Webinar Recap | What AI Can – And Can’t – Do for Higher Ed Admissions & Retention

Panelists

• Dr. Michael Poll — Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, University of Alabama in Huntsville
• Bill Watts — Associate Vice President for Academic and Career Engagement, Kansas State University
• Isaac Abbs — Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer, Pima Community College
• Dr. Alicia Caudill — Executive Vice President for Student Affairs, College of Charleston

AI has quickly shifted from a future-focused conversation to something colleges are actively trying to navigate in real time. As institutions test new tools and initiatives, many leaders are still asking the same question: Where does AI actually help, and where does human judgment matter most?

That was the focus of EdSights’ recent virtual panel, What AI Can and Can’t Do for Higher Ed Admissions & Retention, where leaders across enrollment, student affairs, advising, and IT discussed how their institutions are approaching AI implementation today.

AI Works Best When It Enhances Human Connection

Throughout the discussion, panelists returned to one central theme: AI works best when it removes friction, not relationships.

As Carolina Recchi, Co-CEO & Co-Founder of EdSights, shared:

“I think there’s a lot of concern right now of, is AI going to make higher ed feel less human? …The reality of what we’re seeing is quite the opposite. When AI is able to take over the repetitive, transactional work, the moments that are left are really the ones that matter, where the student needs context, that judgment, that human empathy."

Rather than replacing people, panelists described AI as a tool that can help staff spend more time on meaningful student interaction by reducing repetitive work and surfacing student concerns earlier.

As an example, Bill Watts, Associate Vice President for Academic and Career Engagement, shared how Kansas State University is exploring AI-supported advising workflows through automated note summaries, helping advisors stay more present during conversations with students instead of focusing on administrative tasks.

“There’s a time save, but nothing about that interaction is transactional. It’s a chance to enhance the human experience, so the advisor can pay close attention.”

‍New Tech Must Be Coupled With Change Management

Several panelists also emphasized that successful AI implementation depends less on the technology itself and more on institutional readiness, communication, and strong change management practices. Across the discussion, leaders repeatedly stressed that introducing AI requires institutions to:

• Bring faculty and staff into the process early
• Create opportunities for experimentation
• Clearly communicate how these tools are intended to support — not replace — human work

At Pima Community College, Isaac Abbs, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer, described how the institution moved from broad AI conversations into hands-on experimentation and pilot initiatives focused on student persistence and retention. Rather than pushing AI adoption through top-down mandates, Pima focused on helping faculty and staff become more comfortable exploring the technology through community-based learning, open discussion, and small-scale experimentation. As Abbs shared:

"We run these sessions a few times a month for people just to drop in. People can show what they've done, people can just ask the silly questions. We've created this community that's really, I think, has taken the college from a place of fear to acceptance.”

Panelists also acknowledged that many institutions are still navigating separate conversations around operational AI and classroom AI. While faculty continue working through questions related to curriculum, academic integrity, and classroom use, many campuses are already finding immediate value in AI-powered tools that support advising, communication, and student success operations.

Using Student Voice Intelligence to Support Students Earlier and More Effectively

One of the most impactful moments of the webinar came when Dr. Caudill shared a story about a student who initiated a conversation through the institution’s Student Voice AI, expressing thoughts of self-harm. That outreach triggered immediate follow-up from the student care team, helping connect the student with support and resources.

“I feel very confident that had they not had the chatbot as a way to initiate that conversation, they wouldn’t have known where to go or maybe wouldn’t have had the confidence to know where to go.”

The example reflected a broader takeaway from the discussion: AI may help institutions identify signals faster, but people are still the ones who build trust, provide care, and guide students through difficult moments.

At a macro level, the panelists described how AI-supported outreach has helped staff focus their efforts on students most likely to need support, rather than relying solely on broad communication strategies. 

Dr. Michael Poll, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at University of Alabama in Huntsville, reflected that in their work with EdSights, the combination of AI with human staff has resulted in dramatic increases in student engagement and responses, for both retention and admissions teams:

Abbs also shared how Pima Community College has used EdSights’ Student Voice Intelligence to identify students at risk of not returning and intervene earlier with human outreach.

Key Takeaway

The panel made one thing clear: institutions are moving beyond the AI hype cycle and starting to define where these tools can genuinely support students and staff. The colleges seeing the most progress are not using AI to replace human connection. They’re using AI to automate administrative tasks, to understand what students are experiencing at scale, and to create more space for meaningful human support.

Watch the full recorded panel here for more thoughtful takeaways.

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