The future university as seen by academic managers

Reports highlighting the challenges facing higher education in South Africa, and globally, are abundant. While institutions of higher learning have stood the test of time, the realities of the current, unprecedented changes cannot be ignored. Academic managers lead academic and support staff toward institutional goals and take on significant and challenging roles. While a growing body of research explores how academic staff navigate marketisation, increased competition, neoliberalism, and institutional survival, limited research exists on how academic managers make sense of wider sector shifts. As universities strategise for long-term survival, understanding academic leaders’ perspectives is vital. This qualitative study explored academic managers’ views of the future, guided by the research question: What does the university of the future look like from an academic manager’s perspective? Findings indicate that the future university will be heavily reliant on technology, with technological integration positioned as central. The university of the future is also seen as an open and inclusive space that embraces diverse perspectives and knowledge systems, including African epistemologies. There will also be a strong emphasis on student-centricity, and the role of the academic is expected to shift within the future institution. Recommendations for further research include studies on institutional sustainability strategies, faculty adaption to new teaching methodologies and technologies, and student preparedness.