Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more pervasive by the day. In higher education, administration teams and faculty are avoiding commitment to AI incorporation into professional development programs and classrooms, scrambling to develop AI-related policies to guide employees and students, actively implementing programs that address the needs of everyone involved with AI-enhanced efforts, or some combination of the three.

This issue of Innovatus focuses on efforts to enhance support for students and staff by integrating AI into daily institutional operations, offering ways that community colleges can respond to the rising tide of AI on their campuses and in their communities. Judith Cardenas discusses AI’s potential to reshape how we work and the fact that community colleges are well equipped to take on the benefits, as well as the challenges, of this rapidly changing technology. Anna Haney-Withrow and Rozalind Jester speak to adapting to generative AI using four leadership pillars that guide institutional efforts. Ian Roark emphasizes the need for community colleges to understand the effects of AI in all sectors of industry, and to rapidly adjust our programs accordingly. And Robert Atkins reports on how an advanced program evaluation system enables colleges to make better, faster decisions to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Innovatus was created by the League as a resource to inspire discussions among college leaders, faculty, and staff regarding contemporary issues impacting our field. Since 2018, the magazine has encouraged stakeholders to reflect on the meaning of innovation and to rethink how we serve students. This issue continues that mission, and we hope you find its contents enlightening.

David Ross, Ph.D.

Chair, Board of Directors, League for Innovation in the Community College
President and CEO, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology