The Innovation Imperative: New Rules from Academia’s Rule-Breakers
Over the past few months I’ve had the opportunity to interview three true innovators in higher education for WittKieffer’s Impactful Leaders Podcast: Paul LeBlanc, former...
Over the past few months I’ve had the opportunity to interview three true innovators in higher education for WittKieffer’s Impactful Leaders Podcast: Paul LeBlanc, former president of Southern New Hampshire University and author of, among other things, Broken: How Our Social Systems are Failing Us and How We Can Fix Them; Brian Rosenberg, former president of Macalester College and author of Whatever It Is, I’m Against It; and Arthur Levine, president of Brandeis University and former president of Teachers College at Columbia University as well as the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (now the Institute for Citizens & Scholars). Links to those conversations can be found at the end of this article.
To say I was inspired by each is an understatement. Their messages are ones that must be heard if we in higher education are to purposefully break from tradition and find new ways to meaningfully impact all aspects of society. I summarize our discussions here, followed by takeaways regarding what I think it all means for today’s leaders.
Paul LeBlanc, Former President of Southern New Hampshire University
Speaking with Paul late last summer, I was struck by his humility and bold vision for the future of higher education. Paul is widely known as a guru of innovation. He doesn’t just talk about change—he has lived it, most notably at SNHU.
Innovation begins with understanding its nature, he emphasized. If you’re improving existing systems, you work within them. But if you’re disrupting the rules entirely, you need to look outside the system and collaborate with people not constrained by the way things have been done previously. His insight, “The incumbent organization treats innovation like foreign tissue—it either spits it out or absorbs it,” resonated with me.
Paul believes in creating safe spaces for experimentation. Failure is often our best teacher, he notes: “You learn more from getting kicked to the mat than you do by winning the fight.”
He also spoke passionately about the human side of education. His belief in love as a leadership principle—“the most powerful leadership tool we have”—was both unexpected and moving. Innovation isn’t just about technology, he reminds us—it’s about people, purpose, and the courage to lead with heart.
Brian Rosenberg, Former President of Macalester College
Brian brought his signature candor and clarity to our conversation. As with Paul, he has an unwavering belief in leading with humanity. Drawing from his scholarship on Dickens, he reminded me that bureaucracy must never strip away compassion. “You shouldn’t allow your role to trap you,” he said. “Think with your heart and your head.” That philosophy guided him through 17 years as president at Macalester, including moments when he occasionally bent institutional rules to do what was right.
We discussed the entrenched resistance to change in academia. “You have to be honest and transparent,” he told me, engaging early and often about plans for change with all constituents, especially faculty. “Faculty are smart—show them the evidence, and they’ll come around.” His advice to presidents and change agents? Share information freely, empower others, and listen—truly listen.
Brian’s global perspective, especially through his work with African Leadership University, has shown him that innovation often comes from places with fewer resources but greater urgency. “There’s more creativity outside the U.S. right now,” he said. It’s a reminder that, given the financial challenges and urgency of the moment in higher education, we might be poised for a period of transformation—a renaissance even.
Arthur Levine, President of Brandeis University
Arthur has long been a transformational force in higher education, across decades and institutions. At Brandeis, he is leading a sweeping reinvention of the liberal arts. Among other things, he has challenged faculty to rethink general education, embrace competency-based learning, and integrate career advising and experiential education into the core student experience. “The liberal arts must regain traction with the street,” he told me. “We need one foot in the library and one foot in the real world.”
His proposal to reorganize the university into schools that combine liberal arts with their applications—like science with engineering, or humanities with cultural practice—garnered 88% faculty support. “I can’t get 88% of faculty to agree tomorrow’s Thursday,” he joked.
Arthur also spoke passionately about AI, calling it “absurd” for universities to lead in research but lag in AI-enhanced pedagogy. His vision includes using AI to personalize learning, much like a GPS guiding students in real time.
His advice to leaders, especially in the context of artificial intelligence? Embrace change and lead with vision. “We’re living through a transformation as profound as the Industrial Revolution,” he said. “You have to lead your institution through it.”
Takeaways
What can we learn about innovation from these three proven innovators? Here’s what I see:
1. Lead with Vision, Not Just Management
Innovation requires more than operational excellence— leaders must anticipate transformation and rethink what success means in the context of their missions, especially as we shift from an industrial to a digital knowledge economy. “You really need vision today,” Arthur emphasized. “You can’t cope with the conditions that exist now in a piecemeal fashion.”
2. Put Love First, and Incentivize It
Humanity, and indeed love for students, faculty, and staff, must be central to successful change. Don’t forget the very real human experience (and discomfort) of dramatic change. Further, Paul reminds us that systems often reward behaviors misaligned with their stated missions—for example, rewarding faculty primarily for publishing. To innovate meaningfully, ensure your institutional incentives revolve around your goals and values.
3. Listen
All three leaders stressed the power of listening. Arthur met individually with 160 faculty members before proposing sweeping curricular reforms. Says Brian, “Your job is to empower other people to feel like they’re the smartest people in the room.” Listening builds trust, surfaces resistance, and creates space for shared ownership of change. Paul, Brian, and Arthur are examples of how humility allows a leader to listen authentically, to acknowledge they are never the “smartest person in the room.”
4. Embrace Disruption—Don’t Just Tweak
Be willing to break from tradition, engaging with people outside your traditional sphere. Paul cited the advice of another noted rule-breaker, Clay Christensen: “If you’re rethinking the rules of the game, you need a separate team.” Arthur’s reinvention of the liberal arts at Brandeis—complete with new schools, competency-based transcripts, and career integration—is a model of bold, systemic change.
In terms of disruptive technology, AI is not optional. As Levine put it, “Imagine being the leader in AI research and not using it in your curriculum.” Institutions must move beyond back-office applications and embed AI into pedagogy, advising, and student support. LeBlanc likened AI’s arrival to a tsunami. Let’s not get swept away by it.
Podcasts
Listen to my conversations with Paul, Brian, and Arthur:
• An “Immigrant Kid” on Higher Ed Innovation: Paul LeBlanc, PhD (Part I)
• Higher Education After the Tsunami: Paul LeBlanc, PhD (Part II)
• Leading with Head, Heart, and Humanity: Brian Rosenberg, Ph.D. (Part I)
• Breaking the Bubble of Normalcy in Higher Ed: Brian Rosenberg, PhD (Part II)
• From Tradition to Transformation – the Future of Academia: Arthur Levine, PhD
