Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College President Tracy Brundage was one of the featured speakers at the “AIPowered, People-Focused” Engage Summit held recently in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo submitted by ABAC)

TIFTON — Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College President Tracy Brundage was one of the featured speakers at the “AI-Powered, People-Focused” Engage Summit held recently in Charlotte, N.C.

The two-day event brought together leaders from all areas of higher education, including administrators, marketing, enrollment, IT, and content creation. The summit centered on how colleges and universities can use AI to enhance student engagement and build better practices in their processes.
“There has been a significant transformation in the last year regarding AI,” Brundage said. “The technology will not replace our human capital, which is one of the best attributes of our institution, but it has the power to engage with students in each area of the student lifecycle. This personalization of communicating with our students at each point of where they are during their journey with us at ABAC is the underlying goal of our strategic plan.”

The conference was organized by Element451, an AI-first customer relationship management system for higher education. Brundage joined two of the company’s leaders – founder and CEO Ardis Kadiu and COO and head of AI Dr. JC Bonilla – to close the event with a session titled “The Future is Ours to Shape.” Each reflected on many of the ideas and connections discussed during the event and what higher education can expect to see in the future.

“President Brundage represents the kind of forward-thinking leadership that higher education needs right now,” Kadiu said. “She doesn’t just talk about transformation. She makes it happen. The transformation happening at ABAC shows what’s possible when visionary leadership meets powerful technology. President Brundage has proven that institutions can use AI to create belonging and connection at every touchpoint of the student journey.”

Brundage said those in higher education must consider what employers want regarding AI and how students will be trained with the applicable skills needed to thrive.

“We have to take a moment and realize that the next class coming in as freshmen in 2026 will be the first class that comes to college with all four years of high school using AI technology,” she said. “Their learning styles and industry demands have all changed in those four years, but has our approach to how we teach changed? That’s something we must take into serious consideration to remain relevant in the workforce.”

The president added that faculty and staff must be included in the adaptation of AI and that the process will take time, training, and transparency.
“The institutions that succeed with AI won’t necessarily be the ones with the best technology,” she said. “They’ll be the ones who take the time to build trust and structure for success. AI is a support tool, and we need to show how it can save time for meaningful work.”
Throughout ABAC’s campus, faculty are finding unique ways to integrate AI into their coursework. Tatyana Pashnyak, a lecturer in the Stafford School of Business, generates personalized case studies and models the process for students. She begins by providing clear, structured instructions and, once AI generates content, she reviews it, makes adjustments, and may ask for further suggestions if needed. She said her students see the benefits of leveraging and engaging with AI, rather than blindly copying what it produces. She also uses it to create study materials, including videos, which she bases on her lecture notes.
“AI is a powerful tool,” Pashnyak said. “But like any tool, it must be used thoughtfully and responsibly. In my class preparation, AI helps add creative touches and suggests examples that enhance clarity and engagement. This not only saves time but also reinforces my mastery of the content.”
Topics discussed at the conference included how AI is:
• shaping institutional resilience as higher education deals with enrollment shifts and policy changes.
• changing crisis communications on college campuses.
• improving workflows and operations.
• using “agents” – software systems that use AI to complete tasks on behalf of users – to transform campus operations.
Most importantly, Brundage said, was the topic of using AI to improve communication with students with personalized and meaningful messaging.
“The most crucial metric will be improving student engagement,” she said. “Higher education can use AI in a variety of innovative and exciting ways, but it all must come back to them. That is the heart of ABAC’s mission. We must design with empathy, lead with curiosity, and never lose sight of the student as the soul of our system.”