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The key challenge we are facing at the medical school is resource. Clinical pressures in the NHS mean the focus on education within clinicians job plans is being diminished and the enthusiasm people have to go above and beyond is waning. We also have had significant increases in student numbers at the direction of the Scottish Government but do not have the staffing or facilities to cope.

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Challenges: Operational, Strategic, resources and capacity. mental health and well-being of team members in the context of instability of the higher educational sector.

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Three challenges: Funding, resourcing and a balance between innovation and stability.

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At Tec de Monterrey we have the goal to be the best private university in Mexico and LA. The challenge is How to work collaboratively between academics and administrators to achieve the same objective taking care inclusion and diversity?

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As an academic developer at Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre, I identify two major organizational challenges in my context. The first challenge is the emphasis of research over teaching. Though both research and teaching are (claimed to be) equally important, a number of colleagues value research more than teaching. The second challenge is the influence of GenAI on assessment. We are still puzzling over AI-proof assessment design and academic integrity in the assessment process.

Through collaborations and partnership, I would like to know how other academic leaders tackle the challenges in their contexts so that I could develop a context-specific action plan for sustainable teaching improvement.

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Challenges - Rebecca, University of Sydney

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Challenges - Rebecca, University of Sydney

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Two of the biggest challenges facing us right now are:

1. limited funding for universities at a time when the costs of operating the university are rapidly increasing

2. Navigating the changing geopolitical situation to balance the benefits and risks of collaborating globally.

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Areas of social impact, social license, service, widening participation and community engagement can often be seen as nice to have and peripheral to core functions of the university.

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Suja Somandhan: University College Dublin 

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Suja Somandhan: University College Dublin 

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Organisational challenges that require collaboration:

(1)Improving student or staff mobility—whether for academic exchanges, Erasmus, internships

(2)International Partnerships & Agreements to promote global engagement

(3)Institutional strategy and implementation

(4)Mental health and well-being services for students and staff

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Tec de Monterrey

One of the challenges that currently requires collaboration for us is the transformation of our campuses. New campus models were established with new characteristics, scopes and vocation, however, we continue to operate with the same resources, people, budgets and most importantly, our students continue to live the campuses at the moment.

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Like many others have said, changes to HE funding in the UK is a real threat. We're feeling this keenly in the humanities, where we're essentially being told that there's little point to the subjects that we teach. While we all understand the importance of thinking practically, and at times even instrumentally, we also don't want to give into a way of thinking that judges the value of everything in terms of how much money it yields (case in point, in the UK one measure for rankings is how much money graduates go on to make - suggesting that there's little value in training artists, teachers, even nurses, etc.).

A follow-on challenge from this is that, in many UK humanities departments, we're becoming very dependent on overseas students to fund our normal operating activities. What happens if these students start changing where they go or what they study? And what are we doing to value and integrate these students within our intellectual communities?

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Tec21 is the educational model of Tecnológico de Monterrey, introduced in 2019, focusing on challenge-based learning, curriculum flexibility, and key competency development. It replaces traditional semesters with 5 week blocks and emphasizes real-world problem-solving. As the model evolves, key challenges include balancing learning depth with pace, enhancing faculty training, refining assessment methods, and ensuring flexibility without compromising academic quality. A major focus for the future is internationalization—integrating global experiences, expanding academic mobility, and strengthening English-taught programs to enhance graduates’ competitiveness in an increasingly global job market.

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Challenges - Laura Dickson, University of Glasgow

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Challenges - Laura Dickson, University of Glasgow

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A very significant challenge is the financial sustainability of the UK HE sector and the pressure this places on making efficiencies and savings whilst at the same time working to improve the student experience and enhance the global reputation of the institution and continue to attract international students from an increasingly competitive pool.  Strengthening the focus locally and globally on harnessing greater innovation in collaborative opportunities is one route to diversify and generate new pathways.   Geopolitical tensions are however making partnership working more challenging to manage in certain locations, particularly in relation to restrictions with Trusted Research and Export Control legislation compliance.   In terms of widening access, there is also more that could be done to develop more flexible, stackable degrees that cater to an increasingly diverse student body.

