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We are Higher Education Strategy Associates

We provide strategic insight and guidance to governments, post-secondary institutions, and agencies through excellence and expertise in policy analysis, monitoring and evaluation, and strategic consulting services. Through these activities, HESA strives to improve the quality, efficacy, and fairness of higher education systems in Canada and worldwide.

Strategic Planning and Governance

Academic Planning

Institutional Improvement

Economic and Social Impact Studies

International Markets and Mobility

Program Reviews

Statistical Collections & Public Policy

Have a project in mind?

Get in touch with us today. We’d love to hear from you.

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Featured Publications

Here is a collection of some of our most recent publicly available research. Check out our publications page to view our full archive.

Monitoring Trends in Academic Programs 4: Water thumbnail Monitoring Trends in Academic Programs 4: Water
2021 | Monitoring Trends in Academic Programs
Strengthening Regional Colleges in Canada thumbnail Strengthening Regional Colleges in Canada
2021 |
State of Postsecondary Education in Canada 2023 thumbnail State of Postsecondary Education in Canada 2023
2023 | State of Postsecondary Education
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One Thought to Start Your Day blog

One Thought to Start Your Day is our founder and CEO Alex Usher’s popular daily blog, brimming with up-to-the-minute insights and informed opinions on today’s higher education industry.

The Free World Higher Education Area

The world is changing.  The goal of the Trump Administration, fairly clearly, is to create a world where “rules” are … Continued

That Was The Quarter That Was, Winter 2025

 I’m trying something new today.  Every second Friday since last September, HESA’s Matt Doyle and I have been putting together the … Continued

The Learning Centred University with Steven Mintz

Hi everyone, Tiffany and Sam here — your World of Higher Education podcast producers. While Alex is away in Japan, … Continued

Check-in on Administrative Bloat, 2025 Edition

Check-in on Administrative Bloat, 2025 Edition It’s been a little over five years since I took a serious dive into … Continued

EDI and the Measurement of Merit

Across most of the world, the concept of academic merit tends to get operationalized as “best at passing a certain … Continued

Observations and Suggestions about Boards of Governors

 Today, a few random observations about University and College Boards of Governors, based on some thinking prompted by a class … Continued

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