Beyond the Rapids: Reimagining the Future of Higher Education
It was a bright summer day on the Flathead River, just outside West Glacier, Montana. The sun was warm, the sky was clear, and the water looked inviting. Confident from years of childhood boating trips, I decided to raft without a life jacket — a decision I would soon regret.
As my raft entered a fast-moving stretch, the front dipped beneath the surface, and I was thrown into the rushing water. The current was far stronger than I had imagined. Disoriented and unsure which way was up, I experienced a fleeting moment of fear — a sense that I might not make it back to the surface.
That struggle against the current has stayed with me. In many ways, it mirrors how I sometimes feel when looking at the state of higher education today. Universities, much like that raft, are navigating turbulent waters, unsure of direction, facing powerful currents of change.
So, what will it take for higher education to survive — and thrive — in these fast-moving times?
Discovery: The Heart of Universities
In my years as Rector of Oslo Metropolitan University and now the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, I’ve been guided by one conviction: the discovery and application of knowledge are the keys to a better society.
Research is about discovering what no one has known before — a discovery for humanity.
Education is about discovering what you didn’t know before — a discovery for the individual.
Universities are unique because they unite these two forms of discovery. We are the only institutions that both create knowledge and teach it, and it is in the blending of these functions — in research-based education — that universities offer their greatest value to society.
Yet, despite our strengths, I see three troubling currents pulling us off course.
1. From Competition to Cooperation
Today, universities compete for everything — students, researchers, grants, and rankings. We race to publish faster, attract more funding, and climb higher on global scales. But while competition drives ambition, it can also fragment our efforts.
The challenges the world faces — climate change, inequality, sustainable development — are too vast for any single university or discipline to solve alone. We must replace the instinct to compete with a determination to collaborate.
Sustainable food systems, for example, require expertise in agriculture, water management, forestry, economics, and social policy. No one field — or country — can master them all. Collaboration across disciplines, borders, and cultures must become the new foundation of progress.
Education, too, must become a global cooperative enterprise, uniting people and ideas in pursuit of peace and shared advancement. The urge to get ahead can only be fulfilled together
2. Beyond Vocational Thinking
Another concern is the growing pressure to treat higher education as little more than job training. Policymakers often focus on producing specific numbers of engineers, teachers, or nurses — but such a narrow approach risks missing the point.
We don’t even know what jobs will exist in the future. One recent estimate suggests that 65% of children starting primary school today will work in occupations that don’t yet exist.
That means the most valuable skills we can teach aren’t tied to any one profession. They are universal abilities — creativity, adaptability, critical thinking, collaboration, and innovation.
While practical skills have their place, the true purpose of university education is to prepare minds for lifelong learning. The future will favour those who can learn, unlearn, and relearn as industries evolve.
Universities must become spaces where learning continues throughout life — not just a front-loaded experience in early adulthood.
3. A Stronger Commitment to Sustainability
The third current we must face is the inadequate integration of sustainability into education and research. Our students expect more, and society needs more.
At the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, we’ve made three key commitments to strengthen our role as a leading sustainability university:
- Empowering all staff — academic and administrative — with knowledge and skills to support a sustainable future.
- Embedding sustainability in every programme, ensuring all graduates leave prepared to contribute to sustainable solutions in their workplaces and communities.
- Applying our own research to make the university itself more sustainable, integrating environmental and climate considerations into every decision.
Our hope is to extend these ambitions through collaboration. In Norway, around 6% of the population is enrolled in higher education at any given time. If every student in every institution were equipped to drive sustainable change, the national — and global — impact would be profound.
Adapting to New Learning Models
Higher education must also evolve in how it delivers learning. Traditional full-time, campus-based study remains vital, but it can no longer stand alone.
Digital learning, once viewed as a supplement, is now an essential part of the educational ecosystem. Online courses and micro-credentials are reshaping how people learn and when they learn.
Unfortunately, many universities have failed to build on the digital progress made during the pandemic. Abandoning these advances risks leaving institutions irrelevant as learners turn to flexible, on-demand alternatives.
The future of education lies in a diverse ecosystem — blending traditional degrees with modular, digital, and lifelong learning opportunities.
The Life Jacket Universities Need
Universities are like rafts in the rapids — surrounded by powerful forces of change, from technology to globalisation to climate challenges. The old ways of rowing will not be enough to stay afloat.
To survive, universities must put on their “life jackets” — cooperation, adaptability, lifelong learning, and sustainability. These are the tools that will keep us above water and help steer higher education toward a better future.
When we commit to these principles, we can truly deliver on our promise: to generate new knowledge and apply it for the betterment of society.
Final Reflection
The river of change is swift, but it also offers a thrilling ride. The challenge is not to resist it — but to navigate it wisely.
By embracing cooperation over competition, valuing critical skills over narrow job training, and integrating sustainability into everything we do, universities can chart a course toward relevance and renewal.
The water may be rough, but the way forward is clear: it’s time for higher education to put on its life jacket and paddle toward a sustainable, collaborative future.
