Higher education is splitting between institutions that are adopting coherent AI strategies and those that remain reactive. Purdue’s public push for a campus‑wide AI plan exemplifies a proactive approach: integrating AI into curriculum, assessment and student competency goals. At the same time, a National Science Foundation‑backed consortium is placing community colleges at the center of applied AI workforce training, signaling a sectoral pivot toward technician‑level AI skills. Experts argue that without an institution‑level vision, piecemeal AI policies risk student confusion, inconsistent faculty expectations and fractured academic standards. Community colleges, funded to scale applied AI credentials, are positioning themselves as primary talent pipelines for local employers, creating practical on‑ramps to AI roles. Universities that combine clear governance, faculty development, and aligned credentials are likelier to scale responsibly; those that default to bans or inconsistent rules risk eroding trust between students and faculty.