Colleges and universities are accelerating their use of artificial intelligence to enhance the student experience and streamline administrative workflows. However, one expert fears that AI will not lead to any improvements until leadership untangles a decade-old problem: disconnected data.
“The [college] president is the only one who can prevent AI from getting siloed,” says Joe Abraham, co-founder and CEO of Intellicampus, an AI platform provider.
Executive leadership must ensure that innovation follows a clear, consistent strategy to avoid past missteps.
“AI can’t go into 17 different systems,” adds Abraham, who has worked with Johns Hopkins University on automating procurement. “You have to bring the data together first. Otherwise, you’re just layering new technology on top of old problems.”
Where presidents are focusing AI efforts
In the past two years, leaders have balanced experimentation with system-wide strategy, deploying various chatbots and evolving back-end systems.
Four broad areas where presidents are directing attention and resources, according to Abraham, include:
- Enrollment: AI tools that can reduce application friction, guide students through enrollment steps and increase admissions.
- Student retention and completion: Proactive outreach before students disengage entirely.
- Workforce development: Exploring how AI might support alumni.
- Enterprise and analytics: Unlocking more value from existing systems.
“These priorities usually come straight from the president,” Abraham says. “If their strategic plan is heavy on enrollment, that’s where we’re seeing the focus from the whole organization.”
Institutions must embed AI holistically across their IT infrastructures to avoid confusion.
“It’s hard for separate business units to connect when they’re all trying to do their own tasks,” Noel Slaby, CIO at Olivet Nazarene University, told University Business last year. “The overall challenge I see myself facing is getting the organization coalesced around a common vision.”
Why new technology can reap minimal benefits
Student data is often distributed across 80 to 100 systems, from learning management platforms to housing and dining services, Abraham says. Those systems rarely communicate with one another.
“If a student’s situation changes halfway through the semester, nobody sees it,” he adds. “The data just isn’t connected.”
More on AI: Colleges face a new rival in teaching: Chatbots
As a result, retention rates at many colleges have barely improved, despite years of investments in early alert systems and predictive analytics, says Abraham. AI-powered tools must access the full picture to perform to their full potential.
Otherwise, institutions risk accumulating disconnected AI platforms that introduce security risks and governance challenges.
Building the pipes before buying tools
Abraham emphasized that institutions do not need to overhaul existing systems to move forward. Instead, campuses can centralize information using a data warehouse, data lake or newer data fabric approaches that allow AI to access information in real time.
That work, he says, begins with CIOs and their teams. However, Abraham sees more CIOs pushed into operational roles without a seat at the executive table, which can have “disastrous” ramifications for data governance and security.
“Everything we do [runs on] technology,” Abraham says. “Yet, if the CIO is not given an ample seat and the right resourcing, how can we expect to keep up?”
For campuses unsure where to begin, Abraham recommended assembling a small, cross-functional group for a focused 90-day planning effort. The goal should be identifying an early win while establishing infrastructure, rather than rushing to buy new tools.
“Everyone is shopping for faucets right now,” Abraham says. “What higher education really needs are the pipes first.”
