{"id":19092,"date":"2025-08-12T18:57:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T18:57:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/?p=19092"},"modified":"2026-01-15T02:57:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T02:57:25","slug":"higher-education-change-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/resources\/blog\/higher-education-change-management","title":{"rendered":"A complete guide to higher education change management"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"19092\" class=\"elementor elementor-19092\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4a67aea e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4a67aea\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-64e56e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"64e56e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>As a higher education advancement professional, you have countless items on your to-do list to ensure your team is set up for success. From coordinating multi-touch outreach and wrangling manual data inputs to training staff to use new platforms, the size and scope of change is enormous.<\/p><p>With so many factors at play, planning large-scale changes can feel overwhelming at best and incomprehensible at worst. Fortunately, with change management, your higher education institution can smoothly adopt new tools or processes and operate at its highest level.<\/p><p>In this guide, we\u2019ll explore the nuances of change management in higher education institutions\u2014what it is, how to master it, and examples of it in practice.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0f29949 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0f29949\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/resources\/nonprofit-change-management-guide\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Top-CTA.png?strip=all&amp;fit=800%2C320\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-19093\" alt=\"Change with confidence starts here. Click to grab your playbook for becoming a change management champion.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Top-CTA.png?strip=all 2400w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Top-CTA-300x120.png?strip=all 300w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Top-CTA-1024x410.png?strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Top-CTA-150x60.png?strip=all 150w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Top-CTA-768x307.png?strip=all 768w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Top-CTA-1536x614.png?strip=all 1536w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Top-CTA-2048x819.png?strip=all 2048w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Top-CTA.png?strip=all&amp;w=480 480w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Top-CTA.png?strip=all&amp;w=960 960w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Top-CTA.png?strip=all&amp;w=1440 1440w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Top-CTA.png?strip=all&amp;w=1920 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f06e793 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f06e793\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Higher education change management: FAQs<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-42d7cbb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"42d7cbb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">1. What is change management?<\/h3><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><strong>Change management is the process of transitioning an institution from its current state to a desired future state.<\/strong> Unlike project management, which primarily focuses on time and budget, change management concerns itself with building stakeholder buy-in, mapping out logistics, and practicing strong communication.<\/p><p>At <a href=\"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/\">Heller Consulting<\/a>, our change management experts compare project management to planning and building a boat. Change management, on the other hand, is the process of getting everyone on the boat and rowing together in the right direction. It\u2019s all about collaboration and shared purpose.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-27031f4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"27031f4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/what-we-do\/change-management\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">OUR CHANGE MANAGEMENT SERVICES<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f35af43 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f35af43\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">2. Why is change management important in education advancement?<\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unified change management processes are essential for ensuring smooth transitions as your institution grows and adopts new approaches. In particular, change management:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70f234b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"70f234b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"459\" src=\"https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Benefits.png?strip=all&amp;fit=800%2C459\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-19094\" alt=\"A circular infographic titled Benefits of Change Management lists: 1. Reduces friction during change, 2. Aligns leadership, 3. Builds long-term change capacity, 4. Improves success rate for major initiatives, 5. Improves adoption rates.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Benefits.png?strip=all 1532w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Benefits-300x172.png?strip=all 300w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Benefits-1024x588.png?strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Benefits-150x86.png?strip=all 150w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Benefits-768x441.png?strip=all 768w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Benefits.png?strip=all&amp;w=612 612w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Benefits.png?strip=all&amp;w=919 919w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Benefits.png?strip=all&amp;w=1225 1225w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Benefits.png?strip=all&amp;w=450 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6b9d205 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6b9d205\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0<\/p><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reduces friction during change. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s challenging to change processes that have become a constant for everyone at your organization, from leadership to alumni. Change management ensures everyone\u2019s on the same page from start to finish about how and why changes are being made, reducing friction in the process.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Aligns leadership. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the faces of your organization, advancement leadership needs to be aligned during periods of upheaval, so they can understand why the changes are important and field questions about them.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Improves adoption rates. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Change management processes lay out a straightforward plan for every stakeholder to understand the change, why it\u2019s important, and how their roles will be impacted. For example, it\u2019s much easier to get buy-in for a new CRM if fundraisers and operations teams have user-friendly manuals to follow.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Builds long-term change capacity. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your institution needs to evolve and innovate to keep pace with others in the space. Having an infrastructure that supports change management is essential to adapt on the scale of a higher education institution like yours.