Navigating AI Partnerships in Higher Ed: Governance, Procurement, and Scaling Student Success

In this episode of the Campus Technology Insider Podcast, Campus Technology Editor-in-Chief Rhea Kelly interviews Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, about how generative AI is reshaping student success work and increasing the need for cross-institution collaboration. Burns describes the UIA's role supporting 19 large public research universities as a shared R&D lab for higher ed, emphasizing open, scalable practices that improve student outcomes. She outlines key AI challenges for institutions, including governance gaps, privacy and data risks, intellectual property, contract liability, safety concerns, and limited capacity to evaluate rapidly evolving vendor agreements. Burns highlights ASU's AI initiatives and explains UIA's AI Decision Framework, outlining critical questions to ask before signing enterprise AI agreements. She also discusses institutional readiness, AI literacy, and principles for scaling innovations through adaptation, cross-functional teams, clear targets, and ongoing evaluation. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:32 UIA Mission and Model 01:49 Generative AI Changes 05:07 Promising Campus Use Cases 07:22 Top Risks and Governance 09:23 ASU Early Mover Lessons 11:11 AI Vendor Decision Framework 15:28 Procurement Questions That Matter 18:54 Community Over Perfection 21:42 AI Readiness and Culture 25:53 Scaling with Guardrails 31:56 Closing Thoughts and Wrap Up Resource links: University Innovation Alliance AI Decision Framework EDSAFE AI Alliance Educause report: The Impact of AI on Work in Higher Education University Innovation Alliance Scaling Innovation Toolkit Music: Mixkit  Duration: 34 minutes Transcript