Future-Ready: AAI and CPPR's Commitment to Strategic Foresight
Futures thinking—a strategic approach to envisioning long-term possibilities and adapting to emerging trends—is an essential practice for organizations seeking to remain innovative and resilient. The Achievement & Assessment Institute (AAI) and the Center for Public Partnerships and Research (CPPR) at the University of Kansas are positioning themselves as leaders in this space among university institutions, integrating futures thinking into their research and planning processes to drive meaningful change.
AAI’s recent Applied Foresight: A Capacity-Building Workshop showcased this commitment, bringing together leading experts to provide invaluable training to AAI staff. The workshop featured Stuart Candy, Director of Situation Lab and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Critical Futures at Tec de Monterrey in Mexico City, and Ilana Lipsett, futurist and founder of Ilana Lipsett Consultancy.
"Futures thinking is not about predicting the future but expanding our range of possibilities," said Candy. "By imagining alternative futures, organizations like AAI can better navigate uncertainty and make more informed decisions."
For an organization as large and multifaceted as AAI—serving constituencies across education, technology, community impact, and more—uncertainty is inevitable. While AAI has adeptly navigated many pivots over the past decade, futures thinking offers a proactive framework to optimize its approach to planning.
Jackie Counts, AAI Operating Officer, has long championed foresight and strategic planning, incorporating the practice in her work during her tenure as director of AAI’s Center for Public Partnerships & Research (CPPR).
Counts’ frustration with the limitations of conventional strategic planning led her to explore futures thinking. The process emphasizes flexibility and adaptability, inviting organizations to consider factors that may not be immediately visible or feasible but are still worth planning for.
“Futures thinking stretches the timeline,” Counts explained. “It allows you to think beyond the next five years and explore scenarios where certain obstacles—like funding or political barriers—are removed.”
This perspective was echoed by workshop facilitator Ilana Lipsett, who emphasized the practical aspects of futures thinking. "It’s about making the future feel tangible today. We use storytelling, prototyping, and experiential exercises to bring different possible futures to life, so people can engage with them in meaningful ways,” said Lipsett.
Within AAI and its centers, futures thinking has already yielded invaluable, realized results. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Counts was able to draw upon a variety of scenarios she and her team developed through futures exercises to adapt quickly to an unpredictable situation. Their planning allowed them to implement strategic responses in real-time.
The Kansas Future Fellows program, another foresight initiative, brings together a cohort of public and private sector leaders to develop new skills and share insights that promote community connections for a better future. A recent spin-off from this program, the Civic Foresight Group, involves Kansas Future Fellows engaging with community members, civic leaders, and students in futures experiences.
CPPR and Counts have led many futures thinking workshops across the University of Kansas and the larger community, engaging participants from a spectrum of ages and backgrounds. As a collective activity, foresight workshops help individuals come to a group understanding of all the different outcomes the future could hold.
After the Applied Foresight event, Candy noted participants were already envisioning ways to integrate these strategies into their own fields. “What we heard was that people saw numerous ways to apply what they learned—whether in a Girl Scout troop, psychiatric practice, or academic department,” said Candy.
Rather than narrowing in on a single "most likely" outcome, the workshop encourages exploring a range of possible futures, noted workshop participant Maggie Mosher, an assistant research professor with AAI.
“Accept that the future is uncertain and unpredictable. This mindset can help one remain open to new possibilities and adapt to changing circumstances,” said Mosher.
Meagan Karvonen, director of AAI’s Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS), reflected how futures thinking is shaping how she approaches innovation.
“The workshop highlighted how futures thinking isn’t just about predicting what’s next—it’s about expanding how we think. At ATLAS, adopting this approach will be essential for staying agile in a rapidly evolving world,” said Karvonen. “Personally, it’s already broadened my perspective on what’s possible."
As Counts and the workshop facilitators emphasized, futures thinking is a powerful tool for individuals, institutions, and communities alike.
"Exploring multiple futures from different perspectives is invaluable in work and life," said Counts. "When you're juggling so much, it’s easy to think there's no time for this. But you have to make time—it’s how you stay engaged and take action."
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Interested in exploring futures thinking at your organization and even holding a workshop? Contact Jackie Counts via email at jcounts@ku.edu.
