Registration and Breakfast

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Brian Cohen, Vice President, Center for Digital Education

IT as Strategic Partner – Aligning Technology with Mission and Outcomes

As institutional priorities evolve, the CIO’s role is transforming from operational leader to mission strategist. This conversation explores how technology organizations are becoming trusted partners in advancing student success, academic excellence, and institutional sustainability. Panelists will share how they’ve reframed IT’s value proposition to senior leadership, connected tech investments to measurable outcomes, and navigated political and cultural hurdles along the way. Expect real stories where the strategy worked, where it didn’t, and what it takes to keep technology aligned with the mission when everything else is changing.

Break

Technical vs. Staffing Debt – Balancing Modernization with Workforce Realities

Many campuses are caught in the squeeze between aging systems and exhausted teams. This panel gets candid about what it means to manage modernization under real constraints, limited budgets, lean staffing, and unrelenting demand for new capabilities. CIOs will discuss how they’ve assessed “dual debt,” prioritized where to invest, and found creative ways to free capacity through automation, outsourcing, and reskilling. Attendees will hear lessons learned from peers who have walked the line between progress and burnout and left with practical insights into building resilience while still moving the institution forward.

Cloud & Workforce Evolution – Redefining IT Roles Post-Migration

The cloud changed the technical landscape, but its biggest impact has been on people. Once the migration is complete, IT leaders must redefine roles, responsibilities, and culture to fit an entirely new way of operating. This discussion examines how institutions are evolving their organizations post-cloud, rethinking governance, budgets, and team structures to emphasize integration, data, and service design. Panelists will share both the successes and growing pains of this transition, including the leadership lessons that came from retooling their workforce and reshaping their institutional partnerships in a cloud-first world.

Lunch

Change Management – Addressing Resistance and Adoption Fatigue

After years of transformation, most organizations are simply tired of change. This panel dives into the human side of modernization, the cultural resistance, the communication gaps, and the leadership fatigue that can stall progress. Experienced CIOs will share how they’ve reignited momentum when transformation fatigue set in, and how they’ve rebuilt trust among teams and campus partners who’ve weathered too many system rollouts. Expect an unvarnished look at what it takes to move people forward and not through mandates, but through empathy, transparency, and shared purpose.

Transition Break

Process Modernization & AI Integration – Driving Transformation with Data and Automation

Artificial intelligence and automation are reshaping how colleges and universities operate, but the real work begins well before implementation. This session explores how IT leaders are using AI and data-driven processes to streamline operations, improve service, and support decision-making while confronting the challenges of governance, ethics, and readiness. Panelists will discuss where they’ve seen true gains from automation, how they’re addressing skepticism and data quality issues, and what lessons they’ve learned from pilot projects. The conversation will focus on doing AI right, grounded in institutional mission, transparency, and trust.

Wrap-Up

Brian Cohen, Vice President, Center for Digital Education

Summit Adjourns

Conference times, agenda and speakers are subject to change.