From Fear to Fluency: Helping Faculty Navigate AI
This episode explores how institutions are balancing innovation, governance, trust, privacy, and digital literacy while preparing learners for an AI-enabled future.
Sarah Buszka
Biography
Sarah J. Buszka is an internationally recognized leader at the intersection of higher education, technology, and AI strategy. As Executive Director of the Applied AI Lab at Waukesha County Technical College, she leads transformative efforts to apply artificial intelligence to real-world challenges. In this role, Sarah develops cutting-edge AI solutions, delivers workforce training, and serves as the region’s primary resource for AI strategy and innovation.
Her 15-year career spans both U.S. coasts, with previous leadership roles at Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she shaped enterprise IT strategy and infrastructure. Passionate about building the next generation of leaders, Sarah has chaired the EDUCAUSE Young Professionals Advisory Committee, co-hosted the EDUCAUSE Rising Voices podcast, and advised national organizations and government on the future of education technology and artificial intelligence.
Sarah’s academic foundation includes a Master of Public Administration from Cornell University, where she specialized in AI policy and published on democracy and innovation in the Cornell Policy Review. She also holds a B.S. in Neurobiology, Psychology, and Russian from UW–Madison and has founded Forward AI Consulting to expand AI access across sectors.
She is driven by a bold vision: to establish Wisconsin as the “Silicon Prairie” of AI.
Recipient of the 2024 EDUCAUSE Rising Star Award.
EDUCAUSE Publications
-
-
Professional Development: From Training to Transformation
This episode examines professional development as more than skill building, arguing that the most impactful learning experiences are those that foster connection, community, and belonging.
-
The Human Side of Cybersecurity
How much of cybersecurity is really about understanding people? This episode explores the human side of cybersecurity and institutional resilience, discussing how higher education institutions prepare for and respond to major disruptions.
EDUCAUSE Presentations
Membership with EDUCAUSE
| Status: | Yes, current member |
EDUCAUSE Involvement
-
AI for Higher Education Staff | October
-
AI for Higher Education Staff | September
-
AI for Higher Education Staff | July
-
Curriculum Partnerships
-
Partner Summit Project Group 2026
-
Corporate Engagement Advisory Committee (CEAC)
-
EDUCAUSE Young Professionals Advisory Committee
-
EDUCAUSE Analytics Services Design Panel