St. Bonaventure’s Spring Convocation brought together nearly 300 faculty and staff for four hours of exploration, dialogue and practical engagement around the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence in higher education.

The AI-themed convocation, held Jan. 16 and anchored by a morning keynote at the Quick Center, featured 14 breakout sessions and multiple panel discussions in Plassmann Hall and the library designed to address AI from pedagogical, ethical, operational and student-centered perspectives.

Participants were able to attend three 45-minute sessions, allowing them to tailor the day to their interests and professional roles.

The day opened with a keynote address by Corey John Maley, Ph.D., an associate professor of philosophy at Purdue University, whose research focuses on the nature of computation in both artificial and natural systems.

Maley’s remarks set a reflective tone for the day, emphasizing conceptual clarity, intellectual humility, and the limits of current AI systems.

Throughout the morning and early afternoon, faculty and staff engaged in concurrent breakout sessions that ranged from introductory overviews to advanced, classroom-ready applications.

Sessions explored topics such as designing AI-resilient assignments, using ChatGPT’s Socratic mode to foster student reasoning, integrating tools like Google’s NotebookLM into coursework, and applying AI to everyday work tasks to improve efficiency and productivity.

Several sessions focused on teaching and assessment, including workshops on AI and student writing, generative AI in the sciences, and learning strategies that emphasize process, reflection and conceptual understanding rather than product alone.

Others centered on broader societal and institutional questions, including panels examining AI’s effects on society, the balance between artificial and human intelligence, and student perspectives on AI use.

Student voices were featured prominently in multiple sessions, including a panel discussion devoted entirely to student experiences and expectations. Another session invited open dialogue with members of the President’s AI Commission, offering participants an opportunity to share hopes, concerns, and ideas for future AI-related programming and policy development.

A post-Convocation survey revealed that 84% of attendees felt the event was either highly (54%) or somewhat valuable (30%).

“I can’t think of a Convocation we’ve held in the more than 25 years that I’ve been here that has been so well received,” said Dr. Mike Hoffman, co-chair of the university’s Presidential Commission on AI. “There is a real desire here for people to understand how we can best utilize AI in the most practical and ethical ways.”

Survey feedback suggested that participants approached AI with measured curiosity rather than fear or hype. Many respondents indicated they plan to rethink assignment design, clarify expectations around AI use in syllabi, and explore AI as a tool for brainstorming, organization and efficiency rather than a replacement for human judgment or learning.

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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).