Guests talking on the rooftop at 211 N. Whitfield St., Pittsburgh, with the Cathedral of Learning behind them, beside a sign reading: The 2027 student is changing. Are you ready?

A private rooftop salon

The 2027 student is changing. Are you ready?

The region’s higher-education leaders share what this fall’s applicant class expects from the institutions recruiting, enrolling and serving them, featuring insights from Carnegie Mellon, Pitt, Point Park, Carlow, Chatham, and Penn State.

Tuesday 13 October · 5:00 to 8:00 · 211 N. Whitfield St., Pittsburgh

Confirm my seat

The context

StudentsParentsStaff and leaders

63%of high-school students have used AI in their college planning, 54% in ninth grade rising to 68% by twelfth.Encoura, 2026 College Planning Report

62%of high-school students would still prefer talking to a person when they start looking at colleges.Encoura, 2026 College Planning Report

57%of parents have used AI to evaluate colleges and compare options for their children.EAB, 2,515 parents, April–May 2026

34%of parents say AI put a school in front of them that they had not previously considered.EAB, 2,515 parents, April–May 2026

94%of higher-education staff already use these tools. 54% know their institution’s policy on them. 38% of executive leaders do not.EDUCAUSE, 1,960 staff, faculty and administrators across 1,800+ institutions, fall 2025

87%of enrollment leaders named standing out in recruitment marketing their top priority this year.EAB, enrollment leader priorities, July 2026

Adam Paulisick, skilly’s cofounder and Distinguished Service Professor in the CMU School of Computer Science, has written on these topics over the summer: losing international students at the digital doorstep, why universities are the pinnacle of human scale, and why “move fast and break things” will not fly in higher ed.

Opening the evening

Senior leaders in admissions, enrollment, and administration share their most pressing issues, how they’re solving them, and what they’ve learned along the way.

The evening

5:00–6:00 pm|Drinks and Dinner Dinner on the roof, with time to meet the rest of the room before the conversation starts.

6:00–6:45 pm|Serving the 2027 Student Speakers from Carnegie Mellon University, Point Park University and the University of Pittsburgh, introduced by Adam Paulisick, skilly cofounder and Distinguished Service Professor.

6:45–8:00 pm|Open Discussion Your questions, candid insights and an open conversation follow the talks.

Ample free Parking on site.

Confirm my seat

Opens a short form in a new tab. Trouble with the form? Email kit@skillbuilder.io with your name, title and institution.