Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant promise—it is reshaping how businesses operate today. Yet many leaders still struggle to separate real opportunities from hype. Starting in spring 2027, the University of New England will again offer its online graduate-level course, Leading with AI, designed to close that gap.
Following a successful initial session, UNE is bringing back the course to help professionals turn AI opportunities into measurable business results. The program is built for leaders who need to evaluate AI vendors, understand applied solutions, and make informed decisions about adoption, with a strong emphasis on operational and technical realities.
Mike Wright, Director of AI Product Management at Unum, will teach the course. Wright brings more than 15 years of experience across enterprise and growth-stage technology companies, including Meta, TikTok, and early-stage startups. At Unum, a Fortune 500 employee benefits company, he leads AI product strategy and development. His curriculum helps leaders tackle critical questions: Where can AI deliver the most value? Which solutions are worth the investment? And how can organizations adopt them responsibly?
Also worth a look: Oasis Engineering open-sources AI blueprint tool that turns HTML into construction drawings and ARIID Group brings its three-in-one design, build, furnish model to Dallas’s luxury enclaves.
Through case studies and hands-on exercises, participants learn to identify AI opportunities that support business goals, evaluate AI technologies and vendors, and assess data integration needs, organizational readiness, risks, and ethical considerations. The program also covers building implementation roadmaps that address technical requirements and coordination across departments, as well as defining measures of success and planning for scaling AI initiatives.
Returning in spring 2027, Leading with AI gives professionals practical strategies to evaluate, adopt, and lead AI initiatives.
Designed for business leaders at organizations of all sizes, the course connects AI strategy with the technical and operational knowledge needed to put it into practice. Enterprise leaders learn to engage more effectively with IT teams on large-scale transformation, while small and midsize business leaders gain a broader understanding of what successful AI implementation requires.
Students explore machine learning, neural networks, and agentic AI systems that can carry out multistep tasks, with an emphasis on how these technologies can address business needs. The course also examines how tailored AI solutions integrate with organizational data, systems, and operations.
A major case study challenges students to develop an AI implementation plan for one of three enterprise-scale scenarios: a major hospital network, a national logistics company, or a major entertainment and stadium venue company. Students must work through complex operational demands, departmental constraints, and ambitious AI goals to propose a tailored solution.
“This course helps business leaders evaluate AI vendors, understand applied AI solutions, and make informed decisions about AI adoption, with a focus on operational and technical considerations and an understanding of business risks and opportunities,” said Wright.
Ethics, privacy, and responsible AI use are central to those discussions. Participants in the inaugural session praised Wright’s engaging teaching style and business experience, highlighting the course’s timely content and practical applications.
“It wasn’t just how to write prompts, for example. It talked about the history of AI, the current AI landscape, and what is projected to come,” said participant Alesha Miller. “The course also taught us about the different types of AI, how they work, governance and regulations, and so on.”
Businesses looking to strengthen AI expertise across their organizations can also enroll multiple employees in Leading with AI. Employers interested in group enrollment can contact mba@une.edu to discuss registration options.
Leading with AI will be offered in spring 2027. For course details and registration information, visit online.une.edu/mba-ce-course.
Why it matters: As AI adoption accelerates across industries, leaders who can bridge strategy and technical execution will be critical to competitive success. This course offers a practical pathway for executives at companies of any size to move from uncertainty to informed action, reducing the risk of costly missteps.
Angie Helton
Northeast Media Associates
+1 207-653-0365
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND
The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study-abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible online offerings. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. We are the state’s top provider of health professionals and home to Maine’s only medical and dental colleges, physician assistant program, and pharmacy school, in addition to a variety of other interprofessionally aligned healthcare programs and nationally recognized programs in the marine sciences, the natural and social sciences, business, the humanities, and the arts. Visit www.une.edu.
