Reading Time: 2 minutes
Key Topics: AI Integration, Operational Efficiency, Resource Optimization, Leadership Strategy
Author: Rob White, Principal, Envision Strategies
Featured Interview: Kris Klinger, Ed.D., VP of Auxiliary Services, Boston University
Watch the Full Video Interview Here
The Innovation Paradox
Boston University Auxiliary Services oversees eight distinct business units: nearly 13,000 housing beds, comprehensive dining operations, arena concessions, events and conferences, bookstore, and transportation services across a sprawling mile-and-half campus. They’ve built sophisticated Power BI dashboards capturing performance data across every operation.
Now they’re ready for the next step: AI integration that could surface insights the team hasn’t thought to look for. There’s just one problem.
“Most campuses have either frozen hiring or they’re laying people off,” Kris Klinger explains. “We’ve limited hiring. We’re not looking at adding new positions unless they’re mission critical.”
The Resource Reality
The challenge facing BU mirrors what auxiliary leaders across higher education are confronting. The $100 million tuition mark has been broken, and families are pushing back. The pressure to control expenses is relentless.
Yet the future demands investment in innovation. AI and advanced analytics could transform how auxiliary services operate, but integrating these technologies requires dedicated expertise. Traditional thinking would suggest hiring an AI specialist. That’s not an option when headcount is frozen.
Reassignment Over Addition
Klinger’s approach sidesteps the resource constraint entirely. Rather than requesting new positions, BU is creating efficiencies within existing operations that free up capacity. Then they’re strategically reassigning responsibilities to bring on one or two people fully focused on innovation and AI integration.
The execution requires discipline. You must identify where efficiencies can genuinely be created. You need to combine responsibilities thoughtfully, ensuring you’re not simply overwhelming existing staff. Most importantly, you need to articulate why this matters.
The Business Case for Early Adoption
“If we can be an early adopter, I think we’re in a really good place, and we can help formulate what the future looks like, and then help others as well,” Klinger notes.
Early adopters influence how technologies evolve. They help vendors understand real-world applications. They build institutional knowledge that becomes a competitive advantage.
But the business case extends beyond positioning. It addresses the fundamental sustainability challenge facing higher education. The old model of adding headcount whenever new needs emerge has reached its limit.
What This Means for Auxiliary Leaders
Klinger’s framework offers a path forward for leaders facing similar constraints:
Audit your current operations systematically. Where are inefficiencies that could genuinely be addressed? This isn’t about working people harder. It’s about identifying redundancies, outdated processes, or areas where technology could handle tasks currently requiring human intervention.
Think in terms of capacity, not positions. The goal isn’t eliminating jobs. It’s creating space within existing roles or strategically combining responsibilities where it makes operational sense.
Make the case for strategic investment. When you’ve created capacity through efficiency, you can argue for redirecting that capacity toward innovation without requesting additional resources.
Position yourself as an early adopter. Emphasize that investing in innovation now creates long-term strategic advantage and positions your institution to help shape how your industry evolves.
The Broader Question
What Klinger describes is a mindset shift. For decades, growth in auxiliary services often meant growth in staff. That model is ending.
The institutions that will thrive are those that figure out how to continuously improve without continuously expanding. They’ll need to get comfortable with reorganization, with strategic reassignment, with doing fundamentally different things with the resources they already have.
Innovation isn’t about adding resources. It’s about deliberately reshaping how you’re already spending them.
About the Conversation:
This reflection draws from a conversation between Rob White, Principal at Envision Strategies, and Kris Klinger, Ed.D., VP of Auxiliary Services at Boston University, conducted at the 2025 NACAS national conference.