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Improves the success rate for major initiatives. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you invest in major projects like capital campaigns, you want to ensure they\u2019ll succeed. A study from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prosci.com\/blog\/the-correlation-between-change-management-and-project-success\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prosci<\/a> s<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">howed that \u201cof the participants who had excellent change management programs in place, 88% met or exceeded [their project\u2019s] objectives.\u201d<\/span><\/li><\/ul><div>\u00a0<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3db9144 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3db9144\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>3. When should higher education institutions bring in change management experts?<\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Different levels of change require different approaches, and some may benefit from working with change management experts. You might want to use a formal change management approach if:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p><ul><li><b>The change impacts multiple departments or roles. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When change touches several teams, misalignment and confusion can quickly derail progress. Structured change management helps coordinate communication and expectations across departments so everyone moves forward together.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Staff are resistant, disengaged, or unsure of what\u2019s changing. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When staff are resistant or unsure about changes, it\u2019s often a sign they\u2019ve been left out of the process. Formal change management addresses this by keeping people informed, involved, and supported every step of the way.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Internal teams lack the capacity to guide adoption. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even the most capable internal teams can struggle to lead and implement changes while juggling daily responsibilities. Change management experts bring the dedicated focus and outside perspective needed to guide adoption.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/li><\/ul><div>\u00a0<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another essential aspect is timing. Change management should be rolled out at the beginning of strategic initiatives, not only after problems arise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca6d99e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ca6d99e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Higher education change management best practices<\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implementing change management workflows for the first time is a big adjustment in itself! Set yourself up for success with these best practices:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Build a dedicated change team. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Change always works best with champions leading the way. Some roles to consider include:<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ol><li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><ol><li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Change Sponsor:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> An executive who leads the initiative<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Change Manager:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A team member in charge of overseeing the change management process, from planning to rollout<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Change Agents:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Individuals throughout the organization tasked with helping the rollout at a grassroots level, bridging the gap between the team and the rest of your stakeholders<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><ul><li aria-level=\"2\"><b>Project Managers: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Individuals in charge of overseeing certain aspects or phases of the change management process<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Co-create change. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Programs coming out of change management initiatives usually affect many aspects of the higher education institution. Different stakeholder groups should work together whenever possible so that changes are mutually beneficial.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Deliver role-based training. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Changes will impact different groups differently, so ensure everyone has specialized resources to navigate new circumstances. For instance, let\u2019s say you\u2019re adopting a new constituent relationship management (CRM) tool, like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/resources\/blog\/salesforce-for-nonprofits\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salesforce<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Your user guides for your fundraising and marketing will likely focus on different topics, such as donation processing or message segmenting.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Hold a feedback session within 30 days of launch. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asking people what they&#8217;ve noticed throughout the rollout is the best way to catch issues early. Host a formal feedback meeting with all levels of stakeholders at the organization to address any gaps in your strategy.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Communicate with external stakeholders. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if your changes are largely internal, they\u2019ll likely affect external stakeholders as well. For example, let\u2019s say you choose to adopt a new donation management tool. Communicate with stakeholders that they should expect a new type of receipt in their inbox and the reasons for the shift (focusing on the benefits).<\/span><\/li><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Work with change management professionals. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to major change, an external, unbiased perspective empowers a smoother transition process and better adoption by stakeholders. That\u2019s where expert teams like Heller come in handy!<\/span><\/li><\/ul><div>\u00a0<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep in mind that your change management process will look different from other higher education institutions. It\u2019s all about building a plan tailored to your needs.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h2><span style=\"font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; font-size: 100%; letter-spacing: -1px;\">Heller\u2019s higher education change management process<\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Team Heller has helped many higher education institutions master change management and usher in the next iteration of their organization. We specialize in <\/span><a href=\"\/what-we-do-technology-strategy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">technology implementation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, allowing higher education to build and maintain relationships with influential stakeholders and provide an unrivaled educational experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explore our approach to higher education change management:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-16f35db elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"16f35db\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"459\" src=\"https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Step-by-step.png?strip=all&amp;fit=800%2C459\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-19096\" alt=\"A three-step diagram titled Hellers Change Management Approach: 1. Implementation Readiness with a document icon, 2. User Adoption with hand and user icons, and 3. Enablement with user group icons.