6. AI, Accreditation, and the Art of Dreaming Big: A Conversation with Marjorie Hass

In this special edition of EdUp Provost, recorded live at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, host Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner sits down with Marjorie Hass, President of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), to explore the evolving role of AI in higher education — and what it means for institutions committed to their core values. Dr. Hass highlights CIC's partnership with ASU+GSV, which supports bringing presidents and provosts to the summit, and the need for stable, flexible ed tech partners. Hass also addresses the potential disruption of accreditation reforms by the current administration and stresses the importance of ethics and bottom-up innovation in CIC institutions. She encourages provosts to dream and envision new educational models.Takeaways- Provosts must be intelligently engaged in AI discussions to ensure institutional values are not compromised by technological adoption.- The nimbleness of independent colleges means individual faculty or staff can drive meaningful, campus-wide change.- The current administration's interest in reshaping accreditation poses real risks, and provosts must be prepared to advocate collectively.- As presidencies become more outward-facing, provosts are increasingly the primary defenders and shapers of academic mission and culture.- Provosts are uniquely positioned to envision bold new educational models and should embrace that creative, forward-looking responsibility.