HighEdWeb Annual Conference

The Human Sandwich: How Richard Bland College Uses AI Without Losing the Human Touch

As Richard Bland College worked to scale enrollment and create a more personal student experience, it faced a pressing question: How do you grow enrollment, embrace AI, and keep up with rapid change without losing the human connection students need most? In this webinar, Justin May, Chief Enrollment Officer at Richard Bland College, will share how his team uses a “human sandwich” approach to AI-powered enrollment: humans start the relationship, AI agents handle the transactional middle, and humans step back in at the moments that matter most. The result is a more scalable, more personal student journey that gives staff more time for relationship-building while improving follow-up, consistency, and momentum throughout the enrollment process. Attendees will learn how Richard Bland College: - Used AI agents to take on transactional work and support timely follow-up - Built a more personalized enrollment journey through agent-supported workflows - Tested and refined where AI could improve speed, consistency, and momentum - Applied a human-first model for adopting AI across the student journey This session is ideal for enrollment, admissions, and student success leaders looking to scale support, improve responsiveness, and keep people at the center of the student journey.