NEW LONDON, Conn. — Educators, scholars and technologists from across the country will gather at Connecticut College Oct. 17–19 for the inaugural AI and the Liberal Arts Symposium, a national forum examining how generative artificial intelligence is changing the landscape of liberal arts education.
Organized through the college’s AI@Conn initiative, the symposium brings together more than 80 presenters from institutions including Connecticut College, Amherst, Trinity and others. Through panels, workshops and lightning talks, the event will explore AI’s influence on pedagogy, ethics, equity, academic research and student experience.
The symposium is sponsored by AQL Labs and BoodleBox, two companies that support research and collaboration on responsible and innovative uses of AI in education and beyond.
Lance Eaton, senior associate director of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning at Northeastern University, will serve as keynote speaker. Eaton is widely recognized for his work at the intersection of digital pedagogy, open education and AI ethics.
“AI raises important questions for educators—not just about what these tools can do, but how they fit into the values of a liberal arts education,” said Jessica McCullough, director of research support and curricular technology at Connecticut College. “This symposium is about exploring those questions together.”
Presentation titles include:
- “Does This AI Make the Grade? Co-Creating AI Scorecards with Students”
- “The Lifecycle of AI for a College Student”
- “Reckoning with AI in the Liberal Arts: Evidence, Ethics, and Limits”
- “AI as a Cultural Adaptation: Bucknell as a Case Study for AI in Liberal Arts Colleges”
- “How Helpful (and Ethical) Is It for Student Journalists to Use AI?”
About AI@Conn
Launched in 2024, the AI@Conn initiative supports the ethical integration of generative AI tools in teaching, learning, and operations. The initiative was made possible by a generous gift from Diane Y. Williams ‘59 Instructional Technology Fund in honor of Harold F. Wiley.
Connecticut College’s first AI Fellow, Susan Purrington, leads the initiative’s work in partnership with faculty and staff to explore the implications and opportunities of AI across the liberal arts.
More information is available at https://ailiberalarts.digital.conncoll.edu.
About Connecticut College
Founded in 1911, Connecticut College is a premier private liberal arts institution of 2,000 students located on a 750-acre arboretum campus in New London along the Thames River. The College’s mission is to educate students to put the liberal arts into action as citizens of a global society.
Through an innovative four-year curriculum called Connections, students combine theory and practice to integrate every aspect of their experience — from classes and research to internships and studies abroad — in preparation for meaningful careers that contribute to the public good. For more information, see www.conncoll.edu or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.