The phrase "worst since the Great Depression" has seemingly punctuated every economic report. The United States is experiencing the worst housing market, the worst unemployment level, and the worst drop in gross domestic product since the Great Depression. Although the steady drumbeat of bad news may have made everyone nearly numb, one knows that these macro economic indicators are aggregate measures of real pain for individuals and organizations. In this article, the author draws an early roadmap to help IT leaders navigate beyond the economic downturn and to understand how a new economic reality might take shape in higher education institutions and in higher education IT organizations. (Contains 9 notes.)