Enrollment Now Open for Year Three
Enrollment deadline is August 10th.
Year Three Offerings at a Glance
All Campus Essentials ($2,500)—an opportunity to learn about and engage with nine of the most pressing topics over 12 months, structured so all areas of your campus benefit and participate.
Leading the AI Charge ($4,000)—a monthly working community for select campus leaders driving AI adoption, where the conversation moves from what AI is to what your institution does next.
(Applicants who apply by July 1st get access to sponsored hotel and travel at Google’s AI Higher Ed Academy in Chicago on August 3-4.)
Bot Building Cohort Sprints ($1,500)—3-week sprints for the super users on your campus to apply and advance their skills using AI tools.
AI Credentialing from Google (Fast-tracked with any AI Ready program)—CIC has partnered with Google for Education to provide 500 Coursera licenses at each campus, fast-tracking institutions that enroll in any of the CIC AI Ready programs through their certificate program. These licenses can be used for students, too.
All Campus Essentials Program
Audience: All campus faculty and staff (with months aimed at specific groups)
Format: Weekly 60-minute webinars featuring experts in the field
All Campus Essentials, AI Ready’s broadest program, is built for exactly that—all roles across campus. There are no limits on campus attendance in AI Ready webinars. Previously called “Program #1”, we are bringing back this tried and true program with new, relevant topics to build on the success of this learning community and webinar series. Each month, All Campus Essentials brings your institution into the most important conversations happening in higher education and AI, structured so that the right people from across your campus can join, learn, and act together.
Sessions are held on the first three Thursdays of each month at 2:00 p.m. (ET).
Each month centers on a new topic, announced in advance, so your campus contact can invite the right colleagues to attend. Sessions are pre-scheduled and easy to forward, making campus coordination simple.
Fall Topics
- AI in the Flow of Work—The tools, automations, and everyday practices that are quietly transforming how higher ed professionals get things done
- This month is for chief information officers, technology and IT staff, administrative and operations staff, department coordinators and managers, and human resources professionals.
- AI as an Accessibility Tool—How AI bridges equity gaps and expands student and staff support
- This month is for disability services and ADA coordinators, student affairs professionals, enrollment staff, student support and success staff, and faculty.
- Cheating, Authorship, and Academic Trust—Navigating AI in academic integrity and the evolving meaning of student work
- This month is for faculty, academic integrity officers, deans of students, registrars, and department chairs.
Topics are subject to refinement as the field evolves.
Spring Topics
- AI and Authentic Communications—Authentic communication in an age of AI-generated content, and what it means for enrollment, marketing, and institutional voice
- This month is for enrollment and admissions staff, marketing and communications teams, institutional advancement staff, and senior administrators.
- Preparing Students for an AI-Powered Workforce—The knowledge, skills, and dispositions graduates need related to AI, and how to teach them
- This month is for faculty, career services staff, academic advisors, curriculum and program directors, and provosts and academic VPs.
- The Ethics of AI at Scale—Bias, environment, intellectual property, and the responsibilities that come with adoption
- This month is for faculty, institutional research and data officers, general counsel and compliance staff, technology and IT leaders, and senior administrators.
- Vocation in an AI Era—What enduring purpose looks like for students, institutions, and the people who serve them
- This month is for faculty, career services professionals, chaplains and campus ministry staff, academic advisors, and student affairs staff.
- AI Nudges, Bots, and Companionship—How AI companions, behavioral nudges, and campus-deployed bots are reshaping student engagement, advising, and the boundaries of in
- This month is for student affairs and advising staff, enrollment professionals, chief information officers, technology and IT leaders, and department and division heads.
Topics are subject to refinement as the field evolves.
Each month includes three structured sessions that move from conversation to context to application:
- Session 1—The Conversation: An expert-led overview of the month’s topic, grounding participants in what’s happening and why it matters right now
- Session 2—Demos and Perspectives Horizon Sessions: Panels, demonstrations, and campus examples that show what AI looks like in practice in this space
- Session 3—So What Now?: A discussion-driven session focused on implications, next steps, and how campuses like yours are advancing this work
This structure repeats monthly, with many campuses having well over 100 staff and faculty members participate throughout the year. As in previous cohorts, there are no limits on campus attendance in AI Ready webinars. Last year, Campbell University (NC) held the record with 1,172 participants in all.
Investment
$2,500 institutional enrollment fee, covering the full program year, and unlimited attendance
This does not include access to the Bot Building Cohort Sprints.
“This has been the best series of sessions I have attended on AI to date. I look forward to additional opportunities to maintain currency and glean insight from others, as well as perhaps make connections with like-minded colleagues to share developments.”
Leading the AI Charge Program
Audience: The one to three campus leaders of the AI Change conversation on campus
Format: Community of practice built around monthly topics in a 90-minute session
Intimate, executive community.
Breakout room with best practices.
Active guidance and conversations.
Attendance at Google’s AI Higher Ed Academy
Leading the AI Charge is a monthly community of practice built for the campus leaders driving AI adoption—provosts, CIOs, AI committee chairs, and other senior administrators—ready to move from conversation into action. Each 90-minute session tackles the real complexities of institutional change: governance, faculty trust, board conversations, and shifting campus culture around AI.
