2026 Presidential Roundtable for Private Institutions

Join EAB for our annual roundtable exclusively for college and university presidents in Washington, D.C. This is your chance to participate in confidential, high-level discussions focused on the most pressing challenges your institution is facing today.

Attendees from our 2025 roundtable shared that connecting with fellow presidents provided invaluable insights and perspectives:

• “The EAB Presidential Roundtable continues to serve my desire to have a place to discuss strategies, challenges and opportunities.“
• “A great and valuable use of my time, always inspiring and pragmatic, with discussions that flow openly among peers.”

View Our Past Agenda

Event Details

Audience: This session is limited to presidents or chancellors at private institutions. Registration is limited to one attendee per institution.

The presidential roundtable for public institutions can be found here.

For travel planning: The meeting will commence at 12:00 p.m. on February 4 and adjourn at 12:00 p.m. on February 5. EAB will host a dinner for attendees on February 4.

Agenda details are forthcoming.

Please make your reservation at your earliest convenience, as space and rates are subject to availability. For alternative hotel information, contact us at [email protected].

Agenda

We will explore themes and share new findings from EAB’s latest State of the Sector research, Navigating Upheaval on Four Fronts.

Front #1: External Accountability

Adapting to Tenuous Public Support and Heightened Political Scrutiny

Public confidence in higher education has eroded over the past decade, leaving the sector politically exposed. That exposure has been sharpened by the Trump Administration, which has placed campuses squarely in the crosshairs through a wave of new restrictions, expanded oversight, and conditional funding decisions. While tempting to see these moves as a temporary turn in the cycle, many carry lasting effects and together signal a broader rewriting of higher ed’s social contract. For institutions, this means recalibrating to a more volatile environment and growing bipartisan pressures around cost, value, and outcomes.

Front #2: Financial Sustainability

Confronting Business Model Strain Amid Dual Revenue and Cost Shocks

Higher ed’s financial model is under unprecedented strain as every major revenue stream and cost category comes under pressure. Net tuition returns are weakening under heavy discounting, federal and state funding has become more volatile, and operating expenses continue to outpace revenues. Recent enrollment gains have offered momentary relief but mask deeper fragilities that will become unavoidable as demographic decline takes hold in 2026. The years ahead will bring unavoidable tradeoffs on scale, spending, and ambition—yet they also offer a chance to build a more durable model for the future.

Front #3: Market Relevance

Preparing Students for an AI-Transformed Knowledge Economy with Fewer Jobs

Artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape the knowledge economy in ways that can both expand productivity and constrain opportunity. Entry-level roles are increasingly disappearing or being redefined, reinforcing students’ and families’ doubts about the value of a degree. At the same time, employers are raising the bar and pushing higher ed to produce graduates who are job-ready on day one, even as campuses enroll a less academically and socioemotionally prepared generation of students. This shifting landscape is raising the stakes for how effectively campuses can address the growing mismatch between student needs, employer expectations, and market demand.

Front #4: Institutional Agility

Driving Campus Change to Unlock Opportunity in a Disrupted Sector

Disruption is unfolding faster than higher ed’s systems were designed to handle.
Heightened political pressure, volatile finances, and skepticism about higher ed’s value proposition demand new levels of flexibility, prioritization, and resilience from campuses. The pressing question is whether institutions can adapt quickly enough to withstand sector shocks and seize the opportunities that follow.