Ian Rolston

Project: Transforming Ontario's Public Universities - Leveraging Foresight for Resilient Social Innovation

This project presents a strategic roadmap for transforming Ontario’s public universities into resilient centers of social innovation. Through foresight-driven methodologies—including scenario planning and horizon scanning—we have analyzed how universities can adapt to future challenges and seize opportunities to align research and teaching with social purpose.

Our findings outline key institutional shifts needed to achieve sustained impact, addressing governance frameworks, risk-taking capacities, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

By integrating foresight into institutional decision-making, this project equips Ontario’s public universities with the tools to drive meaningful social change, ensuring their long-term relevance and contribution to the public good.

Ian Rolston is a design strategist and humanist inspiring change through his strategic foresight, and innovation design consultancy Decanthropy. His global experience across diverse sectors in Corporate Real Estate, Hospitality, Education, Wellness, and Transportation has informed his emphasis on design's power to foster meaningful change.

Rolston believes in the power of design to bridge gaps in systems, and build resilience for organizations, and communities—his Life-centered approach to engagement in diverse roles from Principal, Professor, Practitioner, and Precipitant supports seeing challenges uniquely for” better good”. As a vision specialist for decision-makers, Rolston facilitates innovation with foresight, authenticity, equity, and honesty by design. Wherever the context Ian champions developing connected enterprises, experiences, and environments that augment a shared sense of humanity. Rolston aims to shape a more “human” world to ”Life” in, one possible at a time.