- More than 60 NIU faculty, staff members and students attended the College of Business conference—“Educating the AI-Ready Graduate: An Industry Perspective”—which was held in Barsema Hall’s auditorium in February.
Attendees heard AI insights from keynote speaker John Tsaras, ’14, head of operations for The Coca-Cola Company, who discussed how quickly AI has moved from experimentation to execution.
“AI is now embedded directly into how work gets done—in finance, operations, marketing, supply chains, customer engagement and, increasingly, decision-making itself,” Tsaras said. “It is not about installing a tool. It is about redesigning work, rethinking how decisions are made and redefining what talent looks like.”
Tsaras called this process the “new division of labor,” adding that, while AI generates insights and accelerates analysis, only humans can own the accountability and apply sound judgment to business problems.
“So the question everyone asks is: ‘Will AI replace jobs?’” he said. “From inside industry, that’s the wrong question. AI doesn’t replace people. It replaces tasks. And when tasks disappear, roles evolve.”
Tsaras encouraged faculty and students to be courageous in the face of AI and strategically prepare to adapt along with AI.
“First, use AI. Learn how to use it deliberately,” he said. “Next, storytell. Build a narrative, not just a résumé. Strategy is visible in how you think. Lastly, have your reasons. Explain how you arrived at your answers, not just the answer itself.”
After Tsaras’ keynote presentation, Korrey Anderson, ’12, MBA ’18 (McDonald’s), Justin Gress, ’05 (insurance executive) and Ram Muthukrishnan (HAVI) joined him on stage for an informal panel discussion moderated by Ann Dzuranin, M.B.A., Ph.D., KPMG Endowed Professor of Accountancy.
Throughout the conversation, the importance of cautious courage was emphasized. Faculty and students were urged to carefully go about challenging the status quo and to stay open-minded.
“A lot of the time, I hear people say they don’t know where to get started with certain issues or projects,” said Gress. “AI is a place to help you get started.”
The morning concluded with breakout sessions. Faculty members worked to identify what they should adjust and keep the same in an AI-era classroom before presenting their findings to the large group.
“As AI continues to reshape industries, it’s essential that we remain committed to learning, adapting and growing,” said College of Business Dean Joan Phillips-Hernandez. “This conference marked another meaningful step forward in encouraging faculty and staff to explore practical ways we can better prepare our students to be truly AI-ready.”