Higher Ed’s Future Is Partnership — Lessons from the 2025 AMA Symposium

The 2025 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education brought together leaders, creators, strategists, and storytellers from across the country. And this year, one theme rose above the rest — the future of higher ed marketing will be shaped by partnership. Partnership between institutions and their audiences, between teams and their collaborators, and increasingly, between humans and the AI tools that expand what’s possible.

The conversations felt different this year. There was more urgency, more optimism, and a clearer sense that higher ed is entering a new chapter where smarter collaboration fuels smarter strategy.

Our team left energized, inspired, and ready to put these insights to work. This year’s themes weren’t just interesting; they were directional, pointing to where higher ed marketing is headed next. Here are three takeaways we think higher ed marketing teams should be paying attention to.

Takeaway 1: Higher Ed Knows AI Matters. Now the Community Needs to Catch Up.

Adam Bohac, Director of Digital Strategy

The biggest theme across the sessions I attended at the AMA Symposium was the urgency for higher education institutions and vendors to adopt and integrate AI. It is clear that AI has moved beyond being a buzzword and is now a strategic priority. Schools and their marketing partners are actively exploring ways to use AI tools to improve efficiency, personalization, and responsiveness in their outreach, and the need to accelerate this work is becoming harder to ignore.

There is no shortage of conversations about AI right now, and in some ways the message feels obvious. But that is exactly why the higher ed sector needs to move faster. Other industries are already operationalizing AI at scale, and the higher ed institutions that push past hesitation will be the ones that benefit most.

While there are still questions around implementation, privacy, and authenticity, the potential advantages are significant. From chatbots that give prospective students instant, customized answers to automated content creation and predictive analytics that help teams work smarter, the path forward is becoming clearer. Across the conference, leaders agreed that early adopters will not just gain a small advantage. They will set the pace for the future.

Takeaway 2: The AMA Symposium Spotlighted Smart Collaboration and Human AI Partnership

Liliana Rutler, Director of Campaign Management

A new rhythm emerged at this year’s AMA Symposium: the future of higher-ed marketing will be shaped by partnership. Not just partnership between institutions and their teams, but partnership between humans and AI.

In her electric AMA Symposium session on accelerating AI adoption in higher-ed marketing, Tina Miller (Arizona State University) reframed AI not as a replacement, but as a collaborator. Higher ed has seen its share of fear-based headlines about job loss and disruption, but the tone in this room was different. The most successful teams will be the ones that learn how to work with AI, not around it.

AI is already taking on repetitive production tasks that slow marketers down, but its real value is in the space it creates. When AI handles the basics, teams gain more time to think strategically, create boldly, test new ideas, and personalize experiences at scale. For higher-ed professionals, this shifts the AI conversation from “what will it take?” to “what will it free us to do?” Because the most impactful partnerships are not replacements. They are multipliers.

Here are a few ways I think AI can act as a true partner and expand your team’s capacity:

• Content-generation tools built into your CRM that draft first versions of portals, tailored email content, and nurture campaigns, giving your team more time to refine, personalize, and strategize.
• Social scheduling and optimization tools that analyze trends and automate posting, freeing time for big-picture planning.
• AI-powered design and production tools that create variants, resize assets, and speed up creative workflows.
• Chatbots and automated response tools that provide instant answers to prospective students and automate follow-up sequences (email/SMS) tailored to student intent, allowing your enrollment team to focus on deeper engagement.

Like the song “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, the right partners help you rise. In this case, AI creates space to do more of what matters: strategy, creativity, and work that moves institutions forward.

Takeaway 3: The AMA Symposium Challenged Vendors to Show Up Differently

Matt Byerly, Executive Director of Brand Strategy

If there was one session at the AMA Symposium that stuck with me, it was the conversation led by Devin Purgason (Forsyth Tech), Grant Heston (VCU), and Adrienne King (UNC). They didn’t sugarcoat the realities of vendor relationships in higher ed. In fact, they were refreshingly direct in a way that felt like a much-needed locker-room speech for those of us on the vendor side. And the message was simple, if we want to make a real impact in this moment when the value of a degree is under the microscope, vendors have to show up differently.

Universities want partners who fill actual gaps, push back when it helps them make better decisions, and understand their brand well enough to protect it. They expect vendors to be attentive, informed, and aligned with what their institution actually needs. Trust is the currency here, and it’s earned through consistency, honesty, and most importantly, follow-through.

What stood out most, though, was that their definition of a “good partner” goes well beyond project work. A good partner is someone who shows up during a crisis without being asked. Someone who brings forward new trends proactively. Someone who understands the institution’s culture well enough to think three steps ahead. That level of partnership turns a vendor into an extension of the team.

But here’s the part that hit me personally, the work is too important (and too challenging) for vendors to operate in silos. If we’re all trying to help higher ed adapt, evolve, and prove its value in a skeptical world, we have to be willing to collaborate with each other, not compete for every inch of territory. Schools don’t benefit when vendors try to do everything. They benefit when each partner leans into their strengths and we all work toward the same long-term goals.

Higher education is facing a defining moment. As vendors, we can choose to be part of the noise, or we can choose to be part of the solution. I’m feeling pretty optimistic about choosing the latter.

What Comes Next for Higher Ed?

The 2025 AMA Symposium wasn’t just a recap of trends. It was a reminder that higher ed marketing is at a turning point and we all have a role in shaping what comes next. From smarter AI adoption, to bolder creative strategies, and more collaborative vendor partnerships, the future is full of possibility.

One theme kept surfacing throughout the week. Higher ed marketing is not becoming more automated, it is becoming more collaborative. The teams that thrive will be the ones who build the right ecosystem of partners, both human and digital, to support the creativity and innovation needed in a rapidly changing landscape.

At AmbioEdu, we will be there every step of the way, helping institutions tell stories that matter, supporting the people behind those stories, and bringing our expertise, creativity, and strategic perspective to help them move forward with confidence.

Oh, and we’ll also see you in Denver for the 2026 AMA Symposium!