Public Draft: v.2026.03.29 Note: I write this post on behalf of myself, and in it express my own views, which are not intended to speak on behalf of or reflect the views of any organization, including my current employer. In the last year, many universities, including my own, have created a new position, sometimes referred…
Universities are navigating an important conflict concerning the role of AI in the academic mission. On one side, around 90% of US employers agree that universities should be training students on AI. About the same number of students agree. We know that AI is wiping out entry-level positions, which is leading to unusually high unemployment…
Read more Many Faculty Members Disagree with Administration about AI: Both Are Right
Note: The opinions expressed here are my own individual opinions and do not represent those of anyone else, including the school or university where I work. This spring, I took a new position as Dean of the School of Information and Library Science at University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill. I started April 1, with all…
From The Chronicle of Higher Education to The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York times and everywhere I turn it seems, everyone seems to be talking–and worrying–about generative AI, such as ChatGPT, and its impacts on higher education. While academics and journalists debate about whether generative AI is good or bad, threatening to higher…
Read more Who’s Going to Figure Out AI’s Place in Higher Education? All of Us
Recently, a colleague of mine from industry expressed some of the challenges she faced when reaching out to a university seeking collaboration, a proposed collaboration that she was able to fund. In spite of doing her homework and offering funding, her efforts generated little interest. Meanwhile, I have been struggling for years to improve the…
In the last year or two, as a researcher, academic administrator, and teacher, I have been confronted almost daily with issues connected to generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT). As it connects to language and our hopes and fears for the future, this topic has reactivated intellectual interests of mine that date back to my graduate school…
Read more Generative AI, Knowledge Practices, and Higher Education
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