In Higher Ed, CIOs Unite Faculty Researchers And Students To Drive Coordinated AI Adoption

AI is forcing higher education to confront a coordination problem it can no longer ignore. As adoption accelerates, decision-making fragments across pedagogy, research pace, and usability expectations, turning AI from a technical rollout into an exercise in governance, priority-setting, and institutional coordination.

Jonathan Fozard, Chief Information Officer at Florida State University, brings institutional perspective shaped by leadership roles in The George Washington University and the University of Oklahoma. He believes that CIOs must step into a new role, acting as translators and advocates who connect stakeholders and align AI with institutional priorities. "The CIO has to be a people leader and an engagement leader first, and a technical leader second," Fozard said. The approach is crucial, with AI conversations tending to fragment as each group interprets the technology through its own priorities and perspectives.

• Through different lenses: "Stakeholders operate under different incentives: faculty prioritize pedagogy, researchers prioritize speed, and students prioritize intuitive, effective tools. We have to get out of the mindset that alignment means we agree on every issue. My role is to bring these conversations together, being a connector and creating a shared vocabulary. Translation isn’t about simplifying; it’s about building understanding so people can make informed decisions about AI," Fozard said. Institutions need flexible strategies that translate these diverse perspectives into coordinated, effective AI adoption, without waiting for full consensus.

• Structure over consensus: To navigate the complexity, Fozard explained that a structured framework is essential: "It has to create alignment, not restriction, giving people common language, training, and access regardless of their use case. The RISE framework is about being intentional in four areas: research and instruction, innovation and modernization, security and compliance, and engagement and student success. It sets up a shared approach so faculty, researchers, and students can all use AI effectively, safely, and creatively, without shutting down innovation." Even with shared practices in place, effective use only works when tools are secure.

"Trust is the new real infrastructure. People won’t adopt tools if they see them as just the next flashy thing without real thought behind them. Tools must be secure, private, and accessible," Fozard said. For AI integration to benefit the campus, it requires more than providing reliable and accessible tools; it demands deliberate attention to how decisions reflect the institution’s values and priorities. Every choice about AI carries weight for the university’s long-term direction.

• Beyond capability: "We have to look at what a tool can do, and then ask the more important question: What should it do? In an ethical and responsible way," Fozard added. "Communication has to be part of the implementation from the very beginning. AI decisions can’t be treated as isolated technology choices anymore. They have to be part of our institutional reputation and our ethos." Building on that principle, AI enhances how students and faculty engage with their work.

• Potential into performance: Fozard noted an example of one student who used the AI tool as a personalized tutor, improving how she engaged with the course. He said, "It wasn’t just that she had access to the tool, it was understanding how to use it. She used it to study more strategically, ask better questions, and she ended up earning an A." The example points to something larger. "AI isn’t going to replace people, it comes alongside us in new ways. The goal isn’t just access; it’s designing pathways that help everyone." Impact emerges when AI is leveraged to augment, rather than replace human capability.

• Championing the bigger picture: AI's value lies less in the tools themselves than in how leaders shape their adoption across learning and professional practice. "The CIO role now is about helping the institution navigate strategic change, being a champion for what’s possible and aligning it to where we’re trying to go," Fozard said. Success depends on guiding AI adoption in ways that create meaningful, lasting change across the academic community.

For higher education, AI adoption is a strategic imperative. "We have to design AI adoption for everyone. We’re trying to create pathways for people to really prepare themselves for the workplace, which is constantly changing right now at a level we really haven't seen since the dawn of the Internet," concluded Fozard. By fostering collaborative governance and thoughtful alignment, CIOs ensure AI enhances learning, research, and workforce readiness, translating technology into impact across the institution.