Dear partners and innovators, 

For 10 months, a team of 11 visionary higher education leaders — representing two- and four-year colleges and universities across the U.S. — came together to chew on this question: 

How might higher education evolve to better drive regional ecosystem alignment? 

Today, the Lab is thrilled to share an actionable framework for leaders seeking to move from transactional to transformational (l)earner-centered partnerships … as well as tools to help “jump-start collaborative conversations,” as one Designer in Residence put it. 

These resources can help us build a truly equitable future ... and all can be downloaded in the Ecosystems Framework Hub:

What resources are included in the hub? 

A New Role for Higher Education Brief: An Actionable Framework to Drive Regional Ecosystem Alignment 
Leveraging the expertise of the Lab's inaugural cohort of Designers in Residence, we define a future state of higher education partnerships and the critical levers needed to create transformative regional partnerships. 

Ecosystem Self-Assessment + Facilitator's Guide 
A tool for leaders of education institutions, workforce development initiatives, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders who seek to align their ecosystem with an equitable future state in work, vision, and goals. This self-assessment and facilitator’s guide is designed to catalyze conversations among stakeholders regarding the perspectives, drivers, successes, and areas of growth across your ecosystem, plus space to prioritize goals and track next steps.

First Steps to Regional Transformation
An interactive resource that offers higher education leaders a framework and first steps to aligning workforce and education ecosystems across a region toward a shared vision of economic mobility for all. 
 

Thank you to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for funding this initiative, as well as the Lab’s 2021–2022 Designers in Residence:

• Adrian K. Haugabrook, Southern New Hampshire University
• Ahmad Ezzeddinne, Wayne State University
• Bonita Brown, Northern Kentucky University
• Cameron McCoy, Shenandoah University
• Chanel Fort, Stillman College
• Ian Roark, Pima Community College
• Jairo McMican, Central Carolina Community College
• Michael Baston, Rockland Community College
• Nicole McDonald, University of Houston
• Rose Rojas, Maricopa Community Colleges
• Stacy Townsley, Ivy Tech Community College