationships:

• Before engaging in a partnership, both the institution and the corporate partner(s) should conduct thorough vetting and research to help identify potential partners with shared goals. Preliminary research can also help industry partners improve their understanding of what individual higher education institutions need rather than assuming common needs.
• When exploring a potential partnership, candidly share information—including motivations, risks, and challenges—to help identify shared goals and avoid misunderstandings.
• When starting a partnership, create a formal agreement that includes a list of shared goals with clearly defined responsibilities and key performance indicators.
• Once a partnership has been formalized, both sides should prioritize the relationship and focus on building trust. Trust requires extended conversations, follow-through on promises, and demonstrated accountability.
• Ongoing assessment ensures the partnership remains focused on shared goals. When one or both parties determine the partnership is not mutually beneficial, have honest conversations about what is working and what isn't. If the partnership has achieved its shared goals, it may be time to develop new goals or move on.

Throughout the Partner Summit, participants regularly circled back to that last idea: partnerships do not need to last forever. Partnership lifecycles are not often considered up front, but doing so could provide several benefits. For example, it could give solution providers a better idea of the ROI of a partnership. It might also allow both partners to pause and consider renewing the partnership (assuming it is successful) or creating a new partnership agreement with the existing partner to address new needs or goals.

Issues Higher Education and Industry Can Solve Together

Summit participants emphasized the need for higher education and industry partnerships to focus on pressing issues, common goals, and innovation needs. Both sectors have a vested interest in developing a skilled and adaptable workforce to meet future demands. Ensuring alignment between academic programs and workforce needs is beneficial to both sectors.

Here are just a few of the most pressing challenges that higher education and industry can tackle together:

• Developing frameworks, policies, and governance structures for the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI)
• Adapting to changing workforce expectations, including remote work and evolving skillsets (requires new approaches to talent recruitment and retention)
• Addressing leadership transitions and ensuring effective succession planning for institutional continuity
• Staying ahead of rapid technological advancements, such as AI
• Preparing students to be world-leading experts and ensuring technologies support the development of a competitive workforce

During the summit, leaders agreed that both sectors need to increase innovation in the following areas:

• Developing innovative cybersecurity products and solutions to protect sensitive data and systems
• Rethinking and streamlining procurement processes, including RFPs, to improve efficiency and transparency
• Exploring alternative revenue models for higher education to enhance financial sustainability and adaptability
• Strengthening relationship management practices
• Creating robust student employment pathways

Ultimately, the group determined that the primary challenges facing higher education are not related to technical issues but rather to human factors and institutional processes. If most of the problems in higher education have little to do with technology, how can more effective partnership strategies help solve them?

Problems Industry–Industry Partnerships Can Solve Together

Leaders at the summit recognized that industry–industry partnerships offer another mechanism for solving problems that impact higher education. By working together, companies can leverage their expertise, resources, and innovative capabilities. These collaborations can lead to more effective and inclusive learning environments, ultimately benefiting students, faculty, and the higher education community as a whole.

Participants identified specific problems for industry–industry partnerships to address.

• Driving innovation in accessibility solutions, such as better tools for PDF remediation, or collaborating on accessibility standards and best practices
• Creating more seamless integration between learning platforms through the adoption of common standards and streamlined integration processes
• Addressing the evolving needs of faculty and students in hybrid and online learning environments by providing better support and training and remaining adaptable to change
• Addressing equity and access challenges by improving solutions for internet access, affordability, and the development of inclusive technologies
• Informing product development and improving user experiences by partnering with higher education institutions and organizations to gather valuable insights from students, faculty, and staff

New business opportunities are incentives to pursue industry–industry partnerships. Additionally, establishing standardized data formats and integration processes could alleviate concerns and facilitate cooperation. That said, participants referred to several themes that recurred throughout the summit to describe how industry–industry partnerships can succeed. They must work together for the benefit of higher education by establishing trust, identifying shared interests, and addressing the large-scale challenges facing the higher education market. Higher education institutions can contribute to these partnerships by being transparent about their needs and timelines and embracing the existing collaborative spirit within the sector.

Call to Action

One Partner Summit participant made the following point: "The word vendor—stemming from the Latin word vendere (to sell)—immediately casts industry partners in a sales-focused light." Leah Lang, director of corporate engagement at EDUCAUSE, proposed using the term "solution provider" instead.^Footnote2 Therefore, the first action item for the community as a whole is to shift the language we use to describe potential partners.

Higher education and industry can improve their collaboration by building strong relationships, understanding each other's needs and motivations, and aligning on shared goals. Open communication, transparency, and flexibility can help partners overcome challenges and foster mutually beneficial partnerships that drive innovation and advance the mission of higher education. Focusing on shared understanding, open communication, and practical solutions can help both sides align their priorities and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.

Higher education institutions need to recognize that the challenges they face are just as pressing for solution providers. Similarly, industry partners need to invest time in understanding the unique needs, culture, and decision-making processes of higher education institutions. Working together, institutions and solution providers can have a greater impact in addressing these challenges. Prioritizing student success and innovation can foster more collaborative and productive partnerships. Building strong, non-transactional relationships based on trust and open communication is crucial. Solution providers should offer value beyond their products and services by doing things like providing access to research, expertise, or professional development opportunities.

Next Steps

After reviewing and analyzing the results and data collected during the 2024 Partner Summit, the EDUCAUSE team plans to host a virtual session in spring 2025. The team also intends to host a second in-person partner summit at the 2025 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference. Contact Leah Lang for more information.

Notes

1. "EDUCAUSE Strategic Priorities," EDUCAUSE (website), accessed January 15, 2024. Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.↩
2. Kevin Kelly, "All or Nothing at Educause24," On EdTech (blog), November 5, 2024. Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.↩

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Kevin Kelly is an author and a consultant at Phil Hill & Associates.

Joseph Moreau is an Executive Consultant at Higher Digital.