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Step-by-step.png?strip=all 1532w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Step-by-step-300x172.png?strip=all 300w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Step-by-step-1024x588.png?strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Step-by-step-150x86.png?strip=all 150w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Step-by-step-768x441.png?strip=all 768w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Step-by-step.png?strip=all&amp;w=612 612w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Step-by-step.png?strip=all&amp;w=919 919w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Step-by-step.png?strip=all&amp;w=1225 1225w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Step-by-step.png?strip=all&amp;w=450 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0d145a7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0d145a7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0<\/p><ol><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Implementation Readiness: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">audit current systems, create a launch plan and timeline, form change management teams, and assess risk<\/span><\/li><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>User Adoption: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">execute your launch plan, tailor training programs and communication strategies, and provide hands-on support for stakeholders<\/span><\/li><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Enablement: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">help your organization adjust to change, troubleshoot issues, and be a resource to ensure continued success<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-94c2dde elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"94c2dde\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Change management in action: Heller case study<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s explore an example of change management processes for a real educational institution that partnered with Heller.<\/span><span style=\"color: inherit; font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; font-size: 1.375rem; letter-spacing: 0px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Challenge<\/span><\/h4><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After years of rapid growth, new campus construction, and program expansion, our client\u2019s existing scheduling and registration systems were inadequate to accommodate the college&#8217;s growing needs.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rather than only turning to new technical solutions, the administration recognized that the challenges were intertwined with organizational culture. They sought out Heller\u2019s change management expertise in the hopes of encouraging buy-in and helping the organization understand how the existing tools were utilized.<\/span><\/p><h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Approach<\/span><\/h4><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heller Consulting conducted interviews, workshops, and information-gathering sessions to understand stakeholder perspectives, identify key issues, and begin developing targeted solutions.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We found that the leadership team was committed to the existing tools. Student and staff stakeholders, however, were experiencing day-to-day challenges.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With these insights in hand, <\/span><b>Team Heller facilitated stakeholder workshops focused on shared challenges and alignment.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The open format gave participants space to voice concerns, collaborate on solutions, and build trust as a team. Since the solutions were shaped by their own input, staff began to feel a sense of ownership and investment in the process.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within just a few short weeks, Heller Consulting helped the stakeholders define their unified vision for the future.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making headway toward that vision required several key elements:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Improving the scheduling system<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to make it more user-friendly, flexible, and transparent<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Provide user training<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to increase comfort level and build stakeholders\u2019 buy-in<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Encourage inter-departmental connections and communication channels<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> so that information is exchanged as quickly as possible<\/span>\u00a0<\/li><\/ul><h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Results<\/span><\/h4><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With continued support from Heller, the college is moving forward steadily and intentionally.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because staff felt included in the process and committed to solutions, there was a marked change in their desire to be a part of the change. The initial resistance among stakeholders has been replaced with optimism, and there is a steady foundation for the college to grow.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-95c8346 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"95c8346\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2d93e01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"2d93e01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/who-we-serve\/case-studies\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">MORE SUCCESS STORIES<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ad1394f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ad1394f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0<\/p><h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additional Resources<\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you get started on your change management journey, remember that it won\u2019t all come together overnight! Some change management processes last months. As long as you keep your eyes on the prize and follow our easy tips, your higher education institution can reach its full potential and pave a lasting legacy of excellence.<\/span><b><\/b><\/p><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/resources\/blog\/how-to-get-started-with-ai-for-your-nonprofit\"><b>How to get started with AI for your nonprofit<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. AI is everywhere, and it isn\u2019t going anywhere! Learn how to leverage this technology in our guide.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/resources\/blog\/why-change-management-is-well-worth-it-for-your-nonprofit\"><b>Why change management is well worth it for your nonprofit.<\/b><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking for change management tips for development teams? Check out our overview.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/resources\/blog\/the-art-of-proactive-risk-management-in-nonprofit-tech-projects\"><b>The art of proactive risk management in nonprofit tech projects<\/b><\/a><b>. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Risk management is a significant part of change management. Understand how to measure potential threats in our post.