AI for U

AI can generate content in seconds, but excellent creative work still requires human judgment. In this episode, Brian talks with Dakota Story and Sarah Martin of Ologie about how designers and writers are actually using AI in their workflows. They explain why many creatives think of AI as an intern, where it fits into the creative process, and why taste, judgment, and emotional intelligence still make the difference. They also discuss how AI can speed up brainstorming, research, and production while leaving the most important creative decisions in human hands. 

Join us as we discuss: 

[3:16] Why some creatives struggle to get value from AI

[10:11] The risks of prioritizing efficiency over creative judgment

[20:33] Skills creative professionals will need in the age of AI

[30:08] How to maintain brand voice and trust when using AI tools

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

Chappell Roan/Fortnite video

Nano Banana

Adobe Firefly

Claude

Sarah’s Instagram

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for AI for U with Brian Piper in your favorite podcast player.

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Connect With Our Host:
Brian Piper
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianwpiper/
About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
AI for U is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of AI for U, Brian sits down with Dr. Manjeet Rege, Chair of the Department of Software Engineering and Data Science at the University of St. Thomas. Dr. Rege shares his journey from medical AI research to institutional strategy, arguing that the “age of piloting” is over. He breaks down what a truly operational AI organization looks like, emphasizing the need for product managers, data engineers, and robust governance frameworks. Dr. Rege also provides a roadmap for sustainable AI budgeting, the importance of redesigning workflows rather than just automating broken ones, and why the shift from data ownership to stewardship is essential for scaling AI safely and ethically.

Join us as we discuss: 

[2:42] The AI mindshift from academic research to an institutional strategy

[10:13] What an operational AI strategy looks like and sustainable budgeting

[17:09] Advice for schools considering building versus buying AI solutions

[21:42] Weighing data stewardship against ownership at the enterprise level

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence: Frameworks, Risks, and Society by Manjeet Rege and Hemachandran K

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on 

Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for AI for U with Brian Piper in your favorite podcast player.

Episode prompt: 

You are an expert AI strategist specializing in higher education with deep experience in institutional change management, data governance, and AI implementation. I want you to conduct a structured AI readiness assessment for my institution.

Before you begin the assessment, ask me the following questions one at a time and wait for my answer before moving to the next question:

What type of institution are you (community college, regional university, R1, liberal arts, etc.) and approximately how large is your institution in terms of students and staff?

What teams or departments are you assessing? Your entire institution, a specific division, or a particular department?

What AI tools or platforms are currently in use at your institution, even informally?

Does your institution have a formal AI policy, governance structure, or AI task force in place?

How would you describe the current level of AI literacy among your staff, from leadership down to frontline employees?

What budget or resources, if any, have been formally allocated to AI initiatives?

What is your biggest AI challenge or concern right now?

What outcomes are you hoping AI will help you achieve in the next 12 months?

Once I have answered all of your questions, assess my institution's AI readiness across the following six dimensions. For each dimension, give me a readiness rating of Early, Developing, or Operational, a brief explanation of why, and two to three specific, actionable next steps I can take to advance to the next level.

The six dimensions are:

Strategy & Vision — Does the institution have a clear AI roadmap aligned to its mission?

Data Infrastructure & Governance — Is data trustworthy, accessible, and stewarded (not just owned)?

Talent & Training — Are staff being upskilled with clear pathways to AI fluency in their own discipline?

Tools & Technology — Are the right platforms in place, and is the build vs. buy decision being made intentionally?

Ethics & Compliance — Are governance frameworks, risk management, and privacy considerations built into the process?

Culture & Change Management — Are people being brought along as co-creators, not casualties, of AI adoption?

After completing all six dimensions, provide an overall readiness summary and identify the single most important area for me to focus on first, with a concrete recommendation for how to get started this month.

Guest Name: University of St. Thomas, Chair, Department of Software and Data Science, Professor, Department of Software and Data Science

Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manjeetrege/

Guest Bio: Dr. Manjeet Rege is a distinguished academic and industry leader in the fields of data science and artificial intelligence. As a professor and the chair of the Department of Software Engineering and Data Science at the University of St. Thomas, he has made substantial contributions to the academic world, evidenced by his recognition as a Leading Academic Data Leader for 2023 by CDO Magazine.

