Dustin speaks with Laura Beth of CLYDE about how AI is reshaping higher education marketing, communications, and public relations.

Dustin chats with Toni Marie Perilli from Fordham University about why retention marketing deserves a seat alongside enrollment and advancement as a core strategy for student success.

Brian is joined by Josh Riedy, Executive Director of the Institute of Applied AI at Minnesota State University Moorhead, to explore what meaningful AI adoption looks like across higher education.

For this week's episode, Dustin speaks with Jenny Maxwell of Superhuman about the evolving relationship between AI and academic integrity in higher education. They explore how institutions can move beyond viewing AI as a threat and instead embrace more transparent, collaborative approaches that help students learn with AI while maintaining trust, accountability, and meaningful assessment practices.

Audrey Ward from Ologie joins the show to discuss how higher education marketers can navigate the AI era without losing the authenticity that makes their institutions stand out.

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

Nathan Monk from Prospectus Plus jumps on to talk about why the traditional college viewbook is overdue for a digital transformation.

Dustin speaks with Dan Desrochers of Amherst College about what it means to serve as an embedded communications leader within student affairs and why context, process, and strong relationships are essential to effective higher education marketing.

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.

This week, Dustin chats with Dr. Dave Duke, Chief Product Officer at McGraw Hill, about how AI is reshaping teaching, learning, and academic integrity in higher education. He highlights some new product developments for their learning tools as well as the recently released Sharpen Advantage. Drawing on his background in psychology and product design, Dave explores how students make rational decisions about AI use, why traditional views of academic integrity are becoming more nuanced, and how institutions can better support students in developing meaningful AI proficiency for the workforce.

This week we’re pleased to speak with Dr. Cristi Ford, Chief Learning Officer at D2L, about the evolving role of learning management systems in an AI-driven world. They explore how the LMS has grown from a simple repository for content into a broader learning ecosystem, and why institutions must rethink not just the technology they use, but how learning is designed, assessed, and supported.

JC Bonilla is joined by Andrew Ramsammy, President of Vermont College of Fine Arts, for a deep dive into what it means to lead in the era of AI, especially agentic AI. JC sets the stage for a conversation ranging from the challenges of navigating a college presidency during the pandemic to the transformative effects of affiliating with CalArts. Andrew shares his journey from board member to president and describes how AI, far from being just a technological add-on, demands a renewed focus on agency and intentionality in leadership.

JC examines whether "AI slop" stems from the technology itself or from users cutting corners, exploring how AI is reshaping standards of effort, judgment, and quality in academic and professional work.

JC talks with Element451's Ty Fujimura and Encoura's Matt Ellis about AI governance and ROI in higher ed, plus a deep dive into the new Encoura Connect partnership bringing predictive enrollment intelligence together with agent-driven CRM.

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.

This week, we spoke with Joe Abraham of Intellicampus about the growing challenge of system fragmentation in higher education and why institutions must rethink their digital infrastructure in the age of AI.

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).

This week's conversation with Jason Czyz, President and CEO of the Institute of International Education, explores how scholarship programs, academic exchanges, and study abroad initiatives shape global leaders and strengthen economies in an increasingly interconnected world.

In this episode of Higher Intelligence, Dr. JC Bonilla and guest Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner examine who decides what AI is allowed to do on campus and who holds accountability when AI goes wrong. They discuss recent government intervention in AI model deployment, the rise of AI-powered academic discovery, and the emergence of agentic AI workflows in higher education. Drawing on leadership frameworks and real campus examples, the conversation explores practical approaches to AI governance, ethical considerations, and how higher ed leaders can balance progress with accountability.

Brian sits down with Brandon Rich, Director of AI Enablement at the University of Notre Dame, to explore what he calls the “messy middle” of AI adoption in higher ed.