Southern New Hampshire University and the University of Phoenix are leveraging AI to serve nontraditional students better, underscoring the importance of a strategy-first approach to AI implementation. SNHU President Lisa Marsh Ryerson and University of Phoenix Provost John Woods discussed at the ASU+GSV Summit how AI can enhance personalized education and support classroom instruction, noting the need for ongoing evaluation and human oversight.

A projection by Huron Consulting Group indicates that 442 of the country's 1,700 nonprofit private colleges are at risk of closing or merging within the next decade, with 120 at the highest risk. Sterling College in Vermont, for example, announced it will close this year because of declining enrollment and financial challenges. The trend highlights a broader crisis in higher education driven by declining enrollment, financial pressures and demographic shifts.

Santa Clara University in California has received a nearly $25 million donation from Debora Shoquist, Nvidia's executive vice president and a 1976 SCU alumna, to establish the Cunningham Shoquist Center for Applied AI and Human Potential. This contribution, among the largest in the university's history, will support faculty grants, student fellowships, and collaborative projects in applied AI. The center will be housed at the Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation and aims to advance research and partnerships with Silicon Valley industry leaders.