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Becoming a Changemaker Institution
Source: AshokaU

Becoming a Changemaker Institution

This article originally appeared on AshokaU

There is no doubt that the world needs changemakers, equipped with the skills of empathy, collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving for the good of all.

And if we want to foster students as changemakers, that means our higher education institutions, leaders, and educators also need to embrace, model, and foster changemaking. But just what does that look like? And how can an institution do it?

Becoming a Changemaker Institution distills over 12 years of Ashoka U insights into a guidebook which is equally reflective as it is inspiring and practical. Ashoka U has worked with hundreds of campuses and thousands of leaders and educators over the last decade co-imaging the kind of education and leadership needed for changemaking to flourish.

This Guidebook features 15 strategies, together with principles, potential actions, tips, and campus examples for becoming a “Changemaker Institution”. It draws upon and incorporates some elements from the Ashoka U Changemaker Campus Criteria.

This is a critical reference for any leader, institutional innovator, educator, or student leader seeking to advance changemaking in their work and across their campus.

Want to learn more? 

Check out this free Executive Summary Brochure, which provides a sneak peek of the key terms, ideas, and strategies in the Guidebook. It includes the Roadmap from the Guidebook, providing an at-a-glance overview of the strategies, their benefits, and how readers might leverage them.

Get your copy of the full e-book here to explore:

  • What are the qualities of a changemaker? 
  • What are the qualities of a Changemaker Educator? How does one cultivate changemaker educational experiences? 
  • How can institutions equip students in navigating their changemaker learning journeys? 
  • What kind of leadership support does it take to foster changemaking? How can senior leaders cultivate mindsets, knowledge, and skills to lead for changemaking? 
  • How does an institution envision its changemaking strategy? 
  • What are the qualities of institutional innovators, or “Change Leaders”? And how do they work with senior leaders and a Change Team to advance changemaking across the institution? 

Get your copy of the full e-book here

Ashoka insight

“I have reviewed hundreds of resources for innovators who are looking to reimagine higher education. Ashoka U has done it again and produced one of the best resources I’ve found to guide those of us who are working to change the system and equip students as the changemakers the world needs.”
– Debbi Brock, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship & Marketing,  Wingate University and Co-Creator, Social Change Innovators 

“Higher education leaders have a tremendous opportunity to influence the future and to model what kind of institutions the world needs. The strategies outlined  in this guidebook provide a much-needed roadmap for leaders who are ready to  rewire their institutions and help lead society towards a better future.”
David H. Lord, Trustee, Rollins College  

“We need innovative colleges and universities now more than ever. This guidebook is an indispensable collection of strategies to help institutions embed changemaking and innovation in a way that will accelerate time to impact and optimize resources in getting there.”
 – Melissa Carrier, Director of the Office of Social Innovation, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill