AI + AU: How Alvernia is incorporating the technology - Alvernia University
Alvernia’s implementation of artificial intelligence aims to teach students to think critically about the technology while producing graduates prepared for the future of work. Pope Leo XIV commanded attention in May when he published his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, in which he laid out the importance of making artificial intelligence “human-friendly and restoring it to the plurality of human cultures and ways of life.” As a Franciscan university, Alvernia is heeding the advice. “Our goal is not AI adoption for every student, it’s AI literacy for every graduate,” said Chief Academic Officer and Provost Mary Ellen Wells, JD, LLM. “We want students to think critically about AI rather than simply consume it.” But just because the university is implementing it with care doesn’t mean it is taking it lightly. Just a few examples already in place:
AI is integrated into all Computer Science and Technology programs.
Over a dozen other courses have AI components, heavily involve AI or focus on AI as a concept when discussing the human mind and brain.
Ashlee, Alvernia’s AI recruiter, allows the university’s admissions teams to engage with a significantly larger pool of prospective students, providing 24/7 communication.