Student Defense’s Dan Zibel Appointed to University of Michigan Law School’s AI Advisory Council
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April 6, 2026
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Student Defense’s Dan Zibel Appointed to University of Michigan Law School’s AI Advisory Council
ANN ARBOR, MI — Student Defense Vice President & Chief Legal Counsel Dan Zibel has joined the University of Michigan Law School’s AI Advisory Council.
An article from Michigan Law says the council is “a distinguished group of alumni and leaders from across the legal profession, the technology sector, and academia.” It goes on to say, “the council reflects Michigan Law’s growing engagement with artificial intelligence and its commitment to shaping how the legal profession adapts to rapidly evolving technologies.”
Zibel, a 2004 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, is one of 26 alumni serving on the new council. He is currently co-leading the Student Defense’s Safeguarding Higher-Ed Through AI Practices & Ethics (SHAPE) AI Initiative. It launched in September 2025 to provide strategic guidance, policy recommendations, and educational resources that promote ethical, responsible, student-friendly, and transparent uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education. Last week, Student Defense and SHAPE AI released the “Student AI Bill of Rights” to ensure higher education institutions are establishing proper guardrails to protect students as they incorporate AI into the student experience.
Zibel also has substantial experience working on consumer protection issues in higher education, and the authority of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to oversee schools and other participants in Federal Student Aid programs. Before co-founding Student Defense, he served as the Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Postsecondary Education in ED. He’s currently a litigator on a number of Student Defense lawsuits, including challenging a new Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility rule, protecting SNAP recipients’ data from government overreach, and attempting to stop the Trump administration’s dismantling of ED.
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About Student Defense
The National Student Legal Defense Network (“Student Defense”) is a non-profit organization that works, through litigation and advocacy, to advance students' rights to educational opportunity and to ensure that higher education provides a launching point for economic mobility.
