Austin, TX

Audrey Ellis will be at SXSW EDU in Austin for a panel, “Making AI Work for Higher Ed: A Leadership Conversation,” alongside Tykeia Robinson (Gates Foundation) and Laura DaVinci (Every Learner Everywhere). Together, they’ll ground the AI conversation in real institutional examples and guided reflection—exploring what responsible implementation looks like in practice as AI reshapes how higher ed leaders work, teach, and support students.

When: March 11, 2026 | 9:00–9:45 AM CT

Where: Austin Marriott Downtown, Waterloo Ballroom 4

Our research revealed a persistent gap: institutions know they need to engage with AI, but many lack a clear picture of where they actually stand. This session introduces T3's AI Adoption Rubric and Survey Suite: practical tools designed to help you move from assumptions to evidence. You'll learn how to assess across five dimensions (adoption coordination, leadership support, policy development, resource commitment, and technology deployment), deploy surveys to faculty, staff, students, and leadership, and translate findings into action. This session is designed for presidents, CAOs, institutional researchers, and assessment directors who will lead readiness efforts on their campuses.

Speakers:

• Dr. Audrey Ellis, Founder & Principal, T3 Advisory

• Mohammad Obiedat, Deputy CIO - ERP & AI, Alabama Community College System
  
  Photo by Allison Shelley/Complete College Photo Library

Centering Student Voice in AI Planning for Student Success

Seattle, Washington

Dr. Audrey Ellis will be presenting at AACC Annual with Dr. Linda García (Executive Director, Center for Community College Student Engagement—CCCSE, UT Austin).
This session is focused on what it looks like to put student perspectives at the center of AI decisions—especially as AI expands across advising, enrollment, and teaching.

The session will share practical approaches colleges can use immediately to engage students in governance, feedback loops, and communication, so AI adoption strengthens equity, trust, and student outcomes.

Professional development for AI is both uneven and underdeveloped across higher education. Our research found that faculty often receive more structured training opportunities than staff, and many institutions lack a clear strategy for who delivers training, what content is prioritized, and how training connects to institutional goals. This session explores four emerging training roles—faculty/peer trainers, administrators, students, and external partners—and offers a framework for building sustainable AI capacity that reaches everyone, not just those who opt in. This session is designed for Senior leaders of Academic and Student Affairs, HR leaders, teaching and learning center directors, faculty development coordinators, and department chairs responsible for professional development.

Panel Moderator:

Dr. Audrey Ellis, Founder & Principal, T3 Advisory

Panelists:

• Dr. Jennifer Gebelein, Director of AI Integration and Faculty Success, Florida International University

• Dr. Greg Morris, Senior Vice Provost, Dallas College

Photo by Allison Shelley/Complete College Photo Library

When institutional leaders discuss AI adoption, the conversation often starts with licensing fees. But the real story is broader: adopting AI at scale requires both visible financial investments and hidden resource commitments in time, people, and culture. Our research found that institutions must also navigate a rapidly expanding vendor market, with AI features rolling out faster than governance can address. This session provides a clear framework for understanding the full spectrum of costs, real and hidden, and the governance foundations that must be in place before scaling. This session is designed for CFOs, CIOs, budget officers, procurement leads, and compliance officers who control resources and risk.

Speakers:
Dr. Audrey Ellis, Founder & Principal, T3 Advisory

Norman Palmer, Director of Technology & Innovation, Complete College America

Photo by Allison Shelley/Complete College Photo Library

Across every interview in our study, one message was clear: the challenge is no longer whether to engage with AI, but how. Most institutions remain stuck in experimentation: scattered pilots, individual champions, department-level efforts without alignment. This capstone session synthesizes what we learned about institutions that have moved beyond pilots to coordinated strategy. You'll explore what "transforming" institutions do differently: how they structure governance, connect AI to institutional priorities, and build shared capacity across campus. This session is designed for senior leadership, strategic planning committees, and AI working group leads ready to move from exploration to action.

Speakers:

Dr. Audrey Ellis, Founder & Principal, T3 Advisory

Photo by Allison Shelley/Complete College Photo Library