From your perspective, what are the most pressing people challenges facing Higher Education institutions right now?
From my perspective, some of the most pressing people challenges facing Higher Education institutions right now include adapting to rapid changes in technology, responding to shifting expectations around workplace flexibility, and finding fresh ways to support staff and faculty well-being. Navigating these challenges while managing talent pipelines and succession planning is also more important than ever. Institutions are trying to rebuild trust and engagement after years of disruption while managing severe financial pressure and scrutiny. HR is being asked to stabilize a stretched workforce, offer flexibility and wellbeing, and still advance inclusion and belonging with limited resources.
What decisions or trade offs do you see HR leaders needing to make over the next 12–24 months that will have the biggest long term impact?
Over the next 12–24 months, HR leaders will be making critical decisions about balancing short-term operational needs with long-term workforce strategy. Trade-offs may include prioritizing investment in professional development versus immediate hiring needs, evolving hybrid work policies, and aligning institutional values with recruitment and retention strategies—all of which will have lasting impacts. HR leaders will need to make hard choices about where to invest—balancing compensation demands with critical investments in leadership, culture, and development. We’ll also be redesigning HR operating models and deciding how far to go with automation and AI, knowing those choices will shape service quality and trust for years.
What would make time spent at LEAP HR: Higher Education genuinely valuable for a peer in your role?
Time spent at LEAP HR: Higher Education can be genuinely valuable for peers in my role by offering actionable insights, connecting us with other HR leaders who are navigating similar challenges, and providing a platform for exchanging best practices that help drive innovation and resilience in our institutions. LEAP HR is valuable because it puts you in a room with peers who are candid about what they tried, what worked, and what they would do differently. If you leave with two or three practical ideas already working on another campus that you can adapt at home, that’s a great return on your time.
Find more about Brian Dickens and his session here.
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