#225: CSU, UT System & Palo Alto Networks on AI Access, Cybersecurity at Scale & the CSU Promise

In this EDUCAUSE episode, Ed Clark from CSU, William Huang from UT System, and Chuck Romero from Palo Alto Networks break down what it actually takes to close the AI divide across 460,000 students — and why browser security is now the front line.

Featuring

Ed Clark is CIO at the California State University System — overseeing technology for 22 universities and 460,000 students, teaching Information Systems at Cal State Fullerton, and co-leading California's AI Workforce Acceleration Board alongside Governor Newsom's office and top AI companies.

William Huang is Deputy Chief Information Officer at the University of Texas System — leading IT strategy across 13 campuses serving 260,000 students and 160,000 clinicians, faculty, and staff, including a landmark merger of UT San Antonio's academic and health institutions.

Chuck Romero is Solutions Consultant Leader at Palo Alto Networks — focused exclusively on education systems in California, with a team of former higher ed practitioners helping institutions secure AI access at scale through browser-level security.

Timestamps

(1:00) AI and the digital divide — why CSU gave ChatGPT to all 460,000 students

(3:00) Scaling cybersecurity across 500,000+ endpoints — why browser-level security is the new front line

(6:00) AI data risk and prompt injection — what happens to data once it's inside the model (8:00) UT System's footprint — 13 campuses, 260,000 students, and the UT San Antonio merger

(12:00) Governance, risk & compliance during campus consolidations — cybersecurity as a foundation, not an afterthought

(13:00) Inside the AI Workforce Acceleration Board — how CSU brought together OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA & faculty

(18:00) Micro internships and the CSU Promise — a career path for all 460,000 students, not just the top 1%

(25:00) Leadership lessons — clarity of mission, collaboration across 22 universities, and growing the next generation

(33:00) Teaching while being CIO — Ed Clark on faculty resistance, Cal State Fullerton, and what students actually need

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