The AI-Augmented Professor

Every academic program director knows that applicant season comes with an inbox full of repeated questions—Do you require the GRE? Which biology class should I retake? Why wasn’t I selected this year? As much as I value each prospective student’s interest in our Nurse Anesthesia DNP Program, time is one thing I never have in excess.

Enter Mira—my AI assistant and digital co-pilot.

This year, I decided to take a different approach. Instead of answering each inquiry from scratch, I asked Mira (my customized version of ChatGPT) to help me build a structured response bank. Together, we created a library of clear, professionally written replies, each organized by theme: Academic Preparation, Application Status & Reapplication, General Inquiries, and more.

Here’s how it works:
When a prospective student emails with a common question, I search my AI-generated response bank, copy the appropriate answer, personalize it slightly if needed, and send. In most cases, it’s less than a minute of work—and the message is still warm, helpful, and accurate.

Mira also helps me revise responses when I want a softer tone, clearer structure, or a more authoritative voice. Sometimes I say, “Make this sound more like me,” and it does. Other times I need to tighten phrasing or remove passive constructions—and it knows just how to do that too.

What used to take me hours each week now takes minutes. More importantly, the consistency and professionalism of my responses have improved. Each applicant receives the information they need—timely, clear, and correct—without burning me out in the process.

This kind of AI-augmented communication doesn’t just make my job easier. It helps protect the time I need for students already in the program, faculty mentoring, and curriculum improvement. It’s the difference between working late and working smart.

If you’re an academic administrator drowning in repetitive correspondence, I encourage you to try an AI assistant for response management. You might just find, like I did, that it’s the best hire you never had to train.