Whilst external collaboration is interwoven through the fabric of the University in all strands of activity, in my view there is more that could be done internally to galvanise and optimise internal collaboration and innovation to develop more joined up approaches to institutional and sector wide challenges.   Though there are many examples of effective cross institutional collaboration, greater alignment could help to achieve critical mass in priority initiatives and with ensuring focus of resource and effort to have the greatest impact amidst the challenging external climate.  In an institution which is set up with a Collegiate structure, there are issues around structural barriers and ways of working to optimise further in this space.

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Securing research funding

Sustainable research capacity building

Student fees

Government Level 7 apprenticeships

Safeguarding overseas students

Recruitment of overseas students

Financial resource and security

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We currently face to main challenges in the field of teaching and learning:

1) Our study programs are very specific from early on and we would like to open up those programs for students to be able to acquire more inter- und transdisciplinary skills as well as digital skills and AI literacy. We face a lot of resistance from various disciplines who want to tightly keep "their" students in their discipline. There are various reasons for that behavior, but student-centered education and both, societal and labour market needs require this shift.

2) For a long time, our university was able to ignore issues of accessibility as the Swiss education system is highly selective with respect to the acquiring the university entrance exam which led to the fact that we experienced only recently a shift towards a more diverse student body. Now, political pressure is high to make all teaching and teaching materials more accessible to students with diverse visible and invisible disabilities as well as students with other obligations such as child care or care for older family members. The challenge now is to raise awareness and the change the culture of teaching and educate teaching staff how to make their materials and their teaching more accessible regarding both, technical requirements as well as didactics.

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Challenges --- Diane M. Beckles (UC Davis)

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Challenges --- Diane M. Beckles (UC Davis)

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We are facing an existential threat from a new anti-intellectual administration intent on destroying all elements of higher education through severe funding cuts. The seriousness of this cannot be overstated.

On a local level:

1. Mandates to increase undergraduate student enrollment when faculty numbers are shrinking.

2. Additional mandates to increase the proportion of first-generation students with no additional resources to help them integrate.

3. Student entitlement at the graduate and undergraduate level.

4. High administrative burden on faculty leading to burnout.

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Ineqaulity professional staff/admin staff and academic staff

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Ineqaulity professional staff/admin staff and academic staff

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In my institution there is a major issue around growt opportunities for administrative staff.

Although most admin staff are required to complete a master's degree, there are no opportunities for promotion. It causes much stress among admin staff.

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1. International students dominated by the a single ethnic group.

2. Teachers of academic literacy skills are considered 'second-class' citizens.

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Mariana Sandoval (Tecnológico de Monterrey)

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Mariana Sandoval (Tecnológico de Monterrey)

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Complexity and Volume: My university has more than 20 campi all over Mexico. Any new strategy needs time, follow-up and a reach strategy to all the different areas and departments, which are bureaucratic and compartamentalized.

The other main one is resistance to change, fear of disruption, and lack of awareness: Not everyone understands why diversity matters or how it benefits the organization. So, to get everyone to CARE about it.

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Here are some of the challenges regarding T&L matters based on my observation:

1. Challenges of engaging research-track colleagues in T&L development matters.

2. Unsure of the effectiveness of summative peer review of teaching.

3. Belated admin support or prolonged reaction time.

4. Diverse views on integration of GenAI or advanced technologies in T&L.

5. Imbalanced funding resources/sources: Some faculties can only rely on gov funds, while others might have more funding sources (e.g., alumni, private foundation, etc.)

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Organizational challenges - Faculty of Humanities, University of Amsterdam - Kristine Johanson

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Organizational challenges - Faculty of Humanities, University of Amsterdam - Kristine Johanson

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Two of our challenges that require collaboration include:

1. Reaching students before university/the pipeline from primary school to higher education: students from minority groups are more likely not to be advised by their teachers to pursue a secondary school path that is university-oriented.

