On May 15th 2025, at the Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada conference, hosted by BHER member Concordia University, BHER CEO Valerie Walker joined a panel on Changing Demands on Higher Education.
Alongside Julie Peters (Academica Group), Oksana Kishchuk (Abacus Data ), and moderator Barbara Crow (Queen's University), the panel explored how universities can build relationships with external groups including industry, address evolving public opinion, and respond to new financial pressures.
Val spoke about the role post-secondary institutions can play in tackling Canada’s structural productivity challenges. Her message: post-secondary education builds not only skills, but also capacity, cohesion, and adaptability within and across communities and regions.
She shared a practical example from one of BHER’s work-integrated learning (WIL) partnerships with Western University and TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario. The goal was to bring more Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts students into tech-sector work experiences. The results? Over 1,000 students engaged, a scalable model created, and programming extended beyond its original scope.
What made it work? Strong local partnerships, real alignment between curriculum and industry needs, and a shared willingness to challenge assumptions.
Val closed with a call to action for higher education leaders: in response to changing demands on higher education, we need to support experimentation, connect research to practice, and build capacity in people and places. Post-secondary institutions are uniquely positioned to do this.
Thanks to SWAAC and Concordia for convening such a timely and thoughtful conversation. Extra special thanks to Sandra Gabriele and Donna Kotsopoulos