Does AI Dream of Smarter ERP? The Intelligent Future of Enterprise Systems in Higher Education

Thursday, October 01, 2026 | 2:15PM–3:00PM MT | Meeting Room 504, Street Level
Session Type: Breakout Session
Delivery Format: Industry Insights Session
For decades, ERP has been a university’s operational backbone: reliable, sprawling … and stubbornly resistant to transformation. Suddenly, things are changing: AI exists, is rapidly evolving, is no longer a layer bolted on after go-live, and is becoming embedded in the core of modern enterprise systems. This panel brings together senior IT leaders from higher education to examine the accelerating convergence of artificial intelligence and enterprise resource planning. Panelists will explore how AI capabilities from intelligent automation and predictive analytics to agentic workflows and natural language interfaces are fundamentally redefining what an ERP can do and what we should expect it to do next. The conversation will explore strategic questions such as: How do you separate real AI-native capabilities from marketing? What does meaningful AI readiness look like for an institution at various points in its ERP journey? As the ERP vendor landscape continues to consolidate and evolve rapidly around AI differentiation, how should leaders position their institutions and teams for what comes next? Attendees will leave with a clearer picture of where the market is heading, a framework for evaluating AI capabilities in enterprise systems, and candid perspective from peers who are navigating these same decisions in real time.

Presenters

  • Cole Camplese

    Vice President for Technology and CIO, University of Texas at Austin

  • Jessica Roy

    Managing Director, Accenture

  • Joshua Sandstrom

    Managing Director, Accenture

  • Tarek Tomes

    Chief Information Officer, University of Minnesota

  • Milos Topic

    Vice President for IT and Chief Digital Officer, Grand Valley State University