AI Adoption on Campus: Ethics, Efficiency, and Empowerment

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About The Episode:

AI is here to stay, and now is the time to jump in. That’s the message of Allison Turcio, Assistant VP for Enrollment and Marketing at Siena College and Host of The Application podcast. 

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In this episode, Brian and Allison explore how AI adoption is transforming the way higher ed professionals approach communication, marketing, and student engagement, all while keeping humanity at the core.

From segmenting emails to pulling personalized essay quotes, Allison’s strategies show how AI can empower, not replace. She just might convince you that AI literacy is becoming a must-have skill — and why now is the time to get started.

Join us as we discuss: 

• [3:01] How to scale outreach without sacrificing authenticity
• [13:28] Why AI adoption feels so daunting
• [19:27] Steps you can take to get started with AI adoption

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Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

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• Allison’s four-part series on what AI can do for you during yield season
• The Application podcast
• Halda
• AllisonTurcio.com

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To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for AI for U with Brian Piper in your favorite podcast player.

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How Can AI Make Enrollment Marketing More Personal?

Allison Turcio doesn’t see AI as a replacement for human connection—she sees it as a tool that can help us do more of what makes our work in higher ed meaningful. In this episode, she explains how she uses AI to quickly personalize print mailers and emails to prospective students. Whether it's highlighting a student’s essay quote or customizing a message for a biology major, AI allows for fast iterations—but the human has to set the tone and review the results.

Her use case for note card writing is especially compelling: AI can generate thoughtful messages that staff can handwrite, allowing admissions teams to scale a deeply personal gesture without losing authenticity. The key is starting with your words, your intent, and letting AI assist with delivery.

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What About Summer Melt and Top-of-Funnel Strategies?

As the conversation turns to summer melt, Allison shares how AI can be a strategic ally in tracking student behavior and predicting melt risk. When institutions collect rich behavioral data—website visits, form submissions, event attendance—AI can identify which students might be at risk of not showing up on move-in day. This allows enrollment teams to intervene earlier and more effectively.

She also challenges marketers to use AI during earlier stages of the funnel. When student data is more limited, AI can still be used to segment messaging by proximity to campus, generate discovery questions, and help craft communications that encourage students to share more about themselves. Progressive profiling, fueled by AI, becomes a smart way to build engagement before an application is even submitted.

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Why Is AI Adoption So Hard in Higher Ed?

The challenges aren’t new: fear of change, lack of time, and ethical concerns are familiar hurdles. Allison points out that many professionals are overwhelmed by daily responsibilities and don’t feel like they have time to “figure out” AI. Her solution? Start in your personal life. Plan a trip. Use an AI tool to organize your calendar or write a grocery list. Small wins in personal use build the confidence needed to bring AI into your workflow.

She also emphasizes the importance of institutional governance that reflects the fast-changing nature of the technology. Instead of rigid policies, schools should implement flexible guardrails—frameworks that evolve as the tools do. And don’t forget to include a range of voices in these conversations: marketers, faculty, IT, and students all have a stake in how AI is integrated into campus life.

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What Use Cases Should You Try First?

If you're just getting started, Allison suggests leaning into quick wins. For instance:

• Use AI to generate variations of an email tailored to different personas.
• Get 20 new subject line ideas with a single prompt—and let AI predict open rates.
• Create a custom GPT to help pull inspirational quotes from essays for personalized outreach.
• Use tools like Goblin.ai to break down complex projects into manageable tasks.
• Apply AI in the classroom to help synthesize feedback—not grade it—so students get clearer, more actionable notes.

For Allison, one of the most transformative use cases has been using AI to deepen human connection, not replace it. Whether it’s helping a student feel seen through a personalized postcard or supporting a counselor with better messaging tools, AI becomes a teammate—not a threat.

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Connect With Our Host:
Brian Piper
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianwpiper/

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About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
AI for U is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Some of our favorites include Generation AI and Mastering the Next.

Enrollify is produced by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.

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