Ken Steele

Chief Futurist Eduvation Inc.

  • London ON

Higher Education Trendspotter/Futurist and Strategist

Contact

Media

Biography

More than 25,000 higher education professionals across Canada and the US have come to rely on Ken Steele as a definitive source of breaking news, bright ideas and insight into student trends, technological innovation, strategic planning, branding and recruitment marketing. He hosts a weekly ten-minute video/audio podcast, "Ten with Ken," on higher ed trends and issues. Ken has consulted with hundreds of colleges and universities, helping them interpret market research, understand their competitive context, and develop distinctive institutional strategies and brand positions using his proprietary Brand Chemistry™ model.

Ken brings his comprehensive perspective to a broad range of audiences hundreds of times a year, from boards and senior administration, to faculty and support staff, concerned parents, government policy analysts and Canada’s most powerful corporate CEOs. His presentations provide dynamic “big picture” context for any conference or workshop, and are always timely, customized, dynamic and packed with data and best practices from an astounding range of sources. Clients rave about the impact of these presentations, and the conversations that result.

Ken’s unique perspective has been shaped by award-winning careers spanning 4 decades, first as a humanities computing researcher and Shakespeare instructor, then an IT consultant, ad agency creative director, and ultimately a higher education market research analyst and brand consultant. In 2003, he conceived and co-founded Academica Group, a market research firm doing some of the largest postsecondary consumer surveys in the world, and created the Top Ten, which has become Canada’s leading higher ed news daily. Ken left Academica in 2012 to focus on his public speaking and facilitation work under the new name Eduvation. He hosts an almost-weekly webcast, Ten with Ken, which explores emerging trends, bright ideas, and higher ed marketing. Ken has published dozens of articles and white papers on postsecondary students and branding, and co-authored Canada’s first book on strategic enrolment management.

Industry Expertise

Market Research
Advertising/Marketing
Education/Learning

Areas of Expertise

Emerging Trends Affecting Higher Education
Strategic Enrolment Management
Student Recruitment
Marketing & Branding
Brand Chemistry
Peak Campus
Higher Ed Revenue Generation

Accomplishments

Outstanding Business Achievement Award

1999-01-01

The London Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business Achievement Award, small business category.

Paul Harris Fellow

1999-01-01

My long-time Rotary Club, London South, awarded me a Paul Harris Fellowship and an Honorary Membership in recognition of years of service.

IABC London Virtuoso Award

2004-01-01

Award for PR strategy and impact, "Breathless" Campaign for Council for a Tobacco-Free Community.

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Education

University of Western Ontario

Honours Bachelor of Arts

English Language & Literature

University of Toronto

MA

English Literature

University of Toronto

PhD (ABD)

Renaissance/Shakespeare

Published databanks at the Centre for Computing in the Humanities, presented at international conferences, assisted teaching undergraduate Shakespeare courses, and founded and moderated a global online Shakepeare conference, but did not complete more than one chapter of my thesis.

Affiliations

  • International Association of Business Communicators
  • American Marketing Association
  • World Futurist Society
  • Academica Top Ten
  • Chair Academy

Languages

  • English

Testimonials

Interim VP Academic

http://www.upei.ca

University of Prince Edward Island

“Informative, thought-provoking, and relevant are three words that describe Ken Steele’s recent presentation at UPEI. His talk brought approximately 100 members of our university community together to consider the latest trends affecting the role of teachers and models of undergraduate teaching and learning. The presentation was followed by a workshop on the same topic… a great way to open the discussion on a variety of issues as we embark on an academic planning exercise at UPEI.”

President & CEO

http://bowvalleycollege.ca

Bow Valley College

“We choose to have Ken come back time and again because every time he is on campus he inspires our people to innovate. Still every visit is fresh. Staff are delighted to see the Canadian post-secondary system reflected in Ken’s presentations – a rare treat for those who have become accustomed to going south for inspiration. Even those who have heard Ken before walk away with something new to apply to their own work. Also, Ken has been very thoughtful about tailoring the materials to our particular needs at Bow Valley College.”

