The future of higher ed starts outside the classroom

"growing demands for relevance, flexibility, and real-world impact. And while universities often look inward for solutions, the most promising ideas are increasingly emerging from beyond the traditional academic boundaries. Institutions like mine, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and peer institutions like those in the University Innovation Alliance, are demonstrating what it looks like to prototype the future of higher education by engaging outside experts in the inside work of design."

"At VCU, this approach has come to life through Shift Retail Lab, a signature program of the VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation. This nationally recognized storefront and innovation hub gives students and community members a place to test and launch ideas in real time. It's where entrepreneurship isn't confined to business majors, and feedback doesn't come in the form of a grade, but through actual user engagement. In just two years, Shift has supported over 300 student- and community-led ventures,"

Higher education faces transformation driven by technology and rising demands for relevance, flexibility, and real-world impact. Universities increasingly find promising ideas outside traditional academic boundaries by engaging external experts in campus design work. Virginia Commonwealth University operationalizes this approach through Shift Retail Lab, a storefront innovation hub run by the da Vinci Center for Innovation that lets students and community members test and launch ideas in real time. Shift treats entrepreneurship as cross-disciplinary, emphasizes user feedback over grades, and has supported more than 300 student- and community-led ventures in two years. External leaders with lived experience further deepen cultural relevance and leadership models.

Read at Fast Company