Over 149 million new jobs are expected to emerge by 2025 in the tech industry alone. At the same time, the unprecedented public health crisis is accelerating the pace and expanding the scale of change in education. With greater competition for student admissions, new flexible learning models, and a growing emphasis on value, experiences, and employability, universities more than ever need to take a student-centric approach to deliver personalized experiences for each student.

Reimagining higher education is essential to not only prepare a diverse set of learners for success in the future, but also to deliver the experiences that today’s digital natives and lifelong learners expect. If we’ve learned anything from the past year, it’s that now is the time to reimagine the experience for students and educators around the world.

Watch the Higher Education Reimagined sessions, available on-demand, to explore how to prepare today’s students for the workforce of the future, how to harness data to reimagine the student experience, and the shift to student-centered learning. 

In the opening keynote, Microsoft President Brad Smith and Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Education, share their views on what is needed to prepare higher education students and institutions for the future and Microsoft’s role in a higher education reimagined.

Following the keynote, sessions include:


Prepare all learners for the workforce of the future

The world of work is changing. Jobs in every field are increasingly digital, in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, AI, and machine learning. While the future holds great promise, the key to success in supporting global economic development lies in empowering today’s students with the skills they will need to be successful and thrive in this digital, ever-changing economy. Hear how Microsoft can help higher education institutions prepare a diverse set of learners for an evolving workforce.

Hosted by:

  • Leigh Cresswell, Director of Business Strategy, Microsoft Corporation 
  • Alicia Redmond, Principal Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation

Guest speakers:

  • Eleanor Donoghue, Head of Career Services, University College Cork
  • Ed Pierson Director of IT and Chief Information Officer College of Engineering, Texas A&M University

Harness your data to reimagine the student experience

Universities more than ever need to take a student-centric approach to deliver personalized experiences for each student, while making the most of their resources. Uniting student information helps to support success from admission to graduation and beyond. Sectors like retail and entertainment are perfecting omnichannel strategies to engage customers during every step of their journey—and students expect the same type of innovative engagement that they have in their digital consumer experiences. Attend this session to learn how to harness your data to reimagine the student experience.

Hosted by:

  • Jim Chase, Director of Business Applications, Higher Education, Microsoft Corporation
  • Dustin Ryan, Director of Data & AI, Higher Education, Microsoft Corporation

Guest speakers:

  • Dr. Jennifer Beyer, Vice President of Product Management, Anthology
  • Lou Aronson, CEO & Founder, Discourse Analytics, Inc.

Shift to student-centered learning

The rapid move to remote learning was seen by many to be heroic. We also uncovered harsh truths regarding digital equity and access that point to the need for a more holistic approach to flexible learning. The Economist Intelligence Unit recently found that 60 percent of faculty witnessed a drop in engagement as students struggled to stay focused, and 70 percent of faculty are concerned about their ability to deliver engaging, high-value learning experiences. In this session, educators from leading universities will share how they provide inclusive, engaging hybrid learning experiences today and what is needed for more engaging learning experiences moving forward.

Hosted by:

  • Rob Curtin, Director, Americas Higher Education, Microsoft Education, Microsoft Corporation

Guest speakers (in order of appearance):

  • Jim Kurose, PhD, Distinguished University Professor College of Information and Computer Sciences, Associate Chancellor for Partnerships and Innovation, Co-Chair Flexible Learning Taskforce, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • William Lindner, Director, Campus Reimagined Initiative, Florida State University
  • Sean Brown, Chief Strategist, Campus Reimagined Initiative, Florida State University
  • James Raber, PhD, Executive Director of Support, Infrastructure and Research Technology, Division of Information Technology, Kent State University

Originally presented on April 22, 2021, all sessions from the Higher Education Reimagined event are now available free on-demand. For more information, see Microsoft in higher education.