Institutional Resilience Toolkit
We know higher education is facing big changes, and EDUCAUSE is here for you. We developed the Institutional Resilience Toolkit to equip higher education institutions with resources that help you maximize opportunities in uncertain times.
What’s Institutional Resilience?
Institutional resilience is the ability to anticipate, respond to, and adapt to rapidly changing circumstances in ways that maximize opportunities and minimize impacts of unforeseen events.
- See Building Institutional Resilience to Adapt and Thrive in Times of Uncertainty for a 2025 framework developed by the community.
- See “QuickPoll: Institutional Resilience in Uncertain Times” for the latest research.
Institutional Resilience Areas
This toolkit is a combination of EDUCAUSE-curated resources and community suggestions. You'll find resources in five categories established by the EDUCAUSE community and centered around institutional experiences operating under resource constraints:
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Leadership ➞ -
External Funding / Resource Allocation and Prioritization ➞ -
Data Access and Information ➞ -
Technical, Institutional, and Specialized Expertise ➞ -
Operational and Workforce Efficiency ➞
Want to suggest a new resource? Email [email protected].
Leadership
Leadership at resource-constrained institutions requires fostering a culture of perseverance to lead courageously under changing and challenging circumstances, including high leadership turnover.
Check out the resources below for a deeper dive:
Articles
Showcase Series
Events
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EDUCAUSE Webinar
People Usually Don’t Get Along, and What IT Leaders Can Do About It
(recorded February 25, 2026)
Watch the Recording ➞
Podcasts
Jacquelyn Malcolm Bailey and John Dunning, EDUCAUSE Shop Talk | "Designing for Institutional Resilience in a Changing World" [podcast]
Additional Resources
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AAMC Center for Health Justice, The Principles of Trustworthiness Toolkit
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Rita McGrath, Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen
External Funding / Resource Allocation and Prioritization
Factors including state and federal funding, budget deficits, changing regulations, and policy updates all affect resource levels at institutions. Leaders at resource-constrained institutions must consider exploring new funding opportunities, updating governance decisions, and thoughtfully evaluating the impacts of how resources are allocated.
Find new ideas below:
Articles
Events
Data Access and Information
Leaders at resource-constrained institutions should consider prioritizing crucial resources related to data access and insights through robust, right-sized, and up-to-date data systems.
Learn more about data access and information below:
Articles
Events
Technical, Institutional, and Specialized Expertise
Technical, institutional, and specialized expertise are essential to institutional success in a resource-constrained environment. Institutional leaders will need to build workforce skills across multiple domains, including IT, research, administration, and student services.
Check out the resources below:
Articles
Library Resources
Podcasts
Ozlem Kilic, EDUCAUSE Shop Talk | "Using Disruption to Build the Workforce of the Future" [podcast]
Events
Additional Resources
Operational and Workforce Efficiency
Leaders at resource-constrained institutions should rethink institutional processes, structures, and workforce efficiencies that impact how resources are used.
Review the resources below for more on operational and workforce efficiencies:
Articles
Events
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Webinar
AI for Higher Ed Networks: Cut Costs, Boost Productivity, Stay Audit-Ready
Watch the Recording ➞
Podcasts
Jessica Palatka and Lancie Affonso, “The Latest on AI and Work in Higher Ed” [video podcast], EDUCAUSE Shop Talk
Additional Resources
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Vantage Technology Consulting Group, The 25% Plan