Episode 72: ASU's AI Strategy, Digital Workforce, and the End of Frankenstein Tech

About the Episode

About The Episode:

In this insightful episode of Generation AI, hosts JC Bonilla and Ardis Kadiu speak with Lev Gonick, CIO of Arizona State University, about how AI is reshaping higher education technology systems. Gonick shares ASU's innovative approach to AI implementation, discussing their transition from fragmented "Frankenstein" tech systems to a more integrated architecture using AI agents. He explains how ASU is already deploying orchestrated AI agents across campus operations - from parking to financial aid to classroom instruction - and offers a practical vision for how universities can adapt to this technological shift. This conversation is essential listening for higher education professionals looking to understand how AI can transform student experiences and institutional operations.

‍

Connect With Our Co-Hosts:
Ardis Kadiu

https://twitter.com/ardis

‍Dr. JC Bonilla

https://twitter.com/jbonillx

‍

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Generation AI 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 The EduData Podcast.

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.

People in this episode

Host

Ardis Kadiu

Ardis Kadiu is the Co-Founder of AI Idea Lab.

Dr. JeanCarlo (J. C.) Bonilla

Dr. JeanCarlo (J.C.) Bonilla is an executive leader in educational technology and artificial intelligence.

Interviewee

Lev Gonick

As the Enterprise Chief Information Officer at Arizona State University, I lead the design and agile management of all enterprise infrastructure, applications, products, services, and analytics at the nation's largest and most innovative university. I have over 30 years of experience in education, technology, and smart city architecture, and I am passionate about enabling and celebrating innovation, collaboration, and productivity through the broadest possible access and utilization of next-generation broadband networks and advanced technologies, including XR and AI. I am proud to be part of ASU's vision to be a comprehensive public research university that is measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed.

Other episodes

Episode 23: OpenAI’s Cyber Incident and the Rise of Open Weight Models

Technology + Data

All Episodes

Episode 23: OpenAI’s Cyber Incident and the Rise of Open Weight Models

JC unpacks two headline-making AI stories every campus and institution needs to understand right now.

with

Dr. JeanCarlo (JC) Bonilla

Episode 101: Why Strategy Should Come Before Tools

Admissions + Enrollment

All Episodes

Episode 101: Why Strategy Should Come Before Tools

Artificial intelligence is changing how higher education teams work, but successful AI adoption is about much more than choosing the right tools.

with

Allison Turcio

Admissions + Enrollment

All Episodes

Episode 127: Higher Ed's Hero Cycle

Mallory hosts Higher Ed Pulse with guest Jenn Hayes, Associate Dean for Marketing & Communications at Cardozo School of Law in New York, to discuss higher ed’s recurring “hero” cycle: hiring passionate leaders to rebuild broken systems, celebrating visible wins, and then losing them to burnout.

with

Mallory Willsea

Ep. 71: How ECU Built a Collaborative Communications Team Across Campus

Marketing + Communications

All Episodes

Ep. 71: How ECU Built a Collaborative Communications Team Across Campus

Jenny Li Fowler welcomes Jessica VanderKolk, a Public Communications Specialist at East Carolina University. The conversation centers on ECU’s innovative communications department structure, which utilizes a liaison model. Rather than being siloed in a central office, communicators are embedded directly within the colleges they cover.

with

Jenny Li Fowler

Ep. 50: How 24/7 Student Support AI Drives True Equity in Higher Education

Technology + Data

All Episodes

Ep. 50: How 24/7 Student Support AI Drives True Equity in Higher Education

When Massachusetts rolled out free community college, it drove massive equity across the state, but it also created an unprecedented bottleneck at the front door of smaller institutions. Brian sits down with Alex Russo, Director of Enrollment & Recruitment Strategy at Cape Cod Community College, to discuss how a school with limited headcount operationalized 24/7 student support AI to manage a sudden 40% spike in student volume.

with

Brian Piper

Join the Enrollify Community!

ASU's AI Strategy, Digital Workforce, and the End of Frankenstein Tech

About the Episode

People in this episode

Host

Ardis Kadiu

Dr. JeanCarlo (J. C.) Bonilla

Interviewee

Lev Gonick

Other episodes

Weekly ideas that make you smarter