ASU Partners with Zoom to Power AI Center of Excellence and Hybrid Campus Spaces

SAN ANGELO, TX - Angelo State University today announced a collaborative plan to incorporate Zoom technology into its Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence (AI-COE) that was launched last fall as an initiative to position ASU as a national leader in applied AI education, innovation and workforce development.

Soon to be housed in the Nexus at Angelo State facility on Sunset Drive, the AI-COE focuses on equipping students with high-demand AI skills by solving real-world challenges across the San Angelo community and beyond. It is also expanding AI capabilities among Angelo State faculty and staff while leveraging AI technologies to improve operational efficiency across the university.

As part of the collaboration, Zoom will play a critical role in helping design the digital and physical appearance of the 40,000-square-foot Nexus at Angelo State as it continues ongoing renovations. In addition to the AI-COE, the facility will house ASU's Kay Bailey Hutchison Institute (KBHI), Innovation and Research Hub (IRH), Regional Security Operations Center (RSOC) and other community-serving areas.

"This collaboration represents a significant step forward in preparing our students for the future workforce," said Angelo State President Ronnie Hawkins. "By working with Zoom, we are not only creating a cutting-edge facility, but also building an ecosystem where students, faculty, staff and the community can apply AI to solve meaningful challenges."

To accomplish this, Zoom will help optimize the facility's collaboration infrastructure to seamlessly integrate in-person, hybrid and virtual learning environments. These will include dedicated, Zoom-enabled studios for podcasting and broadcasting, alongside flexible student workspaces and lecture environments designed for hybrid engagement.

"Zoom's technology will play a critical role in how we design and activate the AI Center of Excellence," said Dr. Scarlet Clouse, KBHI director. "It allows us to create flexible, multi-dimensional spaces that can seamlessly transition from large-scale virtual lectures to smaller, individual or team-based work environments. This level of adaptability ensures that our physical spaces can be quickly reconfigured to meet the evolving needs of the modern workplace, while giving our students and faculty a more dynamic and immersive learning experience."

Additionally, the entire Angelo State campus will transition to Zoom Phone, replacing RingCentral, leveraging Zoom's TX-RAMP-certified platform to meet the university's security and compliance requirements.

"As a public institution, ensuring our systems meet rigorous state security standards is critical," said Doug Fox, ASU chief information officer. "Zoom's TX-RAMP certification was a key factor in our decision to transition from RingCentral to Zoom for the AI-COE and other Angelo State use cases, including Zoom Phone for campus communications. It gives us confidence that we are providing a secure, compliant and scalable communications platform for our students, faculty and staff."

The AI-COE builds on Angelo State's broader commitment to innovation and aligns with ongoing strategic initiatives to enhance teaching, learning, research and community engagement. This joint project reflects a shared vision between Angelo State and Zoom to prepare students for the workforce while strengthening regional impact.

"We are proud to team up with Angelo State University to help bring their vision to life," said Johann Zimmern, Zoom global education strategy lead. "By combining Zoom's AI-first collaboration platform with innovative space design, we are enabling a new model of learning that is flexible, secure and built for the AI era. This collaboration demonstrates how universities can reimagine their campuses to better serve students, faculty, staff and their entire communities."

This announcement follows Angelo State's broader advisory and planning efforts to assess institutional readiness and design a scalable AI strategy, ensuring that the AI-COE is grounded in data-driven insights and long-term sustainability.