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There’s a persistent narrative that higher education is slow to change. While that may be true in some ways, college leaders offered a different picture at the recent ACE Experience 2026 — one where institutions are moving quicker than ever to meet workforce needs. Both community colleges and four-year institutions are rising to the challenge.
In fact, when more than 300,000 federal workers and contractors were laid off in early 2025, leaders at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) knew they not only should, but could, help. Within two months, the college launched NOVAnext, a program designed to help displaced federal workers transition their talents to new, rewarding careers. The program is ongoing, serving a vital need for professionals who need to upskill or reskill and find a new path outside of the government. It offers courses in IT, HR and project management, and entrepreneurship, along with virtual workshops on interviewing, resume writing, and the use of AI in careers.
This is a powerful example of how quickly institutions can mobilize when their communities need them.
Anne Kress, the president of NOVA, emphasized that this kind of responsiveness requires adaptability. In this case, the college was able to repurpose funding from an existing grant to support the program.
Kress and her co-presenter (Tracy Hartzler, president of Central New Mexico Community College) talked at length about the flexibility, adaptability, and resiliency of community colleges, giving direct examples of how their own institutions have responded to community and workforce needs. The theme was clear: institutions must position themselves to respond quickly.
From creating bootcamps in partnership with industry to often transitioning the successful bootcamps into certificate programs, they highlighted a key mindset shift: When it comes to degrees vs. training, they really aren’t in opposition. Both bring students into higher education, and while some students may eventually pursue a degree, each has its own value.
In another session, Anne Prisco, president of Holy Family University in Philadelphia and Bucks County, echoed this need to work closely with the surrounding community to determine workforce needs. She highlighted the importance of being nimble and responsive to the market. Working closely with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the university has developed programs based directly on employer demand. When CHOP identified a need for more CNAs and pediatric psychiatric nurse practitioners, Holy Family responded by launching targeted certificate and FNP programs.
Serving the public remains a core priority. This means not only responding to workforce needs but also retaining students and supporting them on their journey to degree completion and into their careers.
For new students, the university strengthened its curriculum to better support the transition into college life. The BLUEprint program, consisting of a 1-credit course in the freshman, sophomore, and junior years, focuses on building academic skills, confidence, and a strong foundation for persistence and long-term success.
When Holy Family noticed how important experiential learning was in preparing nurses and teachers for their first jobs out of college, the University decided to require internships for all students. “This meant building the infrastructure to support it — expanding our career services office and hiring additional staff,” said Prisco. This sort of innovation doesn’t happen overnight, though. All three presidents emphasized the need for strong partnerships with businesses and the community in order to stay aligned with workforce needs and bring ideas to life. For example, you can’t require all students to complete an internship without businesses ready to host them.
Institutions must also look inward at their own staffing: your career services office must also be adequately staffed to help place students effectively.
The bottom line?
Colleges and universities aren’t just sitting back, hoping this season of public distrust and enrollment challenges will magically disappear. Many are doing innovative work that truly responds to workforce needs and keeps their students on track. The good news is that creative, nimble responses are possible at any institution — if leaders, faculty, and staff are prepared to act, willing to adapt, and committed to building strong partnerships.