2. The question of requirement: colleagues are willing to work on DEI, but when it comes to mandatory trainings and accountability, resistance suddenly appears.

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As other colleagues highlighted, uncertainty is the Australian HE sector's biggest challenge. Another one is the shift of the relationship between academics and students. Fee-paying students see them as the "clients" and the university as the service provider.

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1. Budgetary constraints

2. Geopolitical tensions

3. Lack of clarity regarding the Uni's organisational structure

4. Lack of ownership of responsibility in a lot of areas

5. Administrative burdens

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Addressing Global Challenges

For example, climate governance. How universities are collaborating across research, teaching and operations to accelerate action on climate. This can be considered both internally and externally, optimising both knowledge exchange and cross border collaboration.

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Prof. Pankaj Tyagi, University of Delhi, INDIA

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Prof. Pankaj Tyagi, University of Delhi, INDIA

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Organisational challenges that require collaboration:

1. How to promote culture of innovation at undergraduate level

2. How to share resources of nearby and far-off institutes

3. How to handle possibilities of misuse of AI in HE

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1. Resource Constraints: Limited financial and human resources hinder the development and implementation of comprehensive support systems for students with diverse needs.

2. Cultural Barriers: Prevailing societal attitudes and misconceptions about disabilities and inclusivity create resistance among staff and students, affecting the acceptance and integration of inclusive practices.

3. Training and Awareness: Insufficient training and professional development opportunities for faculty and staff limit their ability to effectively support and engage students with diverse needs.

Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort from the university administration, faculty, and the wider community to foster an inclusive and supportive educational environment.

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Challenges - Fiona O'Sullivan, USyd Business School

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Challenges - Fiona O'Sullivan, USyd Business School

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There are many challenges facing the HE Sector at the moment, however two main ones that I believe are global challenges are:
1. Lack of Government based funding for universities. In Australia, the government proposed a cap on International Student numbers which wasn’t passed, however the Student Visa approval process is being used to limit the number of International Students – this naturally has an impact on income from tuition fees which pay for the universities research activities. The government is not increasing any funding for research or domestic places at university.

2. The second key challenge is navigating the pressures of geopolitical tensions for our students to ensure we are providing a safe and inclusive learning environment for a diverse community whilst respecting ‘freedom of speech’ rights. This is an ongoing and complex challenge that I believe will only get harder to navigate in the next 1-3 years.

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Challenges - Andrea Strachan, University of Glasgow

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Challenges - Andrea Strachan, University of Glasgow

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One of the biggest headline challenges is the fiscal environment. The funding cap on tuition fees (and cap on numbers that can be funded through the govt funding), attainment gap in scottish scools, puts pressure on universities to recruit from the rest of the UK and internationally—bringing in the additional challenges in recruitment and widening access.

Beyond finances, universities must also navigate the pressures of geopolitical tensions. Balancing freedom of speech with a duty of care while fostering a safe and inclusive learning environment for a diverse community remains a complex and ongoing challenge.

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So many! But the one that seems intractable is how to bring in faculty/staff/students who have been marginalized when their CVs are not as strong as someone who has had all of the resources and opportunities provided by their advantaged position.

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Christine Schellekens (University of Amsterdam)

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Christine Schellekens (University of Amsterdam)

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Lot's of challenges, for instance: some of our initiatives to promote diversity have an undesirable adverse effect on the very population we want to engage. For example, we require that all phd committees, appointment and promotion committees include a minimum of 2 female members but we (faculty of science) have relatively few female senior staff or professors so we burden women relatively with committee work while colleagues can spend that time on research and teaching. We try to solve it by expecting less other management or leadership tasks but that's off course also not the desired outcome.

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As I see it, we have a couple of ongoing challenges:

1. Top-down initiatives not gaining traction at lower levels

2. Language requirements for staff

3. Lack of ambition in student population