Better Together

Higher education is in a period of rapid transformation. Student expectations are shifting, institutions are being asked to do more with fewer resources, and the pressure to deliver seamless, personalized experiences has never been greater.

Just a few weeks ago, we wrapped up the 2025 Stellic Partner Summit — a three-day gathering in the D.C. area that brought together more than 200 partners to share insights, spark new ideas, and collaborate on challenges in higher education. Throughout the event, one message stood out: meaningful change doesn’t happen in isolation. The future of higher ed will be driven not only by innovative technology, but by the power of collaboration — across departments, campuses, and institutions.

Here are three key takeaways from the conversations that emerged at the Summit for anyone working to drive student success.

Transformation begins with people, not platforms. Advisors, registrars, faculty, and technologists often face very different challenges — and yet their work is deeply interconnected. A key takeaway from the Summit was how powerful it is to make those realities visible to one another.

This becomes especially critical during technology implementation, where the hardest work often isn’t technical at all. Change frequently exposes ambiguity: outdated workflows, undocumented practices, or even the absence of formal processes. What once “worked” informally can quickly become a barrier to scaling new solutions.

Empathy helps teams navigate that complexity. By understanding why things are done a certain way — and the pressures driving those choices — stakeholders can collaborate to replace informal habits with intentional, sustainable processes. That shared understanding is what breaks down silos and builds the foundation for real innovation.

One of the clearest lessons from the Summit was the transformative value of learning from peers. Institutions of all sizes and missions often face strikingly similar challenges — from modernizing advising to improving support for transfer students to orchestrating complex system rollouts.

When they connect to share what’s working (and what isn’t), solutions emerge that would be hard to develop alone. Several attendees shared how even five minutes with another institution helped them unlock a challenge they’d been stuck on for months — whether by revealing a missing step in a process or introducing a new approach that had already been tested elsewhere.

These moments highlight why intentional spaces for collaboration matter. They’re not just opportunities to exchange best practices; they’re catalysts for problem-solving, collective learning, and faster innovation. The message is clear: progress accelerates when institutions collaborate, share ideas, and learn from one another.

While technology continues to evolve, one of the Summit’s strongest takeaways was that people remain the driving force behind meaningful change. Tools can streamline workflows and surface insights, but they only deliver value when combined with strong relationships, shared goals, and a collaborative culture.

This is especially true as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into higher education. AI and machine learning will undoubtedly shape the future — from generating smarter degree pathways to surfacing key student insights — but their role is to enhance human decision-making, not replace it. The goal isn’t to build opaque systems that act on their own, but transparent, trustworthy tools that help people make better, faster choices.

Used thoughtfully, AI can actually make education more human. By simplifying the complex, time-consuming parts of planning and reporting, it frees advisors, faculty, and administrators to focus on the work that matters most: building relationships, guiding students, and shaping meaningful educational experiences.

The conversations at the 2025 Summit underscored a simple but powerful truth: the future of higher education will not be defined by isolated breakthroughs. It will be shaped by networks of institutions, teams, and individuals learning from one another, sharing what works, and supporting each other in pursuit of better outcomes.

For anyone working to improve the student experience, the takeaways are clear:

• Lead with empathy and curiosity about the challenges others face.
• Seek out opportunities to learn from peers and share your own lessons.
• Use technology as a tool — but remember that collaboration is the real engine of change.

In an increasingly complex landscape, higher education’s greatest advantage isn’t any single tool or breakthrough — it’s the collective strength of a community committed to progress. Collaboration, supported by the right technology, has the power to transform how institutions support their students and achieve their goals. Get in touch to explore how working better, together can drive student success on your campus.