https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/ en https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/06/cybersecurity-roi-higher-education-how-win-budget-conversation-perfcon “The premise that cybersecurity is a back-office or administrative expense and that something might not happen — that needs to be changed,” says Fadi Fadhil, field CIO and director of field strategy at Palo Alto Networks. “CISOs and CIOs can steer that change by engaging in simplified conversations with university leadership. It’s a strategic effort, helping them understand how the investment reduces institutional risk.” When it comes to budgeting for their cybersecurity programs, higher education CISOs must overcome some unique hurdles, ranging from the federated nature of university IT… Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:03:32 -0400 Alexander Slagg https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/06/cybersecurity-roi-higher-education-how-win-budget-conversation-perfcon https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/media/video/cleveland-institute-arts-interactive-media-lab-redefines-what-art-school-can-be The landscape for specialized colleges and universities such as art schools is shifting as higher education continues to evolve to fit emerging job markets and student interest.  Founded in 1882, Cleveland Institute of Art continuously challenges itself to stay modern and relevant. Years ago, the school’s leadership had the vision to partner with the city to revitalize an area due for reinvigoration.  The result was the Interactive Media Lab, which brings together the university, the city and private industry into a satellite campus that gives students and the community a space to… Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:36:52 -0400 https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/media/video/cleveland-institute-arts-interactive-media-lab-redefines-what-art-school-can-be https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/06/data-literacy-key-ai-roi-higher-education-perfcon On any given Tuesday afternoon, a dean at Morgan State University can pull live enrollment trend data without submitting a ticket, waiting for a report or following up with the IT department. At most higher education institutions, that same request can take about three weeks. The difference isn’t the data platform, however. It’s how the historically Black college is prioritizing data literacy. Timothy Summers, vice president of IT and CIO at the Baltimore-based institution, is betting the university’s artificial intelligence strategy on employees’ ability to effectively interpret, question… Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:30:35 -0400 Adam Stone https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/06/data-literacy-key-ai-roi-higher-education-perfcon https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/higher-ed-it-plays-essential-role-reducing-workday-friction Already stretched thin by leading digital transformation and campus modernization initiatives, higher ed IT teams face new pressure to build a strong foundation to support artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. Higher education IT also faces competing pressures to streamline services, do more with less, and alleviate repetitive business processes and tools whose friction slows users down or contributes to cognitive overload. In an era of shrinking budgets, cost savings is a meaningful driver of IT evolution. But when institutions take on the work of consolidating tools and calming the chaos… Fri, 29 May 2026 13:19:56 -0400 Tara E. Buck https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/higher-ed-it-plays-essential-role-reducing-workday-friction https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/how-technology-could-improve-course-registration-experience Course registration challenges are not a new problem. For as long as there have been students, there’s been the stress of signing up for courses — figuring out when your registration window opens, and setting alarms and reminders to ensure you log in and pick out your classes before anyone else.  Not all students are lucky enough to get the classes they need, an issue that can be more prevalent at public institutions due to budget constraints and lack of faculty. In the age of artificial intelligence and ever-advancing technology, these complications should be a thing of the past. And… Wed, 27 May 2026 14:05:02 -0400 Alexandra Shimalla https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/how-technology-could-improve-course-registration-experience https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/higher-education-network-infrastructure-age-ai Artificial intelligence workloads are testing the limits of higher education IT networks. Students and staff crave fluid, uninterrupted wireless access, which requires savvy oversight of the wired infrastructure that holds campus networks together. “Networks can be idling for quite some time, and all of a sudden, everything spikes,” says Dan DeBacker, chief product officer for infrastructure at Extreme Networks. Whether the spike comes from AI learning, AI inference or unexpected AI use cases, higher education network admins need agility to keep everybody connected. “Though most institutions… Tue, 26 May 2026 14:41:50 -0400 Tom Mangan https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/higher-education-network-infrastructure-age-ai https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/building-ai-center-excellence-higher-education-perfcon Artificial intelligence is already embedded across higher education, albeit unevenly — and often, without a lot of coordination. Faculty are experimenting in the classroom, researchers are pushing boundaries, and staff are testing tools to improve operations. But without an established framework, such activity can quickly become fragmented, inconsistent and risky. That’s why some institutions are creating AI centers of excellence — a centralized, cross-functional model designed to guide adoption, governance and scale. While AI CoEs are well established in enterprise environments, higher… Wed, 20 May 2026 16:45:44 -0400 Didi Gluck https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/building-ai-center-excellence-higher-education-perfcon https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/how-ai-enabled-zero-trust-networking-strengthens-higher-ed-security Connectivity is fundamental in higher education. Learning, research and campus operations are all tied to the internet, and it needs to be readily accessible. That makes security a major concern. “Colleges and universities are essentially mini cities, and a secure network is essential to success in that environment,” says Jon Young, director of strategy and innovation for higher education at Extreme Networks. While implementing zero trust in higher education is riddled with real challenges, a modernized, AI-enabled approach to network architecture can help ensure students, faculty and staff… Tue, 19 May 2026 12:27:15 -0400 Adam Stone https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/how-ai-enabled-zero-trust-networking-strengthens-higher-ed-security https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/technology-breaks-down-barriers-across-campus Some of the most innovative initiatives in higher education technology are happening at the edges. Boundaries are dissolving, and forward-thinking institutions are choosing to lean into that dissolution rather than resist it. The boundaries between IT and the rest of the campus, between institutions and their communities, and between the physical and the digital, are all coming down to ultimately extend learning opportunities beyond campus walls and help institutions meet their goals. How Technology Is Breaking Down Boundaries IT teams are taking their off-the-shelf software solutions and… Mon, 18 May 2026 12:56:51 -0400 Amy McIntosh https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/technology-breaks-down-barriers-across-campus https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/universities-upgrade-classrooms-av-over-ip-technology When Joe Way joined UCLA in fall 2023, he was tasked with developing a strategy to modernize classrooms with new audiovisual technology. The goal was to build flexible learning spaces that support traditional lectures, active and collaborative learning, hybrid instruction, and lecture capture. He discovered that 65% of the classrooms were equipped with AV technology that was at least 20 years old, and that projectors were often left running over nights and weekends, wasting energy and shortening equipment life. Last fall, UCLA launched a $4.3 million pilot to upgrade seven general-assignment… Thu, 14 May 2026 16:18:51 -0400 Wylie Wong https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2026/05/universities-upgrade-classrooms-av-over-ip-technology