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eceaed6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"eceaed6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/contact-us\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"301\" src=\"https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Bottom-CTA-1536x301.png?strip=all\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536 wp-image-19097\" alt=\"Change doesn\u2019t have to mean chaos. Let\u2019s co-create a plan your campus can get behind. Click to contact us.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Bottom-CTA-1536x301.png?strip=all 1536w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Bottom-CTA-300x59.png?strip=all 300w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Bottom-CTA-1024x201.png?strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Bottom-CTA-150x29.png?strip=all 150w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Bottom-CTA-768x150.png?strip=all 768w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Bottom-CTA-2048x401.png?strip=all 2048w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Bottom-CTA.png?strip=all&amp;w=480 480w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Bottom-CTA.png?strip=all&amp;w=960 960w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Bottom-CTA.png?strip=all&amp;w=1440 1440w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Bottom-CTA.png?strip=all&amp;w=1920 1920w, https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Higher-Education-Change-Management-Bottom-CTA.png?strip=all 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c2f05f6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"c2f05f6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a higher education advancement professional, you have countless items on your to-do list to ensure your team is set up for success. From coordinating multi-touch outreach and wrangling manual data inputs to training staff to use new platforms, the size and scope of change is enormous. With so many factors at play, planning large-scale [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":19213,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,120],"tags":[624,640,625,641,626,642,627,643,628,644,629,645,630,1016,631,632,633,634,635,636,621,637,622,638,623,639],"ppma_author":[474],"class_list":["post-19092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-change-management","category-higher-education","tag-institutional-change-strategy","tag-education-change-champions","tag-education-crm-implementation","tag-higher-ed-adoption-best-practices","tag-higher-ed-technology-adoption","tag-education-system-modernization","tag-stakeholder-engagement-in-education","tag-education-technology-rollout","tag-change-leadership-in-universities","tag-higher-ed-strategic-planning","tag-lms-adoption-strategy","tag-education-change-management-experts","tag-crm-for-colleges","tag-2025-top-posts","tag-salesforce-for-higher-education","tag-education-advancement-strategy","tag-staff-training-in-higher-ed","tag-student-engagement-tools","tag-higher-ed-digital-transformation","tag-nonprofit-education-strategy","tag-change-management-in-higher-education","tag-education-process-improvement","tag-higher-education-transformation","tag-higher-ed-project-management","tag-university-change-management","tag-education-leadership-alignment"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A complete guide to higher education change management - Heller Consulting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Higher education change management procedures can guide your institutions through challenging times. Learn what you need to get started in this guide.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/resources\/blog\/higher-education-change-management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A complete guide to higher education change management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As a higher education advancement professional, you have countless items on your to-do list to ensure your team is set up for success. From coordinating\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/resources\/blog\/higher-education-change-management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Heller Consulting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-12T18:57:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-15T02:57:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/teamheller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/complexity-change-management-in-higher-ed.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lyndal Cairns\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lyndal Cairns\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/teamheller.com\\\/resources\\\/blog\\\/higher-education-change-management#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/teamheller.com\\\/resources\\\/blog\\\/higher-education-change-management\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lyndal Cairns\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/teamheller.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e6b5d444364c0488420ee4c358014b9b\"},\"headline\":\"A complete guide to higher education change management\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-12T18:57:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-15T02:57:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/teamheller.com\\\/resources\\\/blog\\\/higher-education-change-management\"},\"wordCount\":1593,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/teamheller.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/teamheller.com\\\/resources\\\/blog\\\/higher-education-change-management#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/complexity-change-management-in-higher-ed.jpg?strip=all\",\"keywords\":[\"institutional change strategy\",\"education change champions\",\"education CRM implementation\",\"higher ed adoption best practices\",\"higher ed technology adoption\",\"education system modernization\",\"stakeholder engagement in education\",\"education technology rollout\",\"change leadership in universities\",\"higher ed strategic planning\",\"LMS adoption strategy\",\"education change management experts\",\"CRM for colleges\",\"2025 top posts\",\"Salesforce for higher education\",\"education advancement strategy\",\"staff training in higher ed\",\"student engagement tools\",\"higher ed digital transformation\",\"nonprofit education strategy\",\"change management in higher education\",\"education process improvement\",\"higher education transformation\",\"higher ed project management\",\"university change management\",\"education leadership alignment\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Change Leadership\",\"Education\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/teamheller.com\\\/resources\\\/blog\\\/higher-education-change-management\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/teamheller.com\\\/resources\\\/blog\\\/higher-education-change-management\",\"name\":\"A complete guide to higher education change management - Heller Consulting\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/teamheller.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/teamheller.com\\\/resources\\\/blog\\\/higher-education-change-management#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/teamheller.com\\\/resources\\\/blog\\\/higher-education-change-management#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/complexity-change-management-in-higher-ed.jpg?strip=all\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-12T18:57:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-15T02:57:25+00:00\",\"description\":\"Higher education change management procedures can guide your institutions through challenging times. 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