Office of the Provost

Dear Colleagues,

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we work, learn, and live. Over the past several months, I have been engaging with our community to shape a University-wide initiative to be responsive to AI advancements and coordinate AI-related work across units.  I have met personally with the University Senate and faculty, staff, and academic leaders in small groups and during school and college meetings. Those conversations have made clear that UConn has important strengths in AI, that we need a framework to build on our strengths, and to guide and coordinate our institutional strategy around AI in an ever-changing technological landscape.

Coordinated Leadership Around AI

Today, I’m pleased to announce AI for ImpaCT, a coordinated university-wide initiative designed to connect and advance AI efforts across our academic, research, operational, and public service missions. The goal of AI for ImpaCT is to support interconnectivity among teaching, learning, research, innovation, and societal impact and to encourage safe, ethical, and responsible use of AI. The vision for beneficial and ethical AI is beautifully articulated by one of our student clubs.

The leadership structure around AI for ImpaCT is taking shape. I have appointed David Bergman, Associate Dean for Faculty & Research and Professor of Operations and Information Management, as the Provost’s Special Advisor on AI to help coordinate AI for ImpaCT initiatives across the university and advise my office on emerging issues related to AI in teaching, research, workforce development, and university operations.

The Special Advisor will chair an AI Council comprised of representatives from across the university including faculty, staff, and students. The AI Council will help set priorities, identify opportunities and challenges, and support university-wide coordination as AI continues to evolve. Consistent with UConn’s commitment to shared governance, the AI Council will serve as a coordinating resource and work closely with the University Senate and other governance bodies on AI-related matters within their areas of responsibility.

The AI Council will work closely with university leadership, ITS, UConn Health, and administrative units as the university explores AI applications and technologies, institutional needs, training, and the use of AI tools across university operations. A smaller AI Executive Committee comprised of members of the AI Council will liaise with the Special Advisor to advance priority initiatives and coordinate work between meetings of the broader AI Council.

The AI Council will support development of a university-wide web presence to help share resources, updates, opportunities for engagement, and ways for members of the UConn community to participate in this work. I also encourage faculty, staff, students, and partners to share ideas and engage with the Council as opportunities emerge.

CURRENT INITIATIVES

The initiatives and work areas below reflect some of the important work being done at UConn to prepare our community for the AI transition.

Preparing Students for an AI-Enabled Future

Preparing learners for a world increasingly shaped by AI will be an important part of AI for ImpaCT. In partnership with the AI Council and in consultation with deans, faculty experts, and the University Senate, we will continue building academic programs and learning opportunities that align with both student interest and workforce needs.

Earlier this year, the Board of Trustees approved the university’s first graduate certificate built around an “AI + X” model with the launch of AI for Business through The Graduate School. We expect additional programs in other disciplines to follow in the next academic year.

The AI Council and AI Executive Committee will work closely with academic units to help guide the development of proposals for an undergraduate minor in AI, with the goal of launching as early as this fall, and a university-wide undergraduate AI major is targeted to launch in Fall 2027. We are in the process of evaluating how programs such as the M.S. in Data Science can help support and expand AI-related education and research opportunities across the university. There are also several existing programs across the schools and colleges that include concentrations in AI or have foundational AI topics infused in the curriculum.

In addition to degree programs, UConn will expand AI literacy and workforce development through online and non-credit offerings, employer partnerships, and micro-credentials that could potentially support both current students and members of the broader community.

Teaching, Learning, and the Use of AI

Faculty, staff, and students are already working through questions related to teaching, learning, assessment, academic integrity, research, privacy, fairness, and the use of AI applications across academic and administrative settings. We will continue building guidance and support in these areas by drawing on expertise that exists in our university community.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, The Graduate School, and faculty and staff in the schools and colleges are helping support AI efforts through faculty development, course design support, guidance for graduate students and instructors, and ongoing conversations around appropriate and effective uses of AI in academic settings.

The AI Council will be charged with helping coordinate AI efforts in teaching and learning, identifying areas where additional support is needed, and sharing effective practices with the University community.

AI Research and Public Engagement

AI-related research and scholarship are being conducted at UConn in many disciplines. Faculty are advancing foundational AI research, applying AI across industries and professions, and examining the broader societal impact of these technologies in fields such as healthcare, business, engineering, education, the humanities, social sciences, and the arts. The Humanities Institute’s “AI and the Human” initiative is one example of interdisciplinary scholarship exploring the societal  implications of AI.

UConn’s partnerships with organizations such as Morgan Stanley, Intel, Eversource, Electric Boat, Pratt & Whitney, and many more, along with ongoing clinical, research and educational efforts at UConn Health, are creating new opportunities for applied research, workforce partnerships, and public engagement connected to AI.

Federal agencies and other major funders continue expanding investments in AI-related research in many sectors. The Office of the Vice President for Research is already leading campus-wide discussions about UConn’s strengths to identify opportunities for greater interdisciplinary collaboration and external partnerships.

Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Partnerships

Connecticut’s workforce needs to adapt as AI reshapes industries and professions, and UConn will play a major role in preparing our state for a rapidly changing future by offering continuing education, online learning, non-credit programs, and employer partnerships. Earlier in this message, I referenced the potential for expanded micro-credentials and other flexible learning opportunities that can help both current students and working professionals build AI literacy and discipline-specific skills throughout their careers.

We also see strong connections between AI and UConn’s growing innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Important work is already happening through schools and colleges, research centers, UConn Health, the Werth Institute, and other campus partners. As AI for ImpaCT develops, we want to connect these efforts and support opportunities related to startups, technology transfer, industry collaboration, educational technology, and other forms of innovation and revenue generation connected to AI.

Moving Forward

As Connecticut continues to establish policies and frameworks like the bill recently passed by the General Assembly, UConn and the AI Council have a responsibility to help guide the state through opportunities and challenges AI presents across education, industry, healthcare, and the workforce. UConn is well positioned to understand AI and anticipate what may come in the future to help inform policy decisions.

I’m excited about the conversations ahead and grateful for the thoughtfulness, creativity, and expertise that so many members of our community are already bringing to this space. I look forward to advancing the work of the AI for ImpaCT initiative with you and will continue to share updates on our progress.

Pamir Alpay, PhD
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
University of Connecticut