Forsyth Tech Joins the Alliance of Future Makers

Forsyth Tech News  |  Innovation

Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has joined the Alliance of Future Makers (AFM), a national innovation initiative founded by the Austin Community College District (ACC) that brings 17 institutions together to design what higher education should look like by 2030.

What the Alliance of Future Makers does

The Alliance of Future Makers (AFM) brings educators, administrators, industry leaders, students and futurists together to co-create strategies that prepare students for an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. Developed through ACC’s Office for the Future, the Alliance convenes its members monthly to identify emerging trends, develop scenarios and design solutions that anticipate the needs of students, colleges and communities.

As a member, Forsyth Tech will learn foresight methods, experiment with innovative approaches and apply future-focused strategies alongside the rest of the cohort. Foresight work of this kind is less about predicting one future than about preparing for several, so a college can adjust programs and student support before the need arrives rather than after.

Why it matters for Forsyth Tech students and employers

For students, the value of the Alliance shows up in what Forsyth Tech brings home: new ideas about how people learn, how a college responds to change and what employers and communities will need next. Those ideas feed directly into Vision 2030, the Forsyth Tech strategic plan.

“At Forsyth Tech, being Future-Ready means looking ahead and being willing to redesign how we serve students as the world around them changes. The Alliance of Future Makers gives us the opportunity to learn alongside innovative institutions from across the country, test new ideas and bring that thinking back to our students, employers and communities as we continue building toward Vision 2030.”

Dr. Janet N. Spriggs, president of Forsyth Tech

President Spriggs tied the work to the college’s Future-Ready commitment, which treats redesign as ongoing rather than occasional. Employers in Forsyth and Stokes counties have a stake in that, too: the scenarios members build are meant to anticipate workforce needs early enough for a college to respond with programs and credentials.

Who takes part in the Alliance of Future Makers

Seventeen institutions make up this cohort, 72 members in all. The Alliance is led by Dr. Monique Reeves, executive vice chancellor for the future at the Austin Community College District, and it offers three tracks: a Fellows Track for scholar-practitioners, an Administrator Track, and the President/CEO Circle for college and university presidents and CEOs invited to participate as an institution based on their demonstrated innovation in the field.

“This is not a conversation for later. It’s a call for leaders, innovators and educators to step into the work now,” says Dr. Reeves. “By joining the Alliance, you become part of the community that will decide what higher education looks like in 2030 and beyond — and ensure that it continues to serve students, employers and community in ways that matter.”

What happens next for the cohort

The initiative runs through spring 2027, when it culminates in the second annual Summit of Future Makers. There, members will showcase future-ready models for higher education built over the course of the cohort year. More information about the Alliance is available at the Alliance of Future Makers site at Austin Community College.

Students who do not want to wait for 2030 can get started now by browsing the Forsyth Tech programs of study.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Alliance of Future Makers?

The Alliance of Future Makers (AFM) is a national innovation initiative founded by the Austin Community College District (ACC) to shape the future of higher education. It brings educators, administrators, industry leaders, students and futurists together to co-create strategies that prepare students for a complex and rapidly changing world.

How many colleges are in the Alliance of Future Makers cohort?

Forsyth Tech is one of 17 institutions in this cohort, which has 72 members in all. Members meet monthly to identify emerging trends, develop scenarios and design solutions for students, colleges and communities.

Who leads the Alliance of Future Makers?

Dr. Monique Reeves, executive vice chancellor for the future at the Austin Community College District, leads the Alliance. It was developed through the ACC Office for the Future.

What does membership mean for Forsyth Tech students?

Forsyth Tech plans to test new ideas with the other member institutions and bring that thinking back to its students, employers and communities as it continues building toward Vision 2030, according to President Spriggs.

When does the Alliance of Future Makers cohort conclude?

The initiative culminates in spring 2027 with the second annual Summit of Future Makers, where members will showcase future-ready models for higher education.