Tool: Board Conversation Guide

A practical template for presidents to help trustees guide AI decisions toward mission-aligned, durable progress.

This conversation guide is designed to help presidents and boards have focused, high-value discussions about AI and the institution’s future. It is not a prescriptive strategy or a technical plan. Instead, it offers an adaptable structure and set of prompts that boards can use to clarify priorities, surface risks, and align on what responsible progress looks like in your institutional context.

AI is already reshaping how students learn, how organizations work, and what “career readiness” requires. At the same time, colleges face mounting pressure—from vendors, peers, policymakers, and public narratives—to “do something” about AI quickly. Without a shared frame for decision-making, that pressure can lead to disconnected pilots, one-off purchases, or reactive commitments that outpace governance, capacity, and strategy.