In 2025, everyone is navigating a much more complex and volatile landscape and Universities have a number of significant issues and are far from immune from all the turbulence.
Based on trends in tech, economics, geopolitics, and society, here are 10 major strategic risks and mitigation approaches that every University senior manager needs to be thinking about as part of their strategic plan. Check out our full download of more risks and 30+ mitigation strategies & tracking KPIs further down.
| Risk | Mitigation Strategy 1 | Mitigation Strategy 1 KPI |
|---|---|---|
| Student Recruitment and Retention Challenges | Enhance student engagement and success programs | Student retention rate |
| Regulatory and Accreditation Compliance Risks | Implement continuous accreditation readiness reviews | Accreditation audit success rate |
| Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Threats | Strengthen cybersecurity protocols for student and research data | Number of cybersecurity breaches detected |
| Research Funding Volatility | Develop diversified research funding strategies | Percentage of diversified research funding |
| Talent Acquisition and Retention (Faculty and Staff) | Offer competitive compensation and professional development | Faculty and staff turnover rates |
| Reputational Risks | Proactively manage public relations and media engagement | Brand reputation index |
| Changing Student Expectations | Expand online and hybrid learning opportunities | Student satisfaction with learning modes |
| Innovation Stagnation | Invest in academic and operational innovation | Number of new academic programs launched |
| Financial Sustainability and Diversification | Diversify revenue streams (grants, donations, partnerships) | Revenue diversification ratio |
| Operational Risks (Facilities, IT, Campus Services) | Maintain robust campus infrastructure maintenance programs | Facilities maintenance completion rate |
| Leadership and Governance Risks | Strengthen governance structures and leadership pipelines | Board meeting effectiveness scores |
If you’d like to download this and another 30+ mitigation strategies with suggested Risk Management KPIs to track progress then download your Universities – Strategic Risks, Mitigations and KPIs..
Secret sauce for any senior manager
If you'd like to see how to easily manage & track all of this then....
