The 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10: Building a More Connected Future With Higher Ed Technology

The newly released 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10: Making Connections report underscores the fact that an effective higher ed technology strategy is no longer just a matter of tools and systems. People are also an essential component.

Using this year’s report as an outline, institutions can strengthen community, foster resilience, and strategically harness technology to support their missions.

Cybersecurity remains a top priority, but the 2026 framing shifts from technical defenses to shared responsibility. Institutions must cultivate a culture where every student, staff member, and faculty participant plays a role—through awareness, training, and accessible security support.

• Rather than viewing cybersecurity as an IT problem, EDUCAUSE emphasizes crosscampus collaboration. The more connected and informed the community is, the more resilient the institution becomes.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become ubiquitous in higher education technology, yet the report makes clear that people, not algorithms, determine its impact. Institutions must empower users at all levels to engage with AI critically, creatively, and safely.

• The EDUCAUSE article stresses that AI is not the silver bullet some imagine—its value emerges only when humans apply ethical reasoning, contextual judgment, and interdisciplinary creativity.

With budgets tightening and uncertainty rising, institutions need data analytics not just for reporting but for strategic decision-making. EDUCAUSE highlights the use of analytics to interpret spending patterns, model enrollment shifts, and identify cost-saving opportunities.

• Data-driven insights support the capability for agile planning that institutions desperately need as they navigate demographic and economic volatility.

Beyond analytics tools, institutions need a culture that treats data as a strategic asset. EDUCAUSE urges colleges and universities to expand data access, improve governance, and unlock data’s full potential across units.

• This requires institutional alignment to break down silos so leaders, faculty, and staff all draw from the same trusted information ecosystem.

AI’s risks—bias, privacy concerns, misuse—are real. EDUCAUSE emphasizes that knowledge management must be tightly integrated into AI governance, weaving together ethics, privacy, and institutional values.

• Putting guardrails around AI doesn’t stifle innovation; it ensures responsible deployment that supports learning, equity, and institutional trust.

Institutions face intense pressure to adopt emerging technologies, yet not every innovation is worth the investment. The report calls for disciplined, evidence-based evaluation—including ROI analysis, lifecycle planning, and clarity about what legacy systems still serve their purpose.

• Thoughtful restraint is just as important as strategic adoption. “Shiny-object syndrome” has no place in an era of constrained budgets and rising expectations.

Higher education must prepare students for a workforce where technology is embedded in every profession. EDUCAUSE stresses the need for discipline-specific digital fluency, ensuring students gain the tools and experiences most relevant to their fields.

• This includes everything from data literacy in the humanities to AIassisted design in engineering programs. Institutions that modernize curricula will better support student success.

Forecasting and scenario modeling enable institutions to shift from crisis management to forward-looking planning. EDUCAUSE identifies the need for predictive analytics to strengthen institutional agility.

• When leaders can anticipate enrollment fluctuations, staffing needs, or financial risks, they can act intentionally rather than responding to problems after they emerge.

The report highlights AI, automation, and analytics as tools to streamline processes, reduce operational costs, and support mission-critical decisions.

• But EDUCAUSE also stresses that these efficiencies must be aligned with human needs. Technology should free up time, strengthen service delivery, and enable staff to focus on highimpact work—not simply replace people or reduce workload at the expense of well-being.

Even the best analytics tools are useless without leaders who understand how to interpret and apply the data. EDUCAUSE calls for more training for senior decision-makers, helping them navigate data complexity and make informed, mission-aligned choices.

• Improved data literacy at the leadership level ensures institutions can act decisively while remaining grounded in evidence, transparency, and shared purpose.

Reading across all ten issues, one theme emerges clearly: connection.

Technology—whether AI, analytics, or cybersecurity—cannot solve problems on its own. Its potential is realized only when paired with collaboration, communication, and shared understanding.

To learn more about the relationship between higher ed technology and the people it serves, read Liaison’s whitepaper, How CRM and Marketing Services Empower Human-Centered Outreach.