From Operators to Orchestrators: How AI Is Reshaping Our Strategic Mindsets

Howard Heevner says the real giving problem is a 30-point gap between alumni satisfaction with their education and with the post-grad relationship—alumni who feel known give far more—and AI can't fix that without trust.

Ardis Kadiu of Andi tells Brian Piper that most institutions remain stuck in early-stage "skills" rather than true autonomous agents, argues human taste and leadership-driven work redesign matter more as AI handles production, and predicts that by 2027 the "harness" around models—not raw intelligence—plus the gap between AI capability and organizational adoption will define success, while also touching on AI's impact on learning assessment and his own family-AI venture, Andi.

Drew Lurker of CollegeSource joins to discuss how technology, shared data, and statewide initiatives are making transfer credit evaluation more transparent and student-centered, plus AI's promise and risks in transcript evaluation and the need to balance speed with human judgment and trust.

JC's June 2026 "State of AI" recap argues higher ed AI has moved from chatbots to agentic operating layers amid contested model leadership (OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, DeepSeek, Z.AI) that makes single-vendor strategies outdated, closing with a live discussion among JC, Brian Piper (AI for U), and Carrie Phillips (Lessons in Leadership).

In this episode of Mission Admissions, host Jeremy Tiers has a conversation with Lauran Hundshamer, VP of Admissions and Marketing at St. Kate’s. Lauran shares how her team leverages personalization to boost the campus visit experience, engagement, and enrollment.