Becoming Dispensable (on Purpose): Building Higher Education Systems That Thrive Beyond Us

Abstract

Although higher education is rich in talent and innovation, it remains poor in structures that allow good ideas to persist. This commentary confronts an uncomfortable truth: when progress depends primarily on individuals, the system itself becomes fragile, particularly because people experience, inhabit, and are positioned within systems in unequal ways. I argue that our goal should not be to make ourselves indispensable, but to build systems and structures capable of thriving without us. Accordingly, I advance the notion of intentional dispensability: a commitment to and practice of designing sustainable policies, relationships, and infrastructures that endure and evolve amid inevitable human turnover. Achieving such dispensability requires four complementary approaches: share what we know, formalize relationships and collaboration, plan for who comes next, and reward system builders. Together, these approaches reflect a deep ethic of care for those whose success relies on stable, functional systems: students, colleagues, and institutions alike. Taken up as a practical lens for leadership, organizational change, and policy development, intentional dispensability helps ensure that the work continues beyond us, and future generations inherit systems more functional, inclusive, and resilient than those we found.