Teniente-Matson, who arrived at San Jose in 2023 after eight years at the helm of Texas A&M University-San Antonio, is leading the school’s A.I. charge. In person, she is affable and eccentric, and often power-dresses in bright primary colors. When we met, she was wearing green rhinestone-studded high heels in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. She frequently refers to herself as the “C.E.O.” of the university and compares herself to tech leaders in Silicon Valley: “We’re all trying to do the same thing,” she told me, “which is to mobilize our entire work force in this rapidly changing environment to adapt, create, innovate and be more productive.”

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