Academic AI & Technology Leadership Summit at Post University
A half day for higher ed CIOs and technology and functional leaders, together with IT leaders from other industries. Hosted by Adam Gorski, SVP Global Business Services & CIO at Post University, with SIM (Society for Information Management) Central Connecticut. Lunch is included. The summit is in person at Post University's downtown building, 140 Bank Street, Waterbury. Parking is available at the Municipal Parking Garage, 210 Bank Street, a 3-minute walk away.
This is not an AI conference, and it is not a vendor sales or marketing event. It is a peer-to-peer working session for technology leaders to openly discuss what is working, what is not, and how we can work with our technology vendors together to take advantage of AI at reasonable prices.
Three outcomes frame the day: make it easy for customers and students, take the robot out of employees, and turn data into dollars.
Agenda
1. Welcome & Summit Objectives (15 min)
Why bring higher ed and other CIOs and technology leaders together now. Brief introductions and expectations.
2. What Are Our Biggest Technology and AI Pain Points? (30 min)
Roundtable among universities and others: legacy systems, integrations, data, AI, automation, vendor limitations and technical debt. What is common across institutions, and how do we deal with vendors collectively?
3. What Can Higher Ed Learn from Other Industries, and Vice Versa? (30 min)
Leaders from financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, insurance, hospitality, energy and other industries share how they addressed similar challenges.
4. Data Before AI (45 min)
Can AI succeed if the underlying data isn't ready? Data quality, governance, ownership, integration, master data and institutional silos. What does a minimum AI-ready data foundation look like? What comes first: a data lakehouse or AI point solutions?
5. Beyond AI Point Solutions (30 min)
From individual chatbots and isolated AI tools toward an enterprise AI strategy: where AI creates measurable value across recruitment, enrollment, advising, academics, student services, finance and administration.
6. Organizations vs. Technology Vendors (30 min)
Can we create a stronger collective voice on interoperability, pricing, integrations, data access, roadmaps and lock-in?
7. From Discussion to Action (45 min)
Identify 3 to 5 common priorities, decide what we are willing to share, and whether this becomes an ongoing Higher Ed Technology Leadership Forum with SIM.
8. Wrap-Up & Next Steps (15 min)
Key findings, follow-up actions, and whether the group wants to reconvene and how often.
Registration
Seats are limited and registration closes on Tuesday, November 10. The session is for technology and functional leaders; sales and marketing staff from technology vendors are asked not to register, so everyone can talk openly. Your answers to the short questions below are shown only as a picture of the whole room, without names or institutions.
DLabs.AI helps organize the day.