The first 40 institutions to enroll in Leading the AI Charge by July 1, 2026 are also eligible to attend Google AI Educator Series: Higher Ed Academy, a two-day intensive summit at Google held August 3-4, 2026 in Chicago, IL. Hotel and travel are paid for by Google.
Topics
Sessions address the practical and strategic challenges campus leaders face, including:
- Data Governance and Management—Building the frameworks your institution needs to use AI responsibly
- Having the AI Conversation with Your Board—How to structure a board retreat or working session on AI strategy
- Faculty Training and Preparation—Building professional development that actually moves the needle
- Buying AI Software—What to evaluate, what to ask vendors, and how to make decisions your campus can stand behind
- Advancement and AI—How to talk with donors and funders about AI investment
- Student Concerns and Resistance—How to engage students honestly and build trust around AI use
- AI Governance Structures—What a chief AI officer role looks like, and how institutions are structuring AI leadership
- Data, Privacy, and the Surveilled Campus—Student data rights, institutional accountability, and ethical data use
- From Discussion to Action—Turning campus AI committees into campus AI momentum
Investment
$4,000 institutional enrollment fee, covering the full program year
This does not include access to the Bot Building Cohort Sprints.
Bot Building Cohort Sprints (3-Week Sprints)
Audience: Your campus super users (up to three individuals per campus per sprint)
Format: Three separate sprints that allow your power AI users to build institution-level bots for actual deployment
Most CIC campuses are currently hiring outside bot-builders, a large investment that creates long-term dependence. Bot Building Cohort Sprints are intensive three-week experiences designed for campus super users who are ready to build instead.
Each sprint brings together a cohort of super users for a focused, hands-on dive into building and deploying AI bots on campus—walking through design principles, practical use cases, and the real work of making bots functional for your institution’s specific needs.
Members of the Bot Building Cohort Sprints get access to all bots built for deployment on participant campuses.
Three sprints are offered each program year:
- September Sprint
- December Sprint
- March Sprint
Specific sprint details, including session cadence and participant capacity, will be shared with enrolled institutions ahead of each sprint window.
A CIC staff member will reach out to you at the conclusion of our enrollment cycle in August regarding cohort sign-ups.
Investment
$1,500 institutional enrollment fee.
Bot Building Cohort Sprints are separate from All Campus Essentials and Leading the AI Charge programs.
BONUS: 500 AI Credentials Hosted by Google
Audience: Faculty, Staff, and/or Students
Format: Asynchronous and at user discretion
CIC has partnered with Google for Education to provide 500 Coursera licenses at each campus, fast-tracking institutions that enroll in any of the CIC AI Ready programs through their certificate program. Signing up for any of the AI Ready programming above makes your campus eligible for this opportunity.
The Google AI for Education Accelerator is an institution-level program that provides organizations access to training, tools, and resources, along with opportunities to learn and share best practices with other colleges and universities across the country, all at no-cost. The goal is to help students and faculty gain AI skills and prepare for the jobs of today and tomorrow.
Fast-tracked to your entire campus with enrollment in any of the AI Ready programs.
AI Ready Program Leadership
Contact Information
For questions about CIC’s AI Ready network offerings, contact Matt Trainum, vice president for strategic networks and partnerships, at mtrainum@cic.edu or Sabrina Sturgeon, AI adoption and innovation specialist, at ssturgeon@cic.edu.
Sponsors
AI Ready is made possible in part through the support of our program sponsors.
For sponsorship opportunities, check out the online prospectus.
FAQ
How do I decide which AI Ready program is right for me?
Download our one-page Program Decision Guide (PDF)—it walks through which AI Ready program (or combination of programs) is the right fit for your campus, and it’s designed to be easy to print or forward to your team.
What are the goals of the program?
Goal 1: Knowledge Sharing and Learning
Facilitate the exchange of insights, best practices, and resources
Goal 2: Capacity Building and Usage Expansion
Develop trainings, workshops, and sample materials to equip faculty and staff with foundational AI knowledge and skills
Goal 3: Collaborative Projects and Research
Support collaborative initiatives and cross-institutional efforts to explore AI across diverse administrative and academic domains
Are the webinars recorded and available to members of our campus if we join?
All Campus Essentials webinars are recorded. All sessions, resources, slide decks, and chat transcripts are archived for members of your campus to access for the length of the program and an additional 6 months following its conclusion. We record and share all Leading the AI Charge sessions as we are able with some exceptions to allow for more candid discussion among campus leaders.
Who is eligible to participate in AI Ready Network offerings?
All CIC member colleges and universities, and affiliate and state council members interested in expanding the education and use of AI are eligible to join All Campus Essentials, Leading the AI Charge, and the Bot Building Cohort Sprints. Any CIC member participating in any of the AI Ready programs will receive 500 AI Credentials for their campus.
How does my institution join the program(s)?
Institutions must complete an application for the program(s) they wish to join. A designated campus contact must be identified to coordinate the initiative on your campus and manage billing details.
“This was helpful. I was afraid AI would make me irrelevant as a teacher, but I can now see how I can use it to help students learn and help myself be more creative.”