Colleges and universities have demonstrated a remarkable ability to survive disruption. But as the financial and structural assumptions supporting higher education begin to shift, I find myself wondering whether we've mistaken institutional resilience for institutional stability. Perhaps the more interesting question isn't whether our institutions will survive, but what they'll look like when they do.

Higher education institutions may be playing the world's worst game of telephone. Strategic priorities move downward, operational realities move upward, and somewhere along the way, essential meaning gets lost. What if the problem isn't simply how we communicate, but whether we've developed the people and institutional capacity to translate what matters?

Positional authority doesn't eliminate professional risk, but it changes its shape. As I've moved into leadership, I've come to appreciate that the risks I can absorb are not necessarily the same as those faced by people who report to me. What responsibility comes with having the authority to say something that others may not feel safe saying?