IgnitED 2027

EAB’s annual IgnitED Summit convenes presidents, provosts, chief business officers, and senior strategy leaders for high-impact presentations from EAB experts and collaborative working sessions with peers from across higher education.

Attendees consistently cite peer exchange and actionable insights as standout benefits of the experience:

• “Truly excellent two days. These sessions provide valuable research to shape our thinking and share with leadership.”
• “This is one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended. I’m leaving with more knowledge, a clearer understanding of available resources, and actionable next steps.”
• “Invaluable time to step away from day-to-day challenges and think more holistically and future-oriented—backed by great data and presentations.”

The 2027 series will feature new research from EAB on your most pressing challenges, dedicated opportunities to engage with peers, and structured time to develop action plans you can bring back to campus.

Agenda Preview

2026 marks an inflection point for higher education. The demographic cliff, labor market disruption, agentic AI, and landmark changes to federal policy are converging—and the choices institutions make now will shape perceptions of the sector for the next decade.

Presidents and cabinets face mounting pressure to act decisively, even as nearly every issue feels divisive and the path ahead remains anything but clear.

Bring your cabinet to IgnitED 2027 to build a shared view of the issues and dilemmas shaping higher education’s next chapter. See how peer institutions are responding to these challenges and leave with practical tools to educate your campus, guide strategic discussions, and make consequential decisions in the year ahead.

Explore the Uncertainties That Will Shape the Next Decade
Examine how enrollment shifts, labor market disruption, AI, and political change could reshape higher education over the next decade. Drawing on EAB’s latest research, your cabinet will separate near-term pressures from longer-term shifts and consider the implications for tuition revenue, graduate employment, teaching and research, and public funding. Together, you will identify the uncertainties that should inform your institution’s priorities.

Confront Eight Dilemmas Facing Every Campus
Turn these uncertainties into the choices your institution must make. Through guided table discussions, you will work through dilemmas that bring these uncertainties into campus decisions, from preparing less college-ready students for a changing job market and equipping faculty to teach emerging skills to verifying learning in an AI-enabled classroom. You will also investigate how to improve affordability while reducing tuition dependence, capture AI efficiencies while preserving the college experience, sustain academic careers, and retain the benefits of athletics as costs rise.

Sharpen Campus Governance on Issues of Consequence
When stakes are high and perspectives diverge, institutions need a better way to move from inquiry to decision. Strengthen your campus’s ability to make timely choices on complex issues that faculty, administrators, and boards may see differently. Leave with a practical playbook for educating and engaging campus constituents, structuring effective decision processes, helping communities disagree and commit, and communicating the results of past choices to sustain confidence in future decisions.

Event Details

Audience: Sessions are designed for presidents, provosts, chief business officers, chiefs of staff, and vice presidents of strategy. Registration is limited to four attendees per institution to preserve a highly interactive experience.

Please note: The March 31-April 1 session is limited to R1 institutions.

For travel planning: The meeting will commence at 12:00 p.m. on the first day and adjourn at 12:00 p.m. on the second day. Further agenda details are forthcoming.

Expand each session below for information on meeting locations, hotel accommodations, and reservation details.