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Nathan Greeno, 2U’s senior vice president of global business development, recently reached out to discuss my piece “Questions for Featured Academic Innovation Gigs” at the intersection of learning, technology and organizational change. Nathan’s feedback on refining these guiding questions was insightful, and I thought his contributions were really good. I asked if he’d be willing to share them in this space, and he graciously agreed.
Nathan leads 2U’s business development team, focusing on expanding partnerships and creating new opportunities through the edX platform. Before joining 2U, he served as vice president of strategic initiatives at the University of Maryland Global Campus. With over 30 years of experience in educational technology and higher education, Nathan has a deep understanding of developing strategic relationships and institutional partnerships. Given his extensive experience and expertise, his insights will be informative for university leaders involved in creating, hiring for or applying to these roles.
Below are the questions that I would ask the person leading the search for a new academic innovation role. Nathan’s thoughts follow.
Q: What is the university [organization] mandate behind this role? How does it help align with and advance the university’s strategic priorities?
A: The mandate for this role should be clearly supported by a budget, and it should be clear if this person will have full budget responsibility and be expected to drive a surplus. A self-sustaining budget drives discipline and business acumen, which is crucial for ensuring that the role aligns with and advances the university’s strategic priorities.
This role also requires a coalition builder. The person in this position must be able to create and lead coalitions across the campus, driving initiatives that align with the university’s strategic goals. They need to influence various departments and stakeholders without having direct control over them. For instance, when I was at UMGC (University of Maryland University College at the time), I was tasked with developing a Center for Professional Studies. This involved collaborating with faculty from cybersecurity and business departments to develop industry-recognized certifications and stackable pathways into degree programs.
In these types of roles, it is essential to ensure that all stakeholders are engaged, supportive and feel included in the process. This collaborative approach helps in advancing the university’s strategic priorities by fostering a sense of shared ownership and commitment to the initiatives.
Q: Where does the role sit within the university [organization] structure? How will the person in this role engage with other units and leaders across campus [the organization]?
A: Ideally, this role should be centralized and report to a senior leader, such as someone who reports directly to the president. If the role is on the academic side, then it should report to the provost. If the role is focused on leading centralized business initiatives that collaborate with academic units, it could be a VP/SVP position, either sitting on the cabinet or reporting to someone on the cabinet. This setup ensures that the role has the necessary authority and visibility to engage effectively with other units and leaders across the organization.
For example, in my current role at 2U, I focus on interacting with these types of decision-makers—people with authority to act and drive impact. A role such as we are considering here is critical to any university initiative and its success. It is about that connection between the university strategy, the resulting initiatives and the ability to drive action. Having this role sit on the presidential leadership team, much like my previous role at UMUC, at the VP level or above, can make the difference between only idea generation and of true action.
Q: What would success look like in one year? Three years? Beyond?
A: Year One:
- Success in the first year would involve developing initiative strategies that are in alignment with the broader university strategy.
- It would also mean filtering out ideas that are not actionable, sustainable or aligned with the university’s goals.
- By the end of the year, this person/team should have outlined tactics, developed budgets, obtained necessary governance approvals and won the support of key stakeholders.
- Additionally, they should begin the implementation of at least three initiatives, referred to as Wave One.
Year Two:
- In the second year, success would include the completion and successful launch of the Wave One initiatives, with oversight of their profit and loss.
- They would also repeat the Year One approach for a new set of three initiatives, known as Wave Two.
Year Three:
- By the third year, success would mean identifying which initiatives from Wave One have achieved positive outcomes and ensuring their sustainability.
- For initiatives that are not meeting expectations, they would either shut them down or triage them as needed.
- They would continue the process by repeating the Year One approach for another set of three initiatives, referred to as Wave Three.
Q: What kinds of future roles would someone who took this position be prepared for?
A: It depends on whether they are on the academic track or not. In either case, they would be well prepared to work more broadly on the president’s cabinet, contributing to areas such as university strategy or working externally with partners in higher education.
Additionally, some successful initiatives may become quite large, impacting the entire organization. In such cases, this person could provide the long-term leadership needed to sustain and grow these initiatives.
