St. Bonaventure University
Artificial Intelligence at Bona's
St. Bonaventure University is embracing artificial intelligence as a transformative tool for learning, research, and community engagement. Our approach centers on ethical innovation: advancing academic excellence while upholding the Franciscan values of compassion, reflection, and responsible stewardship.
Dr. Jeff Gingerich, University President
“To remain competitive and deliver an exceptional experience for students, faculty and staff, St. Bonaventure must not simply adopt AI tools — it must instill ethical use of them.”
Academic Innovation
Integrating AI Across the Curriculum
The university has approved new AI-focused courses in Computer Science and Philosophy and is collaborating with a consortium to develop AI Literacy and Applied AI programs as majors, minors, or concentrations. AI-related curriculum updates have been implemented across most academic disciplines, supported by $50,000 in funded AI curriculum projects this academic year. On the student-support side, we launched Ocelot, our AI chatbot known as “Ask Reilly” on my.sbu.edu, providing 24/7 assistance to enhance engagement, address routine inquiries, and streamline staff workloads. Additionally, a ChatGPT EDU pilot involving 300 students, faculty, and staff is now underway, offering access to one of the most secure and effective large language model platforms available.
Ethical Leadership and Governance
Franciscan Values in a Digital Age
St. Bonaventure continues to ground its use of artificial intelligence in strong ethical frameworks that prioritize privacy, data integrity, and responsible innovation. Through a Mission Integration lens, the university emphasizes using technology to serve others, advance the common good, and reflect our Franciscan values. Faculty across Philosophy, Theology, and Education are actively collaborating to examine the moral and societal impacts of AI, ensuring that innovation remains thoughtful and reflective.
The Presidential Commission on Artificial Intelligence
Guiding the Future of AI at Bona's
In October 2025, President Jeff Gingerich established the Presidential Commission on Artificial Intelligence to provide strategic guidance on the academic, operational, and ethical integration of AI across the university. The commission was created to ensure that St. Bonaventure remains proactive, responsible, and mission-aligned as emerging technologies continue to transform higher education.
The commission’s work centers on several key focus areas: academic integration, governance and ethics, faculty and staff capacity, operational efficiency, and its ongoing advisory role to the President. Together, these priorities guide a comprehensive approach to AI that supports innovation while upholding the university’s values and long-term strategic goals.
Commission Membership:
- Dr. Mike Hoffman, co-chair, dean of the School of Graduate Studies, associate provost, and chief information officer
- Dr. Dave Hilmey, co-chair, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs
- Danny Bush, Senior Multimedia Producer
- Dr. Anne Foerst, professor of Computer Science
- Tim Geiger, director of Enterprise Services
- Fr. Stephen Mimnaugh, O.F.M., vice president for Mission Integration
- Tom Missel, chief communications officer
- Dawn Parisella, executive director of Employee Benefits and Campus Leave Administration
- Dr. Tracy Schrems, assistant professor of Education
- Dr. Stephen Setman, assistant professor of Philosophy
- Dr. Scott Simpson, professor of Chemistry
- Dr. Erin Sadlack, dean of Arts & Sciences
- Adriane Spencer, executive director of the Student Success Center
- Ann Tenglund, director of Friedsam Library and Faculty and Staff Resource Center
- Dr. Mark Wilson, professor of Finance
SBU partners with OpenAI to provide ChatGPT to students, faculty
St. Bonaventure University will provide ChatGPT Edu licenses to all undergraduate students and faculty in the fall, significantly expanding the university’s commitment to AI integration throughout the educational experience.
The contract with OpenAI will include university staff members whose roles would benefit from the use of artificial intelligence tools. The university piloted ChatGPT Edu with more than 300 members of the campus community this academic year.
“Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming every industry,” said Dr. Jeff Gingerich, university president. “We have a responsibility to ensure our graduates are not only proficient in these tools but grounded in the ethical reasoning and human-centered values that must guide their use.”
The agreement provides campus-wide access to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu platform, including unlimited use of its flagship GPT-5.2 Chat model and a suite of advanced tools designed for teaching, learning, research and administrative work.
University officials said the move ensures equitable access to cutting-edge AI tools while maintaining enterprise-grade security, compliance and role-based access controls.
“All of our students deserve access to the most advanced tools shaping their future professions,” said Dr. David Hilmey, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and co-chair of SBU’s Presidential Commission on AI. “By providing ChatGPT Edu, we are embedding AI literacy and responsible use directly into the undergraduate Bonaventure experience.”
Each ChatGPT Edu license includes core access plus a set number of advanced features at no additional credit cost — including limited daily use of ImageGen and Deep Research queries — ensuring that students and faculty can explore the platform’s higher-level capabilities.
The university will also benefit from analytics dashboards and granular reporting tools, enabling administrators to monitor usage trends and support responsible deployment.
The decision builds on St. Bonaventure’s broader AI strategy. Last fall, the university established a Presidential Commission on Artificial Intelligence to guide policy, curriculum innovation and ethical frameworks for AI adoption.
The commission, composed of faculty, senior administrators and students, was charged with ensuring that AI implementation aligns with the university’s Catholic and Franciscan mission.
Since then, academic programs across disciplines — from business and health professions to communication, education and the arts — have expanded coursework and training focused on AI literacy, prompt engineering, data analysis and ethical decision-making.
“Leveling the playing field for all students with the addition of ChatGPT Edu licenses is amazing to hear. It’s yet another example of the proactiveness and transparency that has come with working with the Presidential Commission on AI,” said Nolan Tormey, a junior Adolescence Education major and member of the AI Commission. “We’re looking forward to continued dialogue between students and the university on the issue of AI in education.”
The university is working on proposals to launch a major and two minors with an AI focus in the next academic year. AI use and ethical training will also be built into the first-year seminar for all incoming Bonaventure undergraduate students.
The university’s spring Convocation for faculty and staff featured a keynote speaker on AI ethics and a series of 14 AI-focused workshops.
University leaders emphasized that providing universal access to ChatGPT Edu is not simply about technology adoption, but about preparing graduates for a workforce increasingly shaped by AI.
All users will operate within an enterprise-grade environment featuring secure authentication, compliance safeguards and role-based access controls.
“These protections are essential as higher education institutions navigate the rapid evolution of AI technologies,” said Dr. Michael Hoffman, associate provost, chief information officer and co-chair of SBU’s Presidential Commission on AI.
With the initiative, St. Bonaventure joins a small group of institutions leading on secure, institution-wide AI access and career preparation. The decision reflects both strategic foresight and mission-driven commitment.
“Our goal is not to chase trends,” Hilmey said. “It is to lead thoughtfully — integrating new AI training and education, alongside the humanistic skills that our liberal arts tradition prioritizes — in ways that enhance learning, strengthen research and uphold the Franciscan values at the heart of St. Bonaventure.”
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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).
Dr. Michael Hoffman
Dr. David Hilmey