University Futures: A Presidents’ Panel 

As we boldly envision the future of higher education, the UVA Futures Initiative Working Group invites you to join our first signature event: an engaging discussion with four trail-blazing academic leaders on how their institutions are each boldly taking on the future. UVA President Jim Ryan will moderate the conversation with panelists Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University; Harriet Nembhard, president of Harvey Mudd College; and Santa Ono, president of the University of Michigan.

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Launched in January 2024, the University of Virginia’s Futures Initiative Working Group scans the higher-ed landscape to anticipate the vast societal and technological changes the University must soon confront. AI has already begun to transform academia, while a host of other technologies (biosensors, quantum computing, internet of things) are at the gates.  

What can UVA do to harness these technologies, rather than belatedly ride out their disruptions?  

How can UVA position itself so that it has a ready response to matters of perpetual domestic and global concern — matters of democracy, health care, and environment?  

What changes can UVA make with respect to its research, teaching, and organizational practices to meet — or even make — these futures?  

These are far-reaching, ambitious questions. Toward answers, the Futures Initiative Working Group — a task force of thought leaders from across the University — has been exploring ideas that are equally imaginative and investigative, practical and philosophical.  

The initiative was developed by Phil Bourne, founding dean of UVA’s School of Data Science; Christa Acampora, dean of the University’s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences; and Ken Ono, a professor of mathematics and STEM advisor to the provost who also holds an appointment with the School of Data Science.