Our Approach
Bottom-Up Adoption — Departments Lead, IT Supports
We're not mandating how every team uses AI. The university sets the guardrails (platforms, privacy, governance), and each department decides what works best for their specific work.
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University Sets Parameters
Approved platforms, data privacy rules, and disclosure standards
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Departments Identify Needs
Faculty, staff, and admin leads find where AI helps their work
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IT Provides Access & Support
One ticket to get started — IT scopes, trains, and supports
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Share What Works
Teams share wins — what works for one department helps others
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Where AI Fits
Three Areas of Focus
AI use at Reach is organized into three areas with different users, different tools, and different levels of IT involvement.
Area 1
Teaching & Learning
Faculty-led · Gemini is primary
- Draft syllabi, rubrics, and discussion questions
- Summarize readings for working candidates
- Build case studies from real workplaces
- Generate Canvas quiz questions from readings
- Give richer feedback faster across cohorts
- Support ACH Behavioral Health curriculum development
Primary tool: Google Gemini (in Google Workspace)
Area 2
Operations & Efficiency
Staff-led · Gemini + Claude
- Draft candidate check-ins and follow-up emails
- Turn Domo dashboards into meeting summaries
- Review employer MOUs and pull out key terms
- Draft SOPs, onboarding guides, and FAQs
- Analyze survey responses across cohorts
- Summarize long policy and compliance documents
Tools: Gemini (day-to-day) · Claude (long documents)
Area 3
Stakeholder Tools
IT-partnered · Claude is primary
- Employer portals showing candidate progress
- NCAD replication resources and playbooks
- Candidate self-service for common questions
- Dynamic impact reports for policymakers
- Smart intake forms routing users to the right step
- AI-assisted program exploration for new candidates
Primary tool: Claude · Requires IT scoping first
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FY26-28 Strategic Plan
AI Supports Every Strategic Priority
Reach's three-year plan sets ambitious targets: 7,500 candidates by FY28, a national replication network (NCAD), and new program launches including Behavioral Health. AI is infrastructure for getting there.
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Impact: Building Careers
AI helps faculty deliver stronger, personalized instruction so candidates build real career-ready skills
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Impact: Building Workforce
Employer portals and AI partnership tools make Reach a better, more transparent employer partner
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Financial Sustainability
AI helps scale to 7,500 candidates — our breakeven — without proportional cost increases
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Replicability
AI-powered playbooks and tools let NCAD help partner universities launch without Reach staff everywhere
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Innovation Capacity
AI accelerates new program development — including Behavioral Health (ACH), launching September 2026
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What's Coming
Three-Phase Rollout
Building AI capability at Reach in stages — starting with accessible tools for everyone and scaling toward custom-built systems for external audiences.
Phase 1 · Now → FY26
Foundation
- Gemini access for all staff and faculty
- IT onboarding and training program launched
- Ticketing workflow for AI requests established
- ChatGPT phased out for work tasks
- Early adopters identified in each department
- Privacy and disclosure standards set
Phase 2 · FY26 → FY27
Expansion
- First Domain 3 stakeholder tool launched
- Claude integrated for document analysis workflows
- ACH program AI use cases developed
- Department-level AI playbooks created
- AI integrated with Sonis
- NCAD replication resources built with AI
Phase 3 · FY27 → FY28
Scale
- Employer-facing portals deployed at scale
- Candidate advising AI tools live
- NCAD tools supporting 3M degree starts vision
- AI embedded in Domo reporting workflows
- Annual governance review and platform evaluation
- Lessons shared across the NCAD network
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Our Commitments
How We Keep This on Track
AI is a tool. Like any tool, it can be used well or poorly. These commitments keep us grounded.
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Mission First
Every AI use case connects to turning jobs into degrees. If it doesn't help candidates or the people who support them, it's not a priority.
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Privacy Always
No student records, SSNs, or sensitive personal data ever go into AI tools — even our approved platforms. Non-negotiable.
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Humans Decide
AI drafts, analyzes, and suggests. Humans review and take responsibility. AI never gets the final word on anything affecting a real person.
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Be Transparent
Disclose when AI substantially shaped formal work. Trust is the foundation of everything we do at Reach.
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Equity in Design
Tools built for candidates must work for everyone — regardless of language background, age, or access to technology.
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Learn as We Go
AI is evolving fast. We'll review our approach every year and update based on what we learn and what the field learns.
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Ready to Get Started?
Everything begins with a ticket. Submit one through the IT ticketing system — describe what you want to do, and IT will help you figure out the right tool, the right approach, and any training you need.
Submit an IT Ticket →
service.reach.edu