ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE EFFECTIVENESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: REPOSITIONING INSTITUTIONAL GOVERNANCE FOR THE DIGITAL AGE

Abstract

This paper examined how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping administrative effectiveness in higher education, using Nigerian universities as its primary context. As a conceptual paper drawing on secondary data, it applies the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to argue that AI's contribution to university administration depends less on technical sophistication and more on whether administrators perceive such tools as useful and easy to use. The paper reviewed literature on AI-driven administration and identified a persistent gap where existing knowledge concentrates on students and teaching staff, leaving administrators understudied despite their central role in institutional governance. Drawing on recent empirical and conceptual studies, this paper examined global trends in AI-driven University Administration, AI as a Catalyst for Administrative effectiveness, challenges of AI adoption in Nigerian Universities, repositioning Institutional governance for the AI era, and implications for educational policy and practice. The paper concluded that repositioning Nigerian universities for the AI era requires simultaneous attention to administrators’ competence and institutional policy, rather than treating technology procurement as sufficient in itself. It closed with recommendations for policymakers and university management.