The Future Is Ours to Shape: A New Mandate for Higher Ed

by Ardis Kadiu · Updated Jul 16, 2025

We closed this year’s Engage Summit with a conversation that hit home. I joined JC Bonilla and Dr. Tracy Brundage, President of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, for a panel. What started as a recap quickly evolved into a call to action. We talked about the opportunities, the roadblocks, and most importantly, the responsibility we all share to make sure AI doesn’t just speed up the status quo, but helps us build something fundamentally better.
AI is Not a Feature. It’s a Mindset Shift.
One theme came up again and again: AI isn’t an upgrade. It’s a mindset. Yes, AI can automate tasks, improve back-office operations, and save time. But if that’s all we’re aiming for, we’re missing the point.
This isn’t about incremental improvements. It’s about exponential change.
And that kind of change doesn’t begin with systems. It begins with people.
Or as Dr. Brundage put it, “It’s not the technology, it’s the culture, the structure, the trust.” Tech won’t hold us back. Culture will.
From Silo-Busting to Student Belonging
One of the most hopeful insights from this conversation was how AI can be a unifier. It has the power to tear down silos—not just between departments, but between the disconnected systems that so often define a student’s experience.
But unification isn’t the end goal. Belonging is.
If AI is working, students should feel it, not as automation, but as clarity. As a connection. As confidence. What if we tracked emotional signals the same way we track conversions and credit hours?
Maybe it’s time for a student CSAT score—an emotional audit of the college experience.
Build with Empathy, Lead with Curiosity
When JC asked for a “North Star” to guide AI implementation on campus, Dr. Brundage said it best: “Design with empathy, lead with curiosity, and never lose sight of the student as the soul of the system.”
That’s the heart of this work.
AI isn’t here to replace people. It’s here to reallocate time and amplify purpose. To free up educators and staff to focus on what only humans can do—guide, inspire, support. And to give students the personalized, responsive experience they’ve grown to expect in every other part of their lives.
Keep Starting
If you left Engage feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. This stuff is moving fast. Faster than even those of us building it can always predict. But here’s the truth: nobody has it all figured out.
The only difference between those leading and those lagging? They started. They took a small risk, tested something new, learned, and tried again.
We don’t need experts right now. We need starters.
So wherever you are in your AI journey—days ahead, weeks behind, or just showing up—start. Build. Share. Iterate.
Because the future isn’t a mystery. It’s something we get to shape together.
Liked this recap of our closing keynote? The good news is you can watch the replay, along with all of the other session replays from Engage 2025 today.

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