ALT Graphic promoting the College Board ad webinar, "Closing the Trust Gap: Aligning Marketing and Enrollment Strategies Around What Students Actually Value," scheduled for October 1 at 2pm EST, with a yellow "Register" button.

ALT A robotic hand holds a stack of books, with the bottom book reading "AI" on its spine.

ALT Inside Higher Ed Voices of Student Success podcast guests.

ALT Student protesters have unfurled a large banner that features the Palestinian flag's colors and reads “When people are colonized, resistance is justified.” More protesters can be seen in the background, some holding signs that say things like “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “resistance against colonization is a human right.”

ALT Steepled building on a tree-lined idyllic green

ALT A photo of a Vanderbilt University campus sign.

ALT An aerial shot of the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, NY

ALT Linda McMahon, wearing a pink blazer, sits behind a desk

ALT Hands holding up tools specific to their occupation, a stethoscope, a hard hat, a book and a gavel.

ALT A photo of a senior male professor at the front of a lecture hall with the images of the students blurred, suggesting motion.

ALT Promo graphic for EDUCAUSE 2026 Annual Conference, featuring the event's logo and dates, September 29 - October 2, in Denver, CO. IHE and THE's logos and the text, "We're here" are at the top of the graphic.

ALT A photo illustration collage of speech bubbles, the U.S. Capitol building, a professor gesturing in front of a whiteboard, a stack of 100-dollar bills, and a cell phone displaying an AI chat bot. In white text the kicker Governance, the headline From AI Use to Funding Cuts: How Provosts Are Navigating 2026, and the dek Inside Higher Ed’s annual CAO survey reveals a fractured landscape, where academic leaders rely on personal AI tools amid broader technological and political disruption. Photo illustration by Justin Morrison/Inside Higher Ed | dkfielding, g-stockstudio and OlekStock/iStock/Getty Images | Thai Liang Lim/E+/Getty Images

ALT Title: AI Deployment Description: Provosts (all) say how their institution is currently using AI, by survey year: A bar chart showing the percentage of Provosts who use an AI feature in 2025 verses 2026. Virtual chat assistants and chatbots at 52% Research and data analysis at 42% Administrative processes (e.g., scheduling, resource allocation) 39% Learning management systems (LMS) 34% Predictive analytics to predict student performance and trends 28% Admissions processes 26% Student advising and support 23% Institutional planning and decision-making 22% Student engagement 21% Grading and assessment 20% Cybersecurity 14% Fundraising 11% Personalized learning pathways 8% None: The institution does not currently utilize AI 7% Other 6%

ALT A text block reads: Over all, provosts’ attitudes toward the technology remain mixed. Nearly half of provosts—48 percent—rate AI’s impact on higher ed as neither positive nor negative. About 28 percent say its impact has been positive, and 17 percent say it’s been negative.

ALT Title: Outside Influencer Chart description: Provosts (all and by Public or Private/nonprofit sector) who say the following groups have more to much more influence on academic decision-making at their institution now, compared with two years ago: Overall, Federal Policy and Employers/Industry had the largest impact, with public institutions ranking it higher.

ALT Cover of The Time Tax by Annie Lowrey

ALT A student, photographed from behind, stands in front of the door to the financial aid services office.

ALT Latin male student using a laptop sitting on a bench outside.

ALT Brick university building

ALT Students hold up signs, one saying "End the Occupation." One speaks into a microphone.

ALT scales of justice

ALT A photo illustration of a student walking across a quad looking at their cellphone with a sign in the grass next to them that says "free tuition" on it.

ALT Students walk between palm trees on ASU's campus in Tempe, Ariz.