AAU AI Workshop Highlight

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Harnessing AI to Advance Enrollment Success

EdVisorly hosted an AI workshop titled Harnessing AI to Advance Enrollment Success, bringing together Chief Enrollment Officers from leading research institutions within the Association of American Universities (AAU). With 71 member universities across the United States and Canada, AAU institutions play a key role in shaping national conversations around research, innovation, and education policy.

The workshop was made possible through the leadership of AAU President Yvonne Romero, EdD (Rice University), an EdVisorly partner institution, who helped align institutional voices around this timely and emerging topic.

The central question guiding the discussion: How can enrollment leaders ethically and effectively harness AI to meet rising demands with greater agility and intelligence?

Bridging Enrollment and AI

The session included enrollment leaders from AAU member institutions, the most research-intensive universities in the United States and Canada. Representing national leadership in education, research, and innovation, these institutions serve as trailblazers in applying new technologies to complex enrollment challenges.

Attendees included VP's of Enrollment from: Boston University, University of Iowa, Mcgill, Case Western Reserve University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Toronto, Washington University in St. Louis, NYU, University of Florida, UC Riverside, Brandeis University, Stony Brook University, Rice University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and George Washington University.

The event featured contributions from members of the EdVisorly team and an AI deep dive led by Shushman Choudhury, a Google-based AI/ML researcher whose work focuses on large-scale optimization and real-world deployment of AI systems. Choudhury’s academic background and industry leadership provided a foundation for bridging theoretical innovation with applied solutions in enrollment management.

The result was a forward-thinking, cross-functional dialogue on how institutions can move from AI exploration to AI execution.

Key Insights: Framing the Future of Enrollment with AI

Human + AI Teams Represent a Strategic Advantage

AI works best when it supports people—not when it replaces them. Participants discussed the opportunity to use AI for faster transcript parsing, early academic signal detection, and predictive analytics. By automating operationally intensive tasks, enrollment leaders can redirect focus toward strategic student engagement and decision making.

Sustainability Requires Intelligent Infrastructure

As resource constraints grow, institutions need intelligent systems that scale. AI-powered tools reduce manual labor such as GPA recalculations and transcript evaluations, enabling teams to achieve more with fewer inputs. The infrastructure created by AI applications offers a path toward operational resilience.

Ethical Implementation Is Foundational

Participants emphasized the importance of transparency, bias mitigation, and ethical use of AI. With policy frameworks still emerging, the group highlighted a need for higher education to lead in shaping standards that protect students while enabling innovation.

From Insight to Action

Several institutions shared ideas and initiatives in which AI could support more responsive, inclusive, and data-informed enrollment strategies. These concepts sparked collaborative dialogue and laid the groundwork for future implementation.

Emerging use cases included:

  • Analyzing incomplete applications to identify high-achieving prospects earlier in the funnel.
  • Identifying merit-based scholarship candidates prior to full application submission.
  • Forecasting student persistence and scholarship allocation by analyzing historical academic trends.

The discussion underscored a shift in mindset—from viewing AI as a tool for efficiency to seeing it as a partner in strategic planning.

Collaborative Leadership

As AI adoption accelerates, top research institutions—including those within the AAU—are uniquely positioned to guide its use in higher education. Their combined expertise, scale, and shared commitment to excellence make them ideal stewards of responsible innovation.

This workshop marked a pivotal moment in the national conversation around AI and enrollment. Rather than framing AI as a future disruptor, AAU leaders recognize its role as a current-day enabler of mission-aligned transformation.

By creating space for open discussion between enrollment leaders and AI practitioners, EdVisorly continues to support shared learning and collaborative innovation across higher education.