From Congress to Campus: Discussions on the Impact of AI on Higher Education

Key takeaways: Nuventive’s third webinar in our 10-part AI series explores the role of policy and guardrails in higher education artificial intelligence adoption and implementation.

Webinar Details: From Congress to Campus: Discussions on the Impact of AI on Higher Education

Watch the full replay HERE. 
Date Recorded: December 5, 2023
Featured Speakers: Dr. José-Marie Griffiths, President, Dakota State University; and Dr. Michael J. Jabbour, Chief Innovation Officer, Microsoft Education. Moderated by Dr. Jim Moran, Advisor to Nuventive, former Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dakota State University

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Each week, we’ll distill key takeaways and share short clips from our conversations with presidents, provosts, and leaders in institutional research, assessment, and technology—turning big ideas into practical steps for improvement. This week, we look at: From Congress to Campus: Discussions on the Impact of AI in Higher Education.

AI is shaping higher education today. Nuventive’s third webinar in our 10-part AI series: From Congress to Campus, Dakota State University President Dr. José-Marie Griffiths and Microsoft Education’s Dr. Michael Jabbour joined moderator Dr. Jim Moran to discuss how AI is influencing leadership, policy, students, and the future of learning.

Dr. Griffiths explained that AI is powerful but often misunderstood. Her recommendation to university presidents and their trustees is to lean into the complexity of AI.

“AI is not a single technology or a single entity. It has a lot of rapidly evolving components and then a range of enabling technologies. I like to call it a kaleidoscope. Everybody thinks it’s magic, but it’s got lots of pieces to it. And really, it’s just light and mirrors in the end.”

For presidents and trustees, she emphasized three essentials:

• AI is already present — it must be included in institutional planning.
• It holds enormous potential, but implementation must be responsible and deliberate.
• Risks and opportunities need equal consideration.

Dr. Jabbour highlighted why generative AI can feel so human like:

“The ability to interact through chat has made it somewhat ubiquitous, and now prevalent particularly with students in terms of how they are accelerating their work. It’s just as important to understand that this is a tool, it’s not human. We shouldn’t anthropomorphize it as it starts to look, sound, and feel more human because it’s learning from us.”

Universities have an opportunity to:

• Guide students in appropriate use of AI tools.
• Frame AI as a learning aid, not a replacement.
• Ensure policies evolve alongside student adoption.

Watch Dr. Jabbour’s take HERE (40-second watch)

Dr. Griffiths applauded proactive adoption she has seen in Washington, highlighting efforts taken by policymakers to implement AI in an intentional way, rather than rushing into legislation:

“I hope that in the end we’ll see what we call a light touch on regulation and guardrails, because we hope that we won’t have too much regulation and start stifling innovation.”

Potential areas of impact for higher ed:

• Accreditation standards that reflect AI use in teaching and operations.
• Federal funding requirements tied to responsible AI adoption.
• Student privacy protections aligned with FERPA and other regulations.

Dr. Jabbour discussed how universities should plan to support AI implementation, emphasizing the imperative to allocate resources such as time, money, people, and products into AI:

“My sense here is that you’re going to have a lot of evolution as it relates to demand. And we want to ensure that universities are prepared to respond to that demand.”

Dr. Griffiths added:

• AI will touch both the academic mission and administrative operations.
• Efficiency gains due to AI could free resources for teaching and research.

Dr. Griffiths described her own approach:

“I realized I could no longer keep up with everything myself. I had to develop a network of people that would keep up with different parts of the technological environment.”

Her strategy includes:

• Appointing a CIO for operations and a CTO for forward-looking innovation.
• Building networks to track rapid changes.
• Setting aside time each day to learn and stay up to date with AI advancements.

Dr. Jabbour reinforced this, explaining the rapid pace of AI advancement:

“The longer term is becoming shorter term, and the shorter term is becoming almost immediate. We’re going to see some interesting trends coming soon.”

Dr. Moran asked how human connection can be preserved in an AI-focused environment.

Dr. Jabbour emphasized:

“We have to not only keep humans in the loop but also have a human-centered approach to how we use AI, how we design AI, and how we roll AI out.”

He added:

“It is each of our own responsibility to use this tool responsibly. It is also equally our responsibility to ensure that we are constantly focused in on the humanity, our own humanity, and how we can ensure that comes out of the work we do, how we use the tools, and I think most importantly, how we bring the next generation up.”

• Some have suggested an “FDA-like” model for AI oversight.
• Dr. Griffiths noted the FDA already regulates AI in medical devices, dating back to 1995 — showing that oversight and innovation can coexist.

Both speakers agreed the rate of innovation is accelerating. For universities, this means preparing for rapid change and cultivating agility in both strategy and operations.

• AI is multifaceted: leaders must understand it as a collection of evolving technologies.
• Students are embracing AI: institutions should provide clarity and guidance.
• Resources matter: time, people, and funding must be allocated to AI strategy.
• The human element is central: technology must enhance, not replace, human connection.

Banding Together: How Independent College Presidents are Addressing AI – Dr. Ajay Nair, President, Arcadia University; Dr. Marjorie Hass, President, the Council on Independent Colleges; moderated by Dr. Melissa Hortman, Education Strategist, Microsoft Education – Recorded December 13, 2023.  View the replay now.

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