UAGC names Nathan Pritts principal AI strategist

The University of Arizona Global Campus is expanding its AI leadership with a July 1 appointment that puts Nathan Pritts in charge of helping drive AI fluency, responsible adoption and strategic innovation across the university. The move signals how higher education is formalizing AI governance as institutions race to support faculty, staff and students.

Why it matters: - UAGC is making AI strategy a formal administrative priority, not just a faculty initiative. - The appointment is designed to strengthen AI fluency, responsible use and decision-making across teaching, learning, operations and the student experience. - The role puts one leader at the center of efforts to help faculty, staff and academic leaders adapt to AI-enabled work.

What happened: - The University of Arizona Global Campus named Nathan Pritts principal AI strategist, effective July 1. - Pritts will continue as a Global Campus Professor in the College of Integrative Learning. - He will focus primarily on the new administrative role over the coming year. - Pritts previously served as Faculty Fellow for AI Strategy. - He will remain a primary liaison between UAGC and the University of Arizona Office for Responsible AI and AI Access and Integrity Services.

The details: - The new role expands Pritts’ work on cultural readiness and AI fluency across UAGC. - Pritts will help broaden implementation and responsible use of AI tools. - He will evaluate AI efficacy and impact to inform decision-making. - Pritts will partner with AI users across departments and teams to support strategy and adoption. - Morgan Johnson, vice president of Academic Experience at UAGC, said Pritts has helped the university think strategically and responsibly about AI in higher education. - Johnson said the expanded role recognizes Pritts’ leadership and the need to build practical, ethical AI fluency tied to teaching, learning and student success. - Pritts said AI readiness is about helping people understand how AI is changing daily work and giving them the confidence, language and support to use the technologies responsibly. - Pritts has spoken at a University of Arizona AI Town Hall about AI, learning, judgment, identity and institutional capacity. - Pritts also presented at EDUCAUSE Summit 2026 on preparing higher education workers for an AI-enabled future of work. - His recent work includes participation in Harvard’s Global Voices in AI series, publication of an edited volume on AI and faculty development, and research tied to the University of Arizona’s institutional GenAI platform pilot.

Between the lines: - UAGC is signaling that AI governance now spans both technical adoption and organizational culture. - The university appears to be tying AI strategy to broader questions about how learning should work, not just how productivity should improve. - Pritts’ expanded remit suggests UAGC wants a more coordinated approach across academic, operational and integrity-related functions. - Pritts said higher education does not need to compete with AI on AI’s own terms, framing the moment as a chance to clarify institutional values.

What’s next: - Pritts will lead UAGC’s AI work under the new title starting July 1. - His near-term focus will be on building shared understanding, practical capacity and responsible practices around AI. - UAGC is likely to continue aligning AI strategy with faculty, staff and student support as emerging tools reshape campus operations.

The bottom line: - UAGC is turning AI strategy into a formal leadership function, with Nathan Pritts tasked with making adoption more responsible, coordinated and institution-wide.