Why Corporate Voices Matter Now: Launching NACRO’s 2026 Industry Perspectives Survey

By Heather Hirsch and Dave Ortendahl, PhD

At a time when higher education is navigating unprecedented financial, enrollment, and partnership pressures, the value of clear, data‑informed insight has never been greater.

One of NACRO’s enduring strengths as a professional community is our ability to learn directly from our corporate partners and to use those insights to strengthen university–industry engagement across institutions.

That is why we’re pleased to share the launch of NACRO’s 2026 Industry Perspectives Survey, a national effort designed to capture an environmental scan of the university–industry landscape directly from corporate partners themselves.

This survey builds on NACRO’s long-standing commitment to evidence‑based practice. By gathering corporate perspectives on philanthropic support, research investment, and evolving corporate responsibility priorities, we can better understand how partner expectations are shifting and how our institutions can respond strategically.

Encouraging participation offers value to our partners. The survey provides a no‑fee opportunity for corporate leaders to share feedback, engage thoughtfully with higher education, and help shape future models of collaboration. In many cases, it also serves as a natural stewardship and prospect‑development touchpoint.

The value of this work is practical and immediate. Aggregated results from prior Industry Perspectives surveys have helped NACRO members benchmark trends, inform leadership conversations, validate strategy, and advance data‑driven approaches to building sustainable funding pipelines. In an environment where decisions increasingly require clear justification and external validation, these insights matter.

The 2026 survey is intentionally concise, requiring approximately 15 minutes to complete, and all responses will be treated as confidential and reported only in aggregate. Results will be shared with NACRO members and participating institutions, ensuring broad access to the findings and reinforcing the collective benefit of participation.

To achieve meaningful results, NACRO relies on the active participation of its members. Each member is encouraged to share the survey with at least two corporate partners, and more where possible. Collective outreach will allow us to exceed our goal of 100 respondents and ensure that the findings reflect a diverse and representative range of corporate voices.

The 2026 Industry Perspectives Survey launched February 16 and will remain open through May 1, 2026. A supporting letter from NACRO’s co‑presidents is available for members to share with university leadership, and prior Industry Perspectives deliverables can be found on the NACRO Publications webpage.

We encourage all NACRO members and institutional leaders to support this important effort. By elevating corporate voices, we strengthen our profession, inform institutional strategy, and reinforce NACRO’s role as a trusted source of insight at the intersection of higher education and industry.

Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to advancing university–industry engagement.

Click here to access the Industry Perspectives Survey.

Heather Hirsch is Chair Elect of NACRO’s Benchmarking Committee and Director of Development, Corporate Relations with the Texas A&M Foundation. Dave Ortendahl, PhD, Past President of NACRO, is Director of Corporate Foundation Relations with the University of Connecticut and Principal Investigator of the 2026 NACRO Industry Perspectives Survey.