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Digital skills for all starts with the basics article image. A group of office workers are walking upstairs with their backs to the camera, engaged in a discussion. The image has a subtle pink to yellow glow gradient overlay with abstract circuit patterns.

Digital skills for all starts with the basics.

As AI transforms the workforce, the greatest digital need might be the most overlooked: foundational skills for everyone.

Institutional Strategy /
By: Adi Gaskell
Can’t-Miss Higher Ed Conferences for 2024-25

Can’t-Miss Higher Ed Conferences for 2025

Our tracker of virtual, in-person and hybrid higher education leadership conferences for the upcoming academic year.

Professional Development /
By: Volt
A brand-first strategy is your competitive edge article image. A collage-style image featuring a fictional university named "U University." In the center is a corkboard background with a shield emblem reading “UNIVERSITY” and “Since 1899.” Surrounding the emblem are torn paper photos: a scenic college campus with arched stone buildings, three smiling women posing together, a young woman presenting in a library, and a group of students walking energetically down steps. One torn paper segment includes text recognizing the university in the "Top College Awards of 2025."

Want a competitive edge in higher ed? Start with brand-first strategy.

When branding leads, integrated marketing communications in higher ed becomes more than coordination; it becomes a strategy with impact.

Marketing /
By: Jamie Ceman

Popular on Volt

Your school magazine matters article image. A two-page magazine spread features a stylized roadmap illustrating the journey of alumni. The dark, winding road with dashed yellow lines with small icons, such as a graduation cap, briefcase, handshake, and diploma. Two simplified human figures appear walking along the paths, symbolizing different alumni experiences. The layout combines text with visuals in a neutral and warm color palette.

Your school magazine matters.

A well-crafted school magazine can deepen alumni connections in ways broader university communications often can’t.

Marketing /
By: Katherine Primus
An image for a Dear Jaime article on DEI in higher ed marketing. A stack of orange envelopes with Jaime Hunt's image as the postal stamp. The top envelope has an image of a hand building a stack of block, and on the blocks are different words, such as diversity, inclusion, and so forth.

Help! How can I support DEI when the rules keep changing?

As higher ed DEI restrictions increase, marketers can take practical steps to support inclusion while staying within institutional guidelines.

Dear Jaime /
By: Jaime Hunt
An image for the Student Engagement article. A classroom of college students in various states of engagement, ranging from distracted and working on cell phones, to looking out the window and watching the teacher and engaging. A gauge overlay is in the middle to emphasize engagement level.

Student engagement is declining across higher ed.

As universities grapple with low student engagement, educators wonder if it is generational or a deeper systemic challenge.

Institutional Strategy /
By: May Ho
The secret to eating an elephant article image. A realistic, intricately decorated elephant-shaped cake sits on a white table, with multiple hands cutting and serving slices. The cake is covered in caramel-colored frosting with ornate piping details, resembling traditional decorative patterns. The scene is set in a formal event, with individuals dressed in suits and elegant attire. Eating the cake symbolizes breaking down the growing challenges of higher ed.

The secret to eating an elephant.

Higher education faces mounting challenges, but the key to overcoming them lies in a simple yet powerful approach—breaking down big problems into manageable steps.

Institutional Strategy /
By: Kellen Manning
An image of a person's hand rising above a lake as they are submerged in water. Around them float broken heart icons and thumbs down dislike emojis to symbolize social media burnout.

Your social media team is not okay.

The social media industry is in chaos and so are its workers, who are struggling with burnout.

Social Media /
By: Katelyn Mills-Erickson
We're still not talking enough about adult learners.A close-up of a young woman with curly red hair writing in a notebook with a pen. She is wearing a beige long-sleeve shirt. The background, intentionally blurred, shows a university campus with a large historic building, trees, and a small group of people walking.

We’re still not talking enough about adult learners.

With traditional enrollment declining, adult learners represent a crucial opportunity for colleges—it’s time to rethink recruitment and embrace this growing demographic.

Marketing /
By: Shane Baglini
Higher ed must close the AI skills gap article image. A graduate wearing a black cap and gown with a yellow stole stands at the entrance of a wooden bridge, looking forward. The bridge appears to lead into darkness, symbolizing the uncertainty and challenges graduates face.

Higher ed must close the AI skills gap.

Higher ed stands at a critical crossroads, preparing students to navigate an uncertain job market and bridge the divide between learning and work.

Institutional Strategy /
By: Adi Gaskell
Aligning higher ed marketing and alumni relations teams to build stronger partnerships article image. A marble chessboard with black and white pieces set up for a game. The board is labeled diagonally with "DEVELOPMENT TEAMS" on one side and "CENTRAL TEAMS" on the other.

How can marketing and alumni teams collaborate?

Aligning goals and sharing resources between marketing and alumni teams can elevate engagement, enhance donor relations, and maximize institutional impact.

Marketing /
By: Katherine Primus
A split graphic with a social media influencer on the left side in front of a college building, and on the right side, a robotic android reminiscent of AI.

Are we ready for the social media influencer takeover?

Influencer marketing and AI are shaping social media in 2025—and higher ed must navigate these trends carefully to stay authentic and effective.

Social Media /
By: Kellen Manning
The night TikTok went dark article image. A dark, moody digital composition featuring a silhouetted person sitting in front of multiple glowing screens. The TikTok logo with the words 'No Signal' appears on the left side, while curved signal waves extend from the screens, symbolizing digital disruption or connectivity issues. A window in the background lets in natural light, contrasting the artificial glow of the screens.

The night TikTok went dark.

The recent 12-hour TikTok outage was a stark reminder of how dependent content creators are on social platforms.

Social Media /
By: Kellen Manning
Using the Psychology of Persuasion to Boost Higher Ed Marketing article image. A black-and-white profile portrait of a bearded man overlaid with digital data visualizations, including graphs, session metrics, and percentages. Swirling blue and pink smoke surrounds the left side, creating a contrast between analytics and creativity, symbolizing data-driven decision-making and human intuition.

Using the Psychology of Persuasion to Boost Higher Ed Marketing

Higher ed marketers can leverage System 1 and System 2 thinking to create emotionally resonant and effective campaigns.

Marketing /
By: Chris Huebner
On the left, a woman with short brown hair and a grey shirt writing on a whiteboard, which is essentially the fourth wall of the image. To the right is a woman addressing a group of people, she is wearing a black dress and has long dark hair in a ponytail. In the middle is a faint orange overlay of a Venn diagram with a lightbulb in the overlap.

Why blended leadership works best.

Great leaders know when to listen, when to lead, and when to adapt—blending servant and adaptive leadership makes all the difference.

Professional Development /
By: Jamie Ceman
A stack of pink envelops with a postage stamp in the corner with Jaime Hunt's picture. The top envelope has a course catalog list with all but one course blurred out.

My university is pushing program-specific campaigns. Should I resist?

Are awareness campaigns a smart investment or a waste of resources? Jaime Hunt breaks it down.

Dear Jaime /
By: Jaime Hunt
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