The SFBU MBA Pro+ features faculty avatars who support student engagement
What would higher education look like if we could build a university from the ground up?
That’s the question explored in a November 3 feature in The Chronicle of Higher Education, which takes an in-depth look at how San Francisco Bay University (SFBU) is challenging traditional approaches to teaching and learning. In the article, “None of These Professors Is Human,” reporter Shea Vance examines SFBU’s transformation under President Dr. Nick Ladany and its ambitious vision for a more accessible, affordable, flexible and student-centered university.
At the center of the story is SFBU MBA Pro+, the university’s innovative, fully online $10,000 MBA program designed for working professionals. Unlike traditional online degrees, MBA Pro+ integrates AI directly into the learning experience through interactive faculty avatars and Bayley, SFBU’s proprietary AI tutor. Students can engage with course material, ask questions, receive personalized guidance and access learning support around the clock, in more than 50 languages. The article explores how these technologies allow students to learn at their own pace, making graduate education more adaptable to their lives.
The feature examines how SFBU is combining AI-powered learning with meaningful human interaction. Rather than replacing professors, SFBU’s model shifts their focus toward mentorship, student engagement, collaboration and individualized support. As Provost Dr. Brad Fuster explains, AI helps extend the reach of faculty, allowing them to spend more time connecting with students, guiding their development and helping them apply what they learn.
Beyond MBA Pro+, The Chronicle explores SFBU’s larger institutional transformation, including its approach to faculty recruitment, curriculum design and teaching innovation. The story features perspectives from Ladany, Fuster, Professor Dr. Johnathan Mun and Chief Learning Officer Dr. Anzar Khaliq, highlighting how the university is rethinking long-established academic practices and preparing students with the skills needed in an increasingly AI-driven world.
The article also presents perspectives from outside higher education experts, examining questions about human connection, faculty rights, institutional governance and how universities measure the effectiveness of emerging educational models. Together, these perspectives offer a look at both the opportunities and challenges of reimagining higher education. As Ladany has written, “If done well, AI can revolutionize higher education for the better.”
Read the full feature: “None of These Professors Is Human,” by Shea Vance, The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 3, 2026.
