Among the many factors driving change in higher education, few are garnering more attention than artificial intelligence. Concerns, issues, challenges, and opportunities abound with AI. During my visit with the Robert Holland Faculty Senate