Boston 2025: Action and Alignment

The big picture:

At the Presidents Forum Boston 2025 meeting, higher ed leaders, researchers, and policymakers came together to confront the defining challenges shaping the future of colleges and students — from declining enrollment and public trust to the governance of artificial intelligence.

Driving the news:

• Gallup’s Janet Gibbon opened with sobering new data: declining enrollment and waning confidence in the value of a degree. Presidents shared how they’re restoring trust by connecting learning to work, well-being, and purpose.
• Michael Horn and Rajen Sheth led a working session on AI in higher ed, exploring how institutions can innovate responsibly — balancing access and equity with ethics and governance.
• Patti Kohler (WGU) and Alex Ricci (NCHER) briefed members on federal rulemaking and financial aid integrity, underscoring the Forum’s role in ensuring affordability, transparency, and student protection.

Between the lines:

The Forum’s strength lies in collective action. Each session turned policy debate into implementation strategy, aligning diverse institutional perspectives around a shared mission: keep students at the center.

The bottom line:

Boston 2025 wasn’t just another higher ed meeting. It was a call to act — to align policy, practice, and leadership around one goal: ensuring every student’s success remains the benchmark of institutional accountability.