Graceland’ s mission revolves around three core values: learning, wholeness and community. Talia sees technology as a direct extension of that mission. The university has a track record of blazing new trails. Graceland promotes“ radical belonging” and has developed brand pillars that frame the work of the institution.
“ We are a safe space for selfdiscovery that offers skills for the 21st century for students who seek connections that last a lifetime. Graceland is strongly rooted and still growing. These brand pillars truly reflect the transformation I am honored to be part of at Graceland,” Talia says.
AI has driven the most substantial shift Talia has witnessed across higher education. The pandemic changed what students expect from institutions, and AI makes always-on service possible.“ Certainlyacross the industry, AI has been thebiggest movement,” Talia says.“ We saw a huge shift with the pandemic in termsof expectations of our students, andI think AI plays a role in that, in that everybody wants answers right now, regardless of when‘ right now’ is.” Oracle’ s integrated AI capabilities position Graceland to meet those expectations once the foundational systems stabilise and staff develop expertise with the platform.
Talia has advice for other CIOs in higher education preparing for similar transitions. ERP implementations are not IT projects, though many organisations treat transformations as something the technology department owns and executes.
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