Bridget Burns, a university presidential adviser named one of the “16 most innovative people in higher education” by Washington Monthly, will discuss the challenges facing higher education in a world of changing demographics and technology from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19, in the Genomics Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

As UCR grows and demographics across the country continue to shift, opportunity exists for universities to improve their impact on students’ lives, as well as to share their lessons learned so that other campuses can also evolve their practices. Burns brings her insight into the future of higher education and thoughts on UCR’s role in helping shape that future as a member of the University Innovation Alliance (UIA), a national consortium of large public research universities collaborating to improve outcomes for all students through innovation, scale, and diffusion of best practices.

Burns will address what UCR can learn from other campuses to better serve its students, and also provide an overview of the best practices implemented at UCR that can be mimicked at other campuses.

Attendees can learn how UCR and 10 other leading public research universities are enhancing access and student success through cross-campus collaborations, and get up-to-date information on the UIA and its ongoing projects at UCR. Opportunity for individual involvement in these projects also will be explored.

For the past decade, Burns has advised university presidents, system chancellors, and state and federal policy leaders on strategies to expand access to higher education, address costs, and promote completion for students of all backgrounds. She is the founding executive director of the UIA.

Burns previously served as an American Council on Education (ACE) fellow at Arizona State University, chief of staff and senior policy adviser for the Oregon University System, and national associate for the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. She was the recipient of the Edwin Crawford Award for Innovation in higher education government relations in 2012, and has been appointed to serve on several statewide governing boards including ones governing higher education institutions, financial aid policy, and policy areas impacting children and families.