Colleagues and Students,

Welcome back and wishing you a wonderful spring semester. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to impact scholarship, teaching and learning, and many other facets of the work of the university, the UVM AI Taskforce is focused on enabling thoughtful, ethical, and effective use of AI across our community.  I’m writing to share an update on the spring semester priorities of the seven working groups that make up the taskforce, as well as related university-wide AI activities.

AI Taskforce Working Group Updates

• Strategy Working Group — Chairs: Kellie Campbell and Kirk Dombrowski
  Priorities: Setting near‑term priorities that align with institutional goals and amplifying initiatives that help UVM lead with intention and impact; coordinating cross‑campus collaboration and funding pathways, including the AI Innovation Fund
• Governance Working Group — Chair: Steve Goldman
  Priorities: Advancing policies and guidance for responsible AI use, with attention to research integrity, privacy, and compliance—supporting a university‑wide framework for ethical adoption
• Technology Working Group — Chair: Mike Austin 
  Priorities: Sustaining and scaling the approved AI/tooling environment (e.g., Microsoft Copilot) and strengthening computing resources that support AI research (including work associated with the Vermont Advanced Computing Center (VACC) IceCore cluster)
• Research & Innovation Working Group — Chair: Alexa Woodward
  Priorities: Connecting researchers with resources to understand best practices for AI use in research, catalyzing interdisciplinary projects through the Vermont Complex Systems Institute (VCSI), and partnering with the Strategy and Technology working groups on enabling infrastructure and seed support.
• Workforce Development Working Group — Chair: Bettyjo Bouchey 
  Priorities: Building campus‑wide AI fluency with practical training and “AI Intensive” style offerings, guided by unit needs and shared best practices
• Faculty Development Working Group — Chair: Susanmarie Harrington
  Priorities: Supporting teaching and scholarship through CTL‑aligned workshops, guidance, and exemplars for classroom use of AI
• AI in the Curriculum Working Group— Jen Karson and Priyantha Wijesinghe
  Priorities: Coordinating curricular pilots and recommendations in collaboration with departments and governance bodies; convening regular working sessions to surface needs and align efforts

The Taskforce’s structure and focus areas are more fully-described in UVM’s public update on Thoughtful Leadership in AI: UVM’s Commitment to Thoughtful Leadership in Artificial Intelligence. To learn more about our approach, visit the UVM AI Team page.. This page also lists the full membership of each working group, including Student Government Association and Graduate Student Senate members that we were delighted to welcome this fall.

Related University-wide AI Activities

The AI Innovation Fund

Last fall we launched the AI Innovation Fund to encourage creative, responsible experimentation across UVM. The Fund offers mini‑grants ($100–$1,000) and larger awards ($1,000–$10,000) to support seminars, workshops, and tool exploration aligned with Taskforce priorities. I am thrilled to report that we received 20 thoughtful and creative proposals that reflect a broad range of AI use. We will announce funding decisions soon.

While the round one submission deadline has passed, as funding permits, we will review additional proposals on a rolling basis. You can find ongoing updates about the status of the fund on the AI taskforce website.

The Provost’s AI in the Curriculum Fellows Program

In mid-December, the Provost announced an initiative to identify a faculty member in each academic department (or equivalent) to develop or update a significant component of an undergraduate upper-level course to facilitate the integration of AI concepts, principles, and practices within their discipline’s curriculum. The participating faculty members will receive one week of summer salary and a course release to support this work. Interested faculty should reach out to their department chairs and deans for more information.

How You Can Engage

• We’re eager to include our entire community in this important work, and there are a variety of ways you can engage with us. Please contact us if you are interested in joining our work.
• You can also attend an AI event or workshop and can find a list of offerings here Please also let us know if you’re hosting an event that you’d like listed on this page by contacting.us.

I’m so grateful for the energy and insights the task force members -- and so many others -- are bringing to this work, and for the participation of community members across campus. The pace is swift, and the opportunities and challenges AI presents are enormous, but I am confident that we can meet this moment. On behalf of the Taskforce, we look forward to a productive spring semester, and further partnership across campus to honor our commitment to thoughtful AI leadership at UVM. 

Best, 
Dr. Kellie Campbell 
Chief Information Officer 
University of Vermont