By Karen Winfree ’28
As a third-year transfer student, I bring a perspective shaped by experiences from another college. Hearing president, Jeannine Diddle-Uzzi’s vision for AI technology at Thomas, made me eager to explore what embracing AI means for students.
Campus Perspectives on AI
President Uzzi revealed- she hates technology, including upgrading her phone. She much prefers Latin poetry to new apps. Yet, she attends every AI panel possible, determined to understand the technology reshaping her campus.
“I’m afraid of AI,” she admitted, “but I want our students to thrive in an AI-rich world.”
Artificial intelligence, AI, is transforming higher education. Thomas College is moving forward, trying to evolve with it. Across our three schools, the department chairs agree that integrating AI isn’t optional anymore; it’s essential.
That shift brings both excitement and unease for students. We are learning to collaborate with tools that can write, reason, and research, while simultaneously learning to balance the power of the tools with our determination to keep thinking for ourselves.
Second-year students told me, “I think it’s good to work with AI because it’s growing and influencing our society,” and “…used right, it can help learning.”
Thomas is a small college with a president asking a big question, “How do we teach students how to use AI without allowing it to replace human brain function and human creativity?”
Every Generation Fears the Next Big Thing
Every generation experiences advancements in technology. Televisions, computers, cellphones each advancement sparked the same debate: Will this improve our lives, and enhance human connections, or destroy them?
President Uzzi sees AI as part of that continuum.
“When I think about what people expressed as fears of earlier technologies,” she said, “they’re basically what people are expressing now about AI.”
Faculty Views: Learning in a Rapidly Changing World
Uzzi, once wary of technology, now sees AI as essential preparation for the world her students are entering. Her focus is on ethics and equity, ensuring that students learn to use AI without losing their capacity for critical thought. Her views are shared by many professors.
Dr. Don Cragen, Chair of the School of Business, views AI as a force already transforming his field. “The School of Business is fully embracing AI because that’s where the industry is going,” he said. “The key is embedding humanity and critical thinking in the process.”
Cragen also mentioned the fast evolutionary pace of today’s tech, challenges pedagogy; the method and practice of teaching, with maintaining relevant and effective policy.
In the School of Arts and Sciences, Dr. John Majewski also sees AI not as a replacement for
learning- but as a catalyst for reimagining it. “Moving forward, in my mind, is embracing AI,
making our courses AI-inclusive, with the caveat that this isn’t a substitute for learning. It’s a tool for learning.”
For Dr. Katie Rybakova, Chair of the School of Education, the human element remains
nonnegotiable. “Relationships are at the heart of teaching,” she said. “My hope is that we prepare students to use AI ethically, in ways that truly help them become strong candidates for their future professions.”
These leaders paint a picture of transition. Progress isn’t about having all the answers but having the courage to forge ahead, and in some cases, be willing to learn alongside students.
Student Experiences: Excitement and Anxiety
A second-year student in the library, with an AI chatbot open next to a Word document shares, “It helps me organize my ideas, but I am still thinking for myself.” Students express both optimism and anxiety.
Many students value how AI can assist brainstorming and provide quick feedback. Some worry about becoming intellectually lazy and putting integrity at risk.
Most are frustrated by AI-detection tools. A first-year at Jeanie’s Cafe worries, “If my work is
articulate, they think, ‘Oh, you must have used AI because you used a semicolon.’”
Her friend agrees “It’s stressful. Professors… check everything because AI use is so common, but it feels like they don’t trust us.”
Tension between trust and oversight defines the student’s experience right now. Some feel the constant monitoring stifles creativity; others see it as part of learning to use AI responsibly.
Most agree; inconsistent policies are stressful. “One professor encourages it, another bans it completely.’ says a third-year student, “My biggest hope is that teachers decide how they want to handle it, because right now, it’s up in the air.” Students are trying to use AI ethically as technology evolves faster than the rules meant to govern it.
Access, Ethics, and the Human Connection
Access and equity drive the college’s next steps. “… making sure every student has the
appropriate access to the right AI tools,” said Uzzi, “and that our faculty are ready to teach in that mode.”
Ensuring equal access to AI tools for all students prevents widening the digital divide between those in class who have the very best tech and those who have less. Faculty continue to stand by the basics.
As Rybakova put it, “You have to learn the math before you use the calculator. You need that foundational knowledge first, then you can outsource some of it to technology.” Professors like Rybakova treat AI misuse as a chance to teach responsibility, not to punish.
Every conversation revealed that human connection still matters most. Faculty and students all mentioned that authentic engagement between teachers and students is irreplaceable.
Majewski said, “I’m a firm believer that the value of human interaction is still real.” Ultimately, the goal isn’t just technological literacy. It’s cultivating ethical awareness, creativity, and critical thinking, the human side of education.
Conclusion: Thriving Alongside Technology
President Uzzi will probably hang onto her old phone a little too long. But she’s also experimenting with AI tools, testing ideas, and listening carefully to her students, who have grown up in a world defined by algorithms.
Despite any confusion, students and faculty know one thing for sure: AI isn’t coming; it’s already here. Now we must figure out how to live, learn, and think alongside it. Thomas College staff and faculty’s goal is not to replace human intelligence with artificial intelligence, but to teach students how to work in a world where human insight and machine intelligence- meets every day.
This article was originally written for Dr. Lisa Hibl’s EH 250/CO 250 Journalism class in Fall 2025.