Moving Forward: An Update on the Innovation Works Think Tank
By Cindy McCormack
When identifying some of the forces shaping higher education now and in coming years, Montgomery College need look only as far as its own backyard to discover a megatrend with implications for almost every aspect of the College’s operations.
The changing demographics of the community it serves – or, perhaps more precisely, “communities” – present critical 
challenges and key opportunities for innovation within the College.
Who is Montgomery County? And why does it matter? These are just two of the questions being explored by the MC Innovation Works Think Tank in its efforts to pinpoint emerging issues, trends and themes relevant to higher education in general and Montgomery College in particular.
The think tank hopes to put into larger context issues that members of the College community may encounter individually in their offices and classrooms and at community events – issues such as poverty, cultural nuances, academic under-preparedness, perceptions and misperceptions about who college is for, to name a few.
Using a study conducted as part of the planning process for the College Town initiative, think tank members are reviewing demographic data with an eye for information of significance in their area of expertise. They will then prepare a brief “thought piece,” linking the findings to other existing research on higher education and reflecting on what impact it might have going forward for a specific entity or the College as a whole.
Having “a sense of what’s coming down the road, what lies ahead – even if it’s reduced budgets – makes us realize we need to rethink things in order to respond,” said one member.
The think tank is currently developing a process for collecting and presenting information and research from a wide variety of resources in a way that stimulates thought and encourages discussion among all segments of the College. Materials will be organized around nine overarching themes that the group has chosen to focus on:
- Global Ecosystems of the Future
- Emerging Trends in Credentialing
- Big Data and Big Accountability
- “Postsecondary, Not Just College” – Career Pathways
- Demographic and Generational Impact on Higher Education
- Skills Integration in Teaching
- Revisiting Assumptions About Developmental Education
- “One Size Does Not Fit All” – Interim Levels of Success
- Emerging Skills and Assessment for Higher Education
The group’s website will serve as a clearinghouse for information related to these topics, providing links to works from external institutions, other think tanks, journals and publications without regard to political leanings.
Even articles that don’t necessarily agree with the College’s positions on particular issues can be instructive. Noted one member, it is helpful to ask, “What’s the balance? Could it provoke our thinking, prepare our minds for a conversation we might have?”
The think tank will not function as a platform for advocacy or take positions, but it will provide information that can be used in advocacy efforts.
The website will also serve as a repository for reports and presentations members of the MC community give at conferences and other professional gatherings. Plans are underway to issue a call requesting submissions from faculty, staff and administrators.
Eventually, the think tank plans to curate original research being conducted at the College related to one of the nine themes. It may also create a mechanism enabling online comments or discussion of particular content.