Dr. Rege also serves as the Director of the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence at the University of St. Thomas, where he oversees initiatives that blend academic research with practical applications in AI. His expertise is acknowledged internationally, demonstrated by the establishment of a chair professorship and analytics lab in his name at Woxsen University in Hyderabad, India, to celebrate his significant contributions in analytics.

As a thought leader, author, mentor, and keynote speaker, Dr. Rege is often featured in the media, offering his expert thoughts and opinions on the latest developments in machine learning and AI. Dr. Rege serves as an advisor to various organizations to provide guidance on data strategy and imparting technical AI expertise.

His work has been published in various peer-reviewed reputed publications, he serves on the editorial review board of journals, and regularly participates on the program committees of various international conferences.

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Connect With Our Host:
Brian Piper
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianwpiper/
About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
AI for U is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, host Brian Piper speaks with Paul LeBlanc, Visiting Scholar and Special Advisor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Paul explores the profound impact of AI on higher education, arguing that institutions must move beyond traditional knowledge transfer to focus on character formation and a “care economy.” He outlines a three-phase approach for leaders that includes preparing graduates with AI mastery, developing a theory for the future of work, and addressing the existential shift toward teaching students who to be rather than just what to know. Paul emphasizes the urgent need for institutional leadership and guardrails to ensure AI serves as a “genius TA” that preserves human relationship and trust.

Join us as we discuss: 

[3:46] Why higher ed leaders need to urgently prepare their graduates for an AI-assisted workforce

[15:24] Preserving brand voice when using AI tools to augment content creation

[24:38] Why higher ed needs to evolve from knowledge transfer to relationship-building

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on 

Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for AI for U with Brian Piper in your favorite podcast player.

Episode prompt: 

You are a Senior Strategy Leader in Higher Education with deep experience in:

Institutional strategy and governance

Enrollment marketing and communications

Academic program positioning

Change management and organizational alignment

Risk assessment and implementation planning

You routinely advise presidents, provosts, VPs, and senior leadership teams.

TASK

Review the uploaded document in full and perform a strategic gap analysis.

Your job is to identify where the document is incomplete, misaligned, unclear, or underdeveloped relative to its stated goals and intended outcomes.

ANALYSIS REQUIREMENTS

Evaluate the document across the following dimensions:

Logic & Strategic Coherence

Gaps in reasoning, assumptions, or sequencing

Areas where conclusions are not supported by evidence or rationale

Missing connective tissue between strategy, tactics, and outcomes



Audience & Stakeholder Considerations

Missing or underdefined audiences (e.g., prospective students, faculty, staff, leadership, donors, partners)

Unclear value propositions for specific stakeholder groups

Assumptions about audience knowledge, motivation, or readiness



Objectives & Success Criteria

Objectives that are vague, implicit, or not clearly stated

Lack of measurable outcomes, KPIs, or success definitions

Misalignment between stated goals and proposed actions



Risk, Constraints & Readiness

Strategic, operational, reputational, or adoption risks not addressed

Missing considerations around capacity, skills, budget, governance, or change management

Dependencies or prerequisites that are assumed but not documented



Alignment With Stated Goals

Sections that do not clearly support the document’s stated goals

Tactics or recommendations that feel disconnected or misprioritized

Opportunities where alignment could be strengthened or clarified



OUTPUT FORMAT (STRICT)

Organize your response as a gap-by-gap analysis, using the following structure for each item:

Gap Identified

(Clear, specific description of what is missing, unclear, or misaligned)

Why This Is a Problem

(Strategic risk, confusion, inefficiency, or misalignment it could cause)

Suggested Addition or Revision

(Concrete, actionable recommendation—what should be added, clarified, reframed, or rewritten)

Priority Level

(High / Medium / Low, based on impact to strategic success)

TONE & STANDARDS

Be candid, precise, and executive-level

Avoid generic advice—anchor feedback in the document itself

Do not rewrite the entire document; focus on targeted improvements

Assume this document may be used to inform leadership decisions

OPTIONAL (IF APPLICABLE)

If you notice:

Contradictions or internal tensions, call them out explicitly

Sections that should be merged, reordered, or elevated, recommend structural changes

Missing next steps for implementation, flag them

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Connect With Our Host:
Brian Piper
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianwpiper/
About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
AI for U is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brian welcomes Erin Fields, Marketing Director at Ologie, to discuss the critical transition from using AI for mere efficiency to using it for strategic orientation. Erin shares how AI has transformed her workflow by offloading the “invisible work” of reconstructing context and analyzing social data at scale. She emphasizes that while AI can surface patterns, humans must remain responsible for the “human in the loop sandwich,” providing the initial intent and the final authoritative judgment. Erin and Brian also explore the necessity of institutional governance to move past “shadow AI” and the importance of using saved time for intentional, high-energy critical thinking.

