Building AI into the Campus Strategic Plan

How do we ensure AI advances our institutional strategy—rather than becoming a collection of disconnected experiments?

Across higher education, “AI mushrooms” are popping up everywhere: individual tools, pilots, and experiments launched with good intentions, but often without a clear line of sight to long-term goals. This session of the AFIT AI Community of Practice focuses on how to bring coherence to that activity by using your existing strategic plan as a decision-making filter.

Together, we’ll explore how to move from scattered AI experimentation toward a more intentional, mission-aligned AI portfolio—one that supports institutional resilience, prioritization, and leadership decision-making.

What We’ll Cover

Following the AI Community of Practice’s practical, peer-driven format, this session will include:

• In the News
  A brief look at recent AI developments related to strategy, planning, and institutional positioning.

• Topic Presentation
  A practical framing for linking AI initiatives to mission, strategic priorities, and institutional resilience—financial, enrollment, academic, and operational.

• Question of the Month
  Guided peer discussion on what’s working, what isn’t, and what still feels unclear on your campus.

• Latest from AFIT
  Resources, insights, and upcoming opportunities to support your work beyond the session.

Questions We’ll Explore Together

• How are you ensuring AI supports your campus strategy rather than remaining a set of one-off projects?

• How do you determine an appropriate AI budget—and avoid overspending?

• How are you framing AI conversations with presidents, cabinets, and boards within the context of your strategic plan?

Who Should Attend

You do not need a fully developed AI strategy to participate. This session is designed for institutions at all stages—from early experimentation to more advanced planning. The goal is to help you move from interesting pilots to a deliberate, sustainable AI portfolio that fits your campus’s mission, capacity, and reality.

We look forward to continuing the conversation with you.