The Velocity and Cadence of IT Delivery in Higher Ed

In the modern world it is rare that someone ever refers to Higher Education as being near the pinnacle of innovation and disruption. Those words are used to describe Tesla, Amazon, Netflix, or startups or scaleups who are disrupting entire sectors in all areas of the global economy. Too often HigherEd is viewed as a slow-moving, bureaucratic machine that is living with the same ways and approaches as it was a century ago. A recent MarketWatch reports out on a new study by TD Ameritrade in an article titled, ?Half of young Americans say college is too expensive and no longer necessary?. This title alone should resonate as deafening in the hallowed halls of the ivory tower. The continued closure of colleges and universities further validates that Higher Education and antiquated models of delivery are not immune to being disrupted. ?Innovate or Die? is not just a bumper sticker they pass out at tech conferences. Badges, micro-credentials, short-term certificates, and apprenticeships are all being viewed as a different, quicker, and more affordable way to get an education, to get high demand skills, and enter the workforce or change careers. Lifelong learning means a constant evolution of the needed skills of the modern economy. Community colleges across the country are a perfect place to get those skills. As part of its extensive digital transformation Ivy Tech Community College?s Office of Information Technology is taking pages straight out of the playbooks of the likes of tech companies like Salesforce, SpaceX, AirBnB, and others to rapidly increase the velocity and cadence for the delivery of IT services and solutions. The modern economy demands it of Higher Education and in turn those colleges and universities should expect it from their IT departments. 

Key Learnings: 
1. IT in HigherEd has to adopt Agile and rapidly deliver technology solutions and services. 
2. IT in HigherEd must be willing and able to constantly evolve with the evolution of the Salesforce platform 
3. Higher Education is ripe for innovation and disruption that will ultimately transform the education and skill landscape for the world reflective of the need of pace of the modern world.