UPCEA Updates

Reflections from a Fireside Chat with President Jon Alger on March 18, 2026

There are moments in this fellowship year that feel distinctly formative—where the conversation you’re facilitating is also, quietly, shaping you.

Last week’s fireside chat with American University President Jon Alger was one of those moments for me.

As part of my ACE Fellowship, I’ve had the privilege of learning alongside and from Jon as my placement mentor. I came into this conversation hoping to surface insights about leadership, governance, and strategy at a time when higher education feels particularly complex. What I didn’t expect was how much I would find myself reflecting—not just as a moderator, but as a leader-in-progress.

Leadership Is Built in the Moments You Don’t Plan For

I opened our conversation by asking Jon about his path to the presidency, which is something we’ve bonded over, as neither of us took a particularly “traditional” route.

“My career was not a straight line.”

That simple statement landed more deeply than I expected.

In the ACE Fellows community, we often talk about leadership trajectories: what prepares us, what qualifies us, what comes next. But this was a reminder that leadership is often shaped in the in-between moments: the decisions to pivot, to raise your hand, to say yes before you feel fully ready.

I found myself reflecting on my own path and realizing that the moments that felt least linear were often the ones that stretched me the most.

Governance Is Where Leadership Gets Tested

I’ve long been fascinated by governance, perhaps because it’s where leadership becomes most visible, and most vulnerable.

As Jon described the realities of working across boards, faculty, students, and external stakeholders, I was struck by how much of this work comes down to relationships. Not just formal structures, but trust, communication, and the ability to navigate tension with intention.

“You have to have a thick skin and be prepared for those conversations.”

Sitting in that moment, I thought about how often we prepare leaders for strategy, but not always for the emotional and relational complexity that comes with it.

What I took away most clearly is that governance, at its best, is not about control, it’s about alignment, built over time.

Strategy That Actually Means Something

One of the things I was most curious about going into the conversation was how institutions are making strategy feel real, not just aspirational.

As Jon walked through AU’s approach, I found myself leaning in, not just as a fellow, but through the lens of my work at UPCEA, where we think a great deal about workforce alignment and the articulation of value.

What stood out was the intentionality behind making student readiness visible, through skills, experiences, and outcomes that translate beyond the campus.

It reinforced something I think many of us are grappling with: we can no longer assume that the value of higher education is understood. We have to design for it, communicate it, and deliver on it in ways that resonate across audiences.

Naming the Moment We’re In

At one point, I asked Jon how he is thinking about the broader landscape: the policy shifts, the scrutiny, the sense of pressure that many of us are feeling across the sector.

His response was candid:

“I never thought that I would see a time when higher ed would be under such frontal assault.”

It’s a statement that stayed with me, not because it was surprising, but because it was so plainly stated.

And yet, what followed was not discouragement, but direction. A focus on partnership, on collective action, and on expanding who is part of the conversation about higher education’s value.

In my own work, I often talk about building a “coalition of the willing,” bringing together those who see shared purpose and can help move work forward. Hearing that echoed in this context felt both affirming and urgent.

Civic Life and the Work of Bridging Difference

One of the areas I was most eager to explore was civic life at AU, work that feels especially important right now.

As Jon described the emphasis on civil discourse, problem solving, and innovation, I found myself thinking about how these are not just student skills, they are leadership skills.

Skills that we, too, are being asked to practice in real time.

The idea that we must move beyond simply understanding difference to actually working through it together is one I’ll carry with me well beyond this conversation.

Staying Close to What Matters

As we closed, I asked Jon for a final takeaway for the fellows. His response was simple:

“Spending actual time with students… that is a constant reminder of why you do what you do.”

It was one of those moments where everything else quieted.

In a role—and a sector—that can so easily become consumed by complexity, it was a needed reminder of purpose. And, candidly, one I’m still sitting with.

Final Reflection

If I’m honest, I walked away from this conversation with more questions than answers, but in the best possible way.

What does it mean to lead with clarity when the path isn’t clear?
How do we build trust across differences in increasingly complex environments?
How do we stay anchored in mission while adapting to what’s ahead?

What I do know is this: leadership in higher education right now is not about having it all figured out. It’s about how we show up in conversation, in decision-making, and in relationship to the communities we serve.

I’m deeply grateful to Jon for his openness, for his mentorship, and for modeling a kind of leadership that is both steady and evolving.

And I’m equally grateful for the space this fellowship creates, not just to learn from others, but to reflect on who we are becoming as leaders in the process.

Amy Heitzman, Ph.D., is Chief Learning Officer and Deputy CEO of UPCEA and an ACE Fellow, leading work at the intersection of research, policy, and innovation in professional, continuing, and online education.

 

Content was refined with assistance from ChatGPT.