Operating Through the Pressure: Why Execution Breaks in Higher Ed (and How CIOs Fix It)

Questions? Feedback? Send us a text!Higher education doesn’t have an ideas problem.It has an execution problem.AI is accelerating everything. Budgets are tighter. Enrollment is shifting. Expectations keep rising. And across institutions, everything is a priority at once.In this episode of Transformed, Higher Digital Co-founder and CEO Wayne Bovier sits down with Dr. Kellie Campbell, CIO at the University of Vermont, to unpack why progress stalls—even when strategy is clear.This conversation focuses on a simple but uncomfortable reality: most institutions aren’t struggling to define direction—they’re struggling to move in it.Kellie brings experience across academic IT, system leadership, and enterprise transformation, and a grounded view of what it actually takes to operate inside a modern university.She breaks down:Why IT must be treated as part of institutional strategy, not separate from itHow embedding strategy across academic and operational units works in practiceWhy structure is just as important as people and toolsWhy culture and shared accountability drive real executionHow PMOs can connect planning directly to deliveryWhy letting go of work is now a requirement, not a choiceThis conversation challenges a core assumption: institutions don’t struggle because they don’t know what to do—they struggle because the system carrying the work isn’t built for how fast everything is moving.If you’re a CIO, president, provost, or system leader trying to align teams and actually deliver in a high-pressure environment, this episode will feel familiar—and practical.If this resonates with your work, subscribe to the show and share it with a colleague navigating the same pressure.#HigherEd #CIOLeadership #DigitalTransformation #AIinEducation #Transformed #HigherDigital #ITLeadershipSubscribe or follow TRANSFORMED wherever you listen, to get the latest episode when it drops and hear directly from leaders and innovators in higher ed tech and digital transformation best practices.Find and follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/higher-digital-inc