What’s Next for Higher Education?
Strategy Focused on Relevance and Results
As higher education institutions navigate a growing set of challenges, the path forward requires both innovation and strategic relevance.
About Guy
Guy Bell has spent over 20 years leading public, private, and nonprofit higher education institutions through change and renewal. Specializing in turnarounds, he has successfully stabilized struggling institutions by leveraging innovative partnerships, cutting-edge technology, program reinvention, and new delivery models—often ahead of their time.
Beyond restructuring for stability, his focus has always been on positioning institutions for the future, ensuring they are not just surviving but ready to invest in what’s next. He has worked extensively with edtech companies, workforce initiatives, and alternative funding strategies to reshape how education meets the evolving demands of learners and employers.
Now, as a strategic advisor and thought leader, he writes, speaks, and collaborates with institutions seeking future readiness, strategic relevance, and sustainable growth in a rapidly shifting landscape.
Reasons to Engage
The Future is Here ⏐ Examine – Measure – Align
Higher education is at a crossroads. Workforce-driven models, employer-funded education, stackable credentials, and work-learn pathways aren’t just trends—they’re reshaping the future. Yet, many institutions remain anchored in legacy thinking, adjusting only when forced. But what if adaptation wasn’t reactive? What if, instead of scrambling to keep up, you led the charge? The institutions that will thrive aren’t just those that weather change—they’re the ones that shape it. Let’s explore what’s next and build a future where academic excellence and real-world readiness aren’t competing forces, but one and the same.
Financial and Structural Health Analysis ⏐ Measure
This engagement is designed for institutions experiencing financial distress due to population decline, stagnant enrollment, or rising controllable and fixed costs.
The primary goal is to develop a clear, actionable report outlining recommendations based on impact and risk.
Program Health, Market Alignment, Future Ready Fit ⏐Align
My work is guided by the identity and mission of your institution.
This engagement focuses on ensuring that academic and workforce programs remain relevant, competitive, and financially sustainable in an evolving education landscape. Institutions facing enrollment shifts, declining program performance, or uncertainty about future offerings can benefit from a structured review of program health and alignment with industry and student needs.
Through this engagement, I help institutions move beyond reactive decision-making to a proactive, data-informed strategy that ensures long-term programmatic strength and relevance.
Get Started with 10 Focused Hours A Month On Your Highest Priorities
Monthly Advisory
$4,000/month
- 10-hour engagement (month to month)
- Designed for institutions needing limited engagement
Presidential Sprint
$12,000/3 Months
- High-intensity engagement for presidents and leadership teams
- Focus on 1-3 actionable strategies with clear outcomes
Annual Partnership
$36,000/year (flexible use)
- 10 hours per month with institutional flexibility (use within the calendar year)
- Dedicated expertise integrated into leadership decision-making for 3k a month
“Guy is one of the most unique people that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He defines out-of-the-box thinking; constantly questioning and pushing people to understand how and why change should occur within an organization to make things better. “I can’t” is not part of Guy’s vocabulary and he is constantly seeking to find truth in what can and cannot be done.
I helped recruit Guy to Heald College and wish that I had found him years earlier than I did. He was able to come into the organization and gain traction with subordinates and colleagues to make a difference almost immediately.
Guy is able to envision a future – some place he is trying to go – and is not only able to mobilize people around that vision but inspire them in the process. He works best operating in a strategic role, but when called upon he can easily jump into operational details to help shift direction or change course entirely.
One of Guy’s best qualities is that he cares about people deeply. He never forgets the individual in any decision making process. He surrounds himself with talent and allows that talent to flourish under his leadership. He is able to deliver tough and candid feedback in a genuine way that never lets you forget that he cares.”
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Michelle Kwait – CHRO ⏐ Heald College
“Guy Bell was an electric speaker who truly challenged the audience to step outside their comfort zones and rethink the way they work.”
Suruthi Bala, Head of Content, LEAP HR / Hansonwade – Higher Education
Writings On Various Topics to Include Education
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Building Bridges to Tomorrow: The Future Campus Rising Beside the Old
Keynote Theme Imagine walking onto a university campus, a familiar scene of ivy-covered buildings and bustling student unions. But just beyond the manicured lawns, a new silhouette rises, a structure designed for the future, humming with a different kind of energy. This isn’t a replacement of the traditional path; it’s an evolution, a deliberate act
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Does Lifelong Learning Matter? Five Vignettes
Keynote Topic – Future of Learning Communities Let’s bring this abstract concept of “lifelong learning” down to earth. Let’s look at the faces of the very people whose futures hang in the balance, and whose potential we, as educators, have the power to unlock. Vignette 1: The Retooling IT Professional Mark is 42. For two