Head of School

http://www.collingwood.org

Collingwood School

“Ken Steele led off a week of strategic planning at Collingwood School by presenting multiple times to Faculty, Board members and parents. He talked with real authority about the emerging trends in education and did it in such a compelling and engaging way. He had us all thinking. It was particularly impressive that he gave essentially the same presentation three times but tailored it strategically to each different audience – brilliant!”

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Sample Talks

The Road Ahead for Higher Ed: Emerging Trends 2014

As colleges and universities accelerate toward an uncertain future, there are nonetheless clear signs that the road ahead will be congested with local and global competition, that urbanization and immigration patterns will increasingly reroute student traffic to a handful of major metropolitan centres, that government funding will no longer fuel the status quo, and that new technologies and pedagogical approaches will leave many feeling like they are no longer in the driver’s seat. The majority of Canadian institutions will face “peak campus” by 2030, and will need to serve an increasingly diverse array of students with rising expectations for personalized, flexible, unbundled and interdisciplinary educational options, career-relevant programs, work-integrated learning experiences, and accommodations and supports for special needs. Libraries, textbooks, classroom instruction, student evaluation and credentials themselves are under increasing pressure to evolve, and many institutions have already shifted into the fast lane to explore the potential of new technologies and operational strategies. Institutions that aim to survive and thrive in a rapidly-changing landscape will need to clarify their destination, and map their own unique route to get there – but no matter the route, they will need to take into account the continually changing warning signs of demographic, economic, political, social, and technological changes on the road ahead.

The Future-Ready Campus: Scenario Planning for 2025 and beyond

To set a solid foundation for long-term strategic, academic or enrolment planning, campus leadership needs to contemplate emerging trends and project a range of possible scenarios, favourable and otherwise. By 2025, many institutions will face the reality of “peak campus” as youth demographics decline and focus on major metropolitan centres, the labour market heats up and students pursue part-time and work-integrated options, and technologies allow an increasingly broad range of teaching, resources, and services to be delivered virtually. Government funding will be more targeted, and will have heightened demands for outcome-based evaluation, from student completion to knowledge transfer, employment and return on investment. Forward-looking institutions are developing new global or online markets, partnering and collaborating with a broad range of partners in all sectors, launching innovative and flexible interdisciplinary programs, and building a more coherent brand and national reputation.

The Evolving Student: Understanding Your Markets

In the past few decades, the college and university student population in Canada has multiplied and diversified exponentially, to include growing numbers of international students, new Canadians, Indigenous youth, older working students, students with special needs, diverse gender orientations and multiple learning styles. Traditional students still exist, but alongside them is arising a populous new breed of careerist and consumerist students with very different motivations, objectives and expectations. The student gene pool is diversifying, evolving, and challenging institutions to provide more academic and personal advising, enhanced residences and co-curriculars, early warning systems and proactive supports, flexible and career-focused programs, and a wider variety of pedagogical approaches. The DNA of 21st century students will increasingly be evolving through exposure to digital technologies, with growing expectations for learning that is interactive, experiential, mobile, and social. Institutions, and the faculties or schools within them, need to understand their market, anticipate its evolution, and refresh their programs, services and delivery modalities to provide the ideal environment for the new species of students to flourish.

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Style

Availability

  • Keynote
  • Moderator
  • Panelist
  • Workshop Leader
  • Corporate Training

Fees

$5000 to $9000

Articles

"Selling the Academy without Selling Out"

OCUFA Academic Matters

2009-02-01

A defence of the application of marketing principles to reputation management of a college or university.

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"Knowing Your Undergraduates"

OCUFA Academic Matters

2010-01-01

With career-oriented students seeking variety in their university
experiences, universities are diversifying their appeal. The downsides
are often talked about, but this evolution could well help universities
in regions of population decline survive, while offering students
clearer choices among a broader range of educational options.

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"Peak Campus: 6 Converging Trends"

Eduvation Inc.

2013-09-19

Six predictable and long-term demographic, economic, technological and political trends mean that the majority of Canadian universities will face a challenging phenomenon I call “peak campus” within the next ten to fifteen years.

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