Higher education is changing, and so is the work of digital professionals. Emerging technologies, shifting expectations and growing demands are reshaping our field. Whether you’re just starting your career or have years of experience, you know how important it is to keep learning and stay connected.
As we look toward the next three years, we’re thinking about how Digital Collegium can best serve you and strengthen our association for the future. Our board of directors is developing the 2027-29 Strategic Plan, and we want to share our priorities while the plan is still taking shape.
Our priorities for the next three years
Three pillars guide our draft plan. Together, they focus on strengthening our community, supporting your professional growth and building a sustainable future for Digital Collegium.
Community and membership
Our community is one of our greatest strengths. Whether you attend an event, share an idea in Slack, present a session or volunteer, you help make Digital Collegium what it is. These connections bring people together across institutions and help us learn from one another.
We want to build on that foundation with meaningful membership experiences that deepen those relationships and help digital professionals find their place in our community.
Our proposed strategy
Cultivate a thriving professional community through meaningful membership experiences.
Professional practice and leadership
Your work keeps changing, and your professional learning needs to change with it. Our volunteers have long shaped Digital Collegium’s educational programs, sharing their expertise, recruiting presenters and addressing important topics.
Building on their work, we’ll look across our educational offerings to identify emerging needs, find the right content and expertise, and fill gaps. We’ll also encourage participation and contribution in all its forms, from sharing ideas with peers to presenting, volunteering and taking on leadership roles.
Our proposed strategies
Shape and curate professional learning around emerging needs.
Foster leadership and professional contribution across the membership.
Organizational sustainability and stewardship
Every conference, online event and member resource depends on the people who make it possible. With a small staff and a dedicated volunteer community, we have a responsibility to manage our finances wisely and support the people who help us fulfill our mission.
That means strengthening our financial position, supporting volunteers and regularly evaluating our programs to ensure we’re investing where we can have the greatest effect. These efforts will help Digital Collegium continue serving you and the broader higher education community for years to come.
Our proposed strategy
Build organizational capacity for sustainable delivery.
How we developed the plan
Before gathering for a multiday retreat this summer, our board reviewed member surveys, engagement data, organizational performance and trends in higher education. During the retreat, directors and staff discussed what they learned and identified three priorities for the next three years. The board also affirmed three core values that guide our work: trustworthy, collegial and collaborative.
Following the retreat, staff developed a draft plan based on the board’s direction. The board is reviewing the draft ahead of its expected adoption in November.
Once adopted, the plan will guide our work from 2027 through 2029, with annual action plans turning these priorities into specific projects and activities.
Join the conversation
This plan will shape Digital Collegium’s future, and we’d love your perspective. Do these priorities reflect what you need from our association?
Share your thoughts by email, visit the DigiCol booth in Pittsburgh or join our Collegium Chat on Oct. 19. We’ll livestream the chat so you can participate from anywhere.
