# The AI Dean's List — Final Research Prompt

## THE ASSIGNMENT

It is September 2026. You are advising senior leaders at U.S. colleges and universities. Looking across the higher education landscape, what are the **seven most important technology-related issues, changes, or emerging developments that colleges and universities need to understand and prepare for over the next 12–24 months?**

Use your own judgment to determine what belongs on the list and rank the seven priorities from most to least important. Do not assume any particular technologies, trends, or issues should be included.

## RESEARCH & METHOD

Use web research to inform your analysis and prioritize current information. Research broadly enough to identify important developments rather than simply summarizing the most prominent recent headlines. Favor credible primary sources and authoritative higher-education, government, research, and industry sources where available.

Approach this independently. Do not ask me follow-up questions. Do not tailor the answer to any presumed viewpoint, employer, product, vendor, conference, or desired conclusion. Do not attempt to make your answer distinctive from other AI systems; provide the answer you independently judge to be strongest.

## OUTPUT 1 — THE DEAN'S LIST

Start your response with a section titled **THE DEAN'S LIST**. This is the primary output for a conference poster.

Rank the seven priorities from **1–7**. For each priority, provide:

- A concise title
- A brief description explaining what the issue/change is and why it matters to colleges and universities over the next 12–24 months

Keep this section concise enough to work as poster content while still making each item understandable on its own.

## OUTPUT 2 — DEEPER ANALYSIS

After the ranked list, provide a section titled **DEEPER ANALYSIS**.

For each of the seven priorities, provide a more detailed explanation covering:

- Why you ranked it where you did
- The evidence, developments, or trends informing your judgment
- What specifically may change or become more important over the next 12–24 months
- The practical implications for U.S. colleges and universities
- Any important nuance, uncertainty, or variation by institution type

Include references to the sources used in your analysis.