What Does It Mean to Build an AI-Literate Campus?
If your admissions, finance or student services teams think AI is just a fancy search bar, you’re overlooking AI’s game-changing possibilities. An AI literate campus understands how to use AI responsibly and strategically to drive better outcomes.
AI literacy means three things:
- Awareness – Staff know what AI can (and cannot) do.
- Application – Teams use AI tools in ways that align with their daily workflows.
- Advantage – Institutions see measurable improvements in efficiency, cost savings, and student experience.
Right now, most campuses fall short. According to EDUCAUSE, 60% of higher-ed administrators across 768 U.S. institutions say their campuses already use AI, but fewer than one-third of staff have hands-on experience with it. That gap is costly. Institutions are spending on AI tools, but without staff literacy, the tools sit underused, and students still face the same delays, bottlenecks, and frustrations. For CFOs and operations leaders, this means wasted investments, missed ROI, and declining student satisfaction. Closing this literacy gap is the path to an AI-ready operating model.
Why Non-Academic Teams Truly Move the Needle
Faculty may inspire students, but non-academic teams shape their day-to-day experience. From a freshman’s first application to a senior’s last tuition payment, most interactions happen with admissions, billing, and support staff.
When these teams are AI-savvy, the institution can:
- Spot at-risk students early – AI can flag students who miss deadlines or drop off in engagement, allowing staff to intervene before attrition occurs.
- Automate tuition reminders – Instead of staff manually chasing payments, AI can send proactive reminders and payment options before accounts fall behind.
- Provide instant campus guidance – Whether it’s finding a study space, confirming an event change, or checking library hours, AI can answer immediately.
- Shift from reactive to proactive support – Instead of waiting for problems to surface, AI-driven insights empower teams to anticipate student needs.
- Build trust and loyalty – Faster responses, fewer errors, and consistent communication build confidence in the institution.
For CFOs, this translates into reduced administrative costs, stronger retention, and fewer lost enrolments due to preventable friction.
Key Strategies for Building AI Literacy Beyond the Classroom
Here are five practical strategies institutions can apply today:
- Target the right admin pain points – Start with repetitive, high-volume processes: admissions FAQs, registration issues, and tuition inquiries. These areas deliver the fastest ROI when automated.
- Customize training to roles – Finance teams, admissions staff, and student life offices all interact with AI differently. Training must be role-specific to stick.
- Embed AI into existing systems – Integrating AI with SIS, LMS, and finance systems drives adoption. Standalone tools, no matter how advanced, often go unused.
- Empower AI champions – Identify early adopters in each department. Train them deeply so they can coach peers and drive cultural adoption.
- Measure outcomes, not usage – For CFOs, it’s not about “how many people logged in.” It’s about reduced costs, faster resolution times, improved student satisfaction, and higher retention.
By following these steps, leaders can move AI from “buzzword” to bottom-line value.
What Connect6 and Model6 Do for Higher Education
An AI-literate campus isn’t built with siloed pilots. It’s built with the right AI engines powering both the present experience and the future strategy. That’s where Connect6 and Model6 work together.
Connect6 – Smarter Student Experiences Today
- Admissions & Academic Support: Guides prospective students through applications, answers academic queries, and streamlines course registration.
- Student Services: Assists current students with tuition fee inquiries, payment reminders, exam schedules, and grade tracking.
- Campus Life: Offers real-time campus information, event updates, and access to academic resources across multiple channels.
Model6 – Predictive Intelligence for Tomorrow
- Retention & Success: Forecasts student retention rates and academic performance to enable proactive interventions.
- Enrollment Forecasting: Predicts future enrollment trends to optimize staffing, resource allocation, and course offerings.
- Graduate Outcomes: Analyzes job placement success and salary potential based on academic performance and market trends, helping institutions strengthen career services.
- Production-Ready Models: Deploys proven models such as Student Acceptance Probability (to predict which admitted students are most likely to enroll) and Student Success Indicators (to detect graduation risks early), giving leaders actionable insights without long development cycles.
Together, Connect6 eliminates friction in the student journey while Model6 equips leaders with foresight for strategic decision-making.
The Bottom Line for Higher-Ed Leaders
Building an AI-literate campus isn’t about experimenting with tools on the margins. It’s about fixing the gaps students feel every day and giving staff the intelligence to act before problems escalate.
With Connect6, institutions remove friction from admissions, billing, and student support. With Model6, they gain the foresight to anticipate enrollment shifts, retention risks, and long-term student success. Together, they help leaders stretch limited resources further while improving the student experience where it matters most.
Ready to see how Connect6 and Model6 can transform your campus operations?
Talk to us. Let’s build what moves the needle.
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