Campus AI Framework
Resources & sharing

Take it to your campus

Everything you need to make the case internally, cite the framework, and follow how it evolves. Free to use and adapt for non-commercial purposes under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Starter kit

If you're starting Monday, these are the pieces to pick up first. Each is ready to print, forward, or adapt, no account, no setup.

Print / PDFLeadership one-pagerThe whole model and a 90-day ask on a single page, to forward or print for cabinet and board.Open Print / PDFAI lead role charterAn adaptable charter for whoever's tasked to lead the effort, formal or informal, structural and relational.Open Print / PDFSample strategies briefWorked AI strategies by institution type and maturity, an adoption pathway plus a full three-stage strategy.Open Interactive toolMaturity AssessmentScore your campus across the eight pillars to get a baseline profile and a right-sized set of next steps.Open Interactive toolTool Evaluation MatrixRun a specific AI tool through structured due diligence on data, risk, and fit before you commit.Open PNG imageFramework on one pageThe complete model, pillars, Compass, and domains, as a single shareable image.Open

Champion's kit

Adoption usually starts with one person making the case internally. These are ready to send — copy, adjust the bracketed details, and forward.

For a president, provost, CIO, or dean
Subject A practical framework for our AI strategy and governance
Hi [name],

AI is already in use across our campus, and we don't yet have a shared framework for governing it. I came across the Campus AI Framework — a practitioner's playbook for AI strategy and governance in higher education, organized as eight pillars across four domains, with concrete tools and templates.

What makes it useful for us: it's mission-first, proportionate (it doesn't ask a campus our size to do everything at once), and it produces artifacts we can actually use — a vision statement, a maturity profile, a roles matrix, and a phased roadmap. It's free to use and adapt under an open license.

There's a one-page brief that summarizes the whole model and a suggested 90-day starting point: https://campusaiframework.com

I'd value 20 minutes to talk through whether we adopt a light-touch version this term.

Thank you,
[your name]

Cite the framework

Version 1.0 · 2026, for use in papers, proposals, presentations, and policy documents.

APA
Sabado, J. (2026). Campus AI Framework: A practitioner's playbook for AI strategy and governance in higher education. https://campusaiframework.com
MLA
Sabado, Joe. Campus AI Framework: A Practitioner's Playbook for AI Strategy and Governance in Higher Education. 2026, https://campusaiframework.com.
Chicago
Sabado, Joe. 2026. Campus AI Framework: A Practitioner's Playbook for AI Strategy and Governance in Higher Education. https://campusaiframework.com.

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). You may share and adapt for non-commercial purposes, with attribution and under the same license.

Companion frameworkData Governance Framework for Higher EducationAI runs on governed data. This companion site, also by Joe Sabado, lays out the roles, standards, and processes for higher-ed data governance, the foundation an AI program depends on.campusdatagov.com

Use & adapt

The framework is free to use and adapt for non-commercial purposes under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Take it, change it to fit your campus, and build on it, the conditions are attribution, non-commercial use, and sharing your adaptations under the same license.

You can
  • Use it on your campus, in committees, governance bodies, and planning documents.
  • Adapt it, rename pillars, cut what doesn't fit, add your own, translate it.
  • Share it, internally or publicly, in non-commercial settings, including workshops and training you don't charge for.
  • Build on it, derive policies, templates, and your own frameworks from it.
You must
  • Attribute it, credit the Campus AI Framework and link back where practical.
  • Keep it non-commercial, don't sell it or fold it into paid products or services.
  • Share alike, distribute your adaptations under this same CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
  • Don't imply endorsement, adaptations are yours, not represented as official versions.
Attribution to copy
Campus AI Framework by Joe Sabado, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — https://campusaiframework.com

This is a personal work and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of the author's employer.

In use

The framework is meant to be used, adapted, and improved in the open. As institutions adopt it, this is where that shows.

Piloting this on your campus?

If you're using or adapting the framework, I'd like to hear how, and, with your permission, note it here. Adoption stories also help other campuses see what a real start looks like.

Source whitepapers

The papers behind the framework, for readers who want the full argument and evidence.

The framework on one page (diagram)The complete model as a single shareable image — pillars, Compass, domains, and how to use it. PNGCampus AI Framework — Full FrameworkThe complete model: eight pillars, four domains, and the practices behind the site. PDFDefining AI Innovation and Impact in Higher EducationThe evidence and evaluation model behind Pillar 8 — impact dimensions and the evidence profile. PDFA Campus AI Registry & Governance FrameworkThe layered registry and documentation model operationalized in Pillar 4 and the Registry tool. PDFThe AI Strategic CompassThe selection and prioritization model behind the Strategic Compass. PDFCampus AI Governance Question GuideThe nine-domain diagnostic for surfacing what is unowned, invisible, or missing. PDF

What's new

The framework is still taking shape. Recent additions, newest first.

New
June 2026
  • Adoption tools: a Starter kit gathering the print-ready artifacts and core tools, plus plain-language “Use & adapt” (CC BY) terms and an “In use” space for adoption stories.
  • For accreditors & external assessors: a bidirectional crosswalk mapping the eight pillars to review questions and evidence.
  • IT, data & security: an end-to-end “Procuring AI services” step flow, and incident-response alignment to NIST 800-61, SANS, and ISO 27035.
New
June 2026
  • Resources & sharing: a champion's kit, citation guidance, and source whitepaper downloads.
  • What's new — this changelog — so returning visitors can follow how the framework evolves.
New
June 2026
  • Case studies: two end-to-end walkthroughs — a central multi-model AI platform, and agentic AI inside ERP/SaaS systems.
  • Pillar 8 now includes an AI impact & evidence model with a downloadable one-page Evidence Profile.
  • Presentable PDF downloads across the site, replacing plain-text exports.
New
June 2026
  • Find your starting point: a short assessment that right-sizes recommendations to a campus's maturity and capacity.
  • Pillar 5 gained an enablement catalog (audiences × modes); Pillar 7 gained the four layers of responsibility.
  • Public & transparency section, and a first-90-days through-line.
Launch
Early 2026
  • Initial release: the eight-pillar framework, four application domains, the Strategic Compass, and the operational toolkit.

Want to hear when the framework is updated? The welcome card takes an optional email, or send a note.