As AI evolves from emerging trend to foundational infrastructure, higher education stands at a crossroads: Will we merely adopt AI — or help shape its ethical and equitable future? In this keynote, Lev Gonick, Chief Information Officer at Arizona State University, explores how institutions can lead on AI ethics while delivering real student impact. Drawing on ASU’s enterprise-scale AI initiatives, including My AI Builder and the CreateAI platform, Gonick highlights how equity, access, and trust must be designed into every layer — from student support to workforce collaboration. This is a call to action: for higher education to become an AI adopter—and a steward—of its societal responsibility.

Presenters:
Dr. Lev Gonick, Chief Information Officer, Arizona State University

Create 8-second videos with synchronized dialogue, sound effects, and background music—all generated natively by AI. Skip the production crew. Build recruitment videos with voice-overs, campus tours with ambient sound, and testimonials that actually speak. Live demo included.

Navigate the minefield of student data privacy in the AI age without killing innovation. Get the checklist. Know the red flags. Protect your students (and your job). Real violations, real solutions.

Stop optimizing for clicks. Start optimizing to be THE source AI quotes. Learn why traditional SEO is dying and how to ensure ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity cite YOUR school. Live audit included.

Presenter: Ty Fujimura, Chief Product Officer, Element451

Build AI agents that browse websites, analyze data, and complete complex workflows automatically. Watch us build a complete application reviewer that works 24/7. No coding. Just prompts. Pure automation.

Presenter:
• Doug Smith, Director of AI Operations, Element451

Master GPT-5's new reasoning effort and verbosity parameters that fundamentally change how AI responds. Learn why your old prompts fail and discover the 5-prompt framework that unlocks 10x better outputs. Real examples, immediate results.

Presenter:
• Ardis Kadiu, Founder and CEO, Element451

AI is only as effective as the foundation beneath it. Too often, higher ed teams dive into AI tools hoping for big wins, only to end up with scattered pilots, underwhelming results, and frustrated staff. So how do you know if your team is truly ready to make the leap from experimenting to scaling AI in a meaningful way?

In this session, Jamie Hunt will unveil a practical AI Maturity Model designed specifically for higher education. This framework helps leaders pinpoint where their team stands today, what gaps may be holding them back, and how to move forward with confidence.

Attendees will:

- Discover the key dimensions that determine AI readiness in higher ed.
- Get actionable steps for evolving from curiosity and one-off pilots to team-wide adoption that sticks.
- Walk away with a roadmap to build capacity, strategy, and culture around AI without overwhelming your staff or blowing your budget.

Whether you're skeptical, cautiously curious, or already experimenting, this session will give you a clear picture of what AI readiness looks like, and the tools to help your team get there.

Presenters:
Jamie Hunt, Founder and President, Solve Higher Ed Marketing

You know the value — and the challenge — of synthesizing information and creating actionable insights and compelling stories. Enter NotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered research assistant. It quickly identifies patterns, connects ideas, and processes complex information, saving you hours. In this hands-on tutorial, discover how to transform academic papers, lecture videos, market research, and more into study guides, FAQs, strategic plans, or anything else you can dream up for students and other key audiences.

Presenter:
• Ardis Kadiu, Founder and CEO, Element451

Let AI read hundreds of sources and write comprehensive reports in minutes, not hours. Join this live demo and watch us analyze your competition, decode Gen Z trends, and predict enrollment patterns—all during this session. Take home the prompts.

Presenter:
• Jamie Boggs, Senior Engagement Analyst, Element451

As higher education institutions face unprecedented challenges in enrollment, retention, and operational efficiency, the strategic application of artificial intelligence is reshaping what’s possible. In this session, Dr. Vern L. Lindquist, President of Johnston Community College and Carrie Pitts-Densmore, Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing, share how Johnston Community College is leveraging Element451’s AI-powered CRM to drive growth and strengthen student success.

The presentation will highlight the transformation from traditional enrollment practices to a dynamic, data-driven approach—where predictive analytics, intelligent automation, and personalized communication create deeper connections with students throughout the learner journey. Attendees will gain insights into how leadership champions innovation, aligns institutional strategy with AI adoption, and builds campus-wide trust in new technologies.
With practical examples and lessons learned, this session offers a roadmap for colleges seeking to move beyond incremental improvements and instead harness AI as a catalyst for growth, equity, and long-term sustainability.

Presenters:
• Carrie Pitts-Densmore, Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing, Johnston Community College
• Dr. Vern L. Lindquist, President, Johnston Community College

"The $0 Recruitment Video Studio"
MidJourney + Veo 3 = Unlimited content.

"5 GPT-5 Prompts Worth $50K in Consulting"
Tested. Proven. Yours to steal.

"Build Your First Agent Before Lunch"
30 lines of instruction. Infinite automation.

"The FERPA Violation You're Probably Making"
And the 2-minute fix.