Join us as we discuss:
[3:18] How AI saves your mental energy and where it excels in marketing analysis 
[13:35] Why you need an AI process before grabbing the next exciting tool
[23:14] Keeping your unique brand voice in AI-assisted content creation

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for AI for U with Brian Piper in your favorite podcast player.
Episode prompt: 
Open and AI browser, like Comet or Atlas, navigate to a social media page of yours (or a competitor), and ask a question like:
Look through my posts and comments and tell me which topics get the most engagement.
Guest Name: Erin Fields, Marketing Director, Ologie
Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-fields-ms/
Guest Bio: Erin Fields is the Marketing Director at Ologie, the agency for brands on a mission, where she helps lead the agency’s content marketing and social media strategies. She started her career in graduate admissions at West Virginia University, before moving into edtech at Element451, where she helped manage content for more than 15 shows on the Enrollify Podcast Network. Erin is a proud graduate of Marshall University and West Virginia University.

- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Brian Piper
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianwpiper/
About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
AI for U is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Higher ed is stepping into a new era, and Rebecca Stapley is right in the middle of it. The Director of Marketing and Communications at the Rochester Institute of Technology joins Brian to reveal how AI is helping her cut through email chaos, understand new audiences, and create more space for meaningful work. She also talks frankly about feeling hesitant at first, realizing AI literacy was becoming essential, and discovering that experimentation is the key to unlocking its real value.
Join us as we discuss:
[6:20] AI as a practice: the yoga analogy, and learning through experience
[11:43] The higher ed marketer’s perspective: fundamentals that won’t change
[18:58] The responsibility of higher ed to remain transparent and trustworthy
To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on 
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for AI for U with Brian Piper in your favorite podcast player.
Episode prompt: 
You are an expert communicator.

Analyze this email thread and provide a structured summary:
[Provide the link to the thread or tell the tool to analyze that thread in your email.
Then, either tell the tool "Based on what you know of me..." or, provide the following **My Content** information:]
**My Context:**
- Role: [Your position]
- Department: [Your department]
- Typical responsibilities: [Brief description]
**Please provide:**
1. CORE TOPIC (2-3 sentences)
What is this actually about?
2. ACTION ITEMS
- What needs to be done
- Who is responsible
- My role (if any)
- Timeline/deadline
3. DECISIONS NEEDED
- What needs to be decided
- Who should decide
- Information needed
4. GAPS & CONFUSION
- Missing information
- Points of disagreement
- Questions needing answers
5. MY NEXT STEPS
What should I do immediately based on my role?
6. SUGGESTED RESPONSE APPROACH
If I need to reply, what should I address?
Guest Name: Rebecca Stapley, Director of Marketing and Communications, Rochester Institute of Technology's College of Health Sciences and Technology and the School of Individualized Study
Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rstapley/
Guest Bio: Rebecca is Director of Marketing and Communications for Rochester Institute of Technology's College of Health Sciences and Technology and the School of Individualized Study. With over 15 years of experience in higher education marketing, she is a relationship-driven leader specializing in crafting integrated, audience-centered strategies and storytelling anchored in institutional goals and values. 
Throughout her career, Rebecca has launched impactful campaigns, enhanced brand visibility, and developed content strategies to boost recruitment and engagement. She spearheaded initiatives such as the "Nazareth Student Content Team," which elevated authentic student voices; led major campaigns, including Nazareth University’s Giving Day, and accepted student initiatives. 
Rebecca holds a Master’s Degree in Integrated Marketing and Communications. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys being cozy with her dogs, curating yoga playlists, and embracing creativity through art and poetry.

- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Brian Piper
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianwpiper/
About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
AI for U is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.