Connecticut College AI and the Liberal Arts Symposium: Full Schedule

9:00am EDT

Opening Session

Friday October 16, 2026 9:00am - 9:30am EDT

Crozier-Williams 1962 Room

Welcome and Symposium Overview

Friday October 16, 2026 9:00am - 9:30am EDT
Crozier-Williams 1962 Room

9:30am EDT

Opening Plenary — The Year of an Awakening in the Liberal Arts

Friday October 16, 2026 9:30am - 10:30am EDT

Crozier-Williams 1962 Room

This opening panel brings together AI leaders from small liberal arts colleges who first connected at the inaugural AI and the Liberal Arts Symposium and left with a shared conviction: that navigating AI in the liberal arts context requires ongoing collaboration across institutions. The panelists will reflect on the year since that first gathering. What has changed on their campuses? What differences do they see between SLACs and other types of institutions in their response to AI? What further opportunities for collaboration do they see between SLAC institutions? This session will set the tone for the symposium by grounding the day's conversations in lived institutional experience, honest reflection, and the power of a growing community of practice among liberal arts institutions.

Speakers

George Cusack

Director of Academic AI Initiatives, Carleton College

Eric Chown

Jaya Kannan

Director of Technology for Curriculum and Research, Amherst College

Jaya Kannan is Director of Technology for Curriculum and Research at Amherst College, where she leads the Academic Technology Services unit. She holds a PhD in Computer Assisted Language Learning and her higher education background spans international teaching, faculty development... Read More →

Susan Purrington

Harold F. Wiley Generative AI Teaching and Learning Fellow, Connecticut College

Lori Robbins

Head of AI Strategy, Denison University

Lori Robbins is Denison University's Head of AI Strategy, where she leads campus-wide initiatives focused on AI literacy and professional development. With a background in international education and educational technology, she creates programs that help students, faculty, and staff... Read More →

Friday October 16, 2026 9:30am - 10:30am EDT
Crozier-Williams 1962 Room

Plenary, AI, the Liberal Arts, and the Future of Work

10:45am EDT

Harold F. Wiley Keynote Presentation

Friday October 16, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT

Crozier-Williams 1962 Room

Harold F. Wiley Keynote — a 75-minute featured address by Dr. Jon Ippolito.

Speakers

Dr. Jon Ippolito

Friday October 16, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Crozier-Williams 1962 Room

Keynote, Ethics, Equity, and Environmental Impact

6:15pm EDT

Welcome Dinner

Friday October 16, 2026 6:15pm - 8:30pm EDT

Crozier-Williams 1962 Room

Supported by our Symposium Patron, Element451

Friday October 16, 2026 6:15pm - 8:30pm EDT
Crozier-Williams 1962 Room

9:00am EDT

The Great AI Debate

Saturday October 17, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT

Crozier-Williams 1962 Room

Oxford-style debate supported by ScholarStack AI. House Motion: This House believes that wisdom cannot be synthesized by AI. Patrick Dempsey (Proposition) vs. Anand Rao (Opposition). Floor vote before & after; moderated Q&A.

Speakers

Anand Rao

Director, Center for AI and the Liberal Arts, University of Mary Washington

Sponsors

ScholarStack AI

ScholarStack AI is a B2B platform that positions itself as "AI infrastructure" for higher education, giving institutions, faculty, and students a governed alternative to informal use of tools like ChatGPT. Rather than letting AI simply hand students answers, it uses guided, Socratic-style... Read More →

Saturday October 17, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Crozier-Williams 1962 Room

Debate, Ethics, Equity, and Environmental Impact

4:30pm EDT

Closing Session

Saturday October 17, 2026 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

Crozier-Williams 1962 Room

Closing reflection and Synthesis

Saturday October 17, 2026 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Crozier-Williams 1962 Room

9:00am EDT

9:30am EDT

10:45am EDT

6:15pm EDT

9:00am EDT

4:30pm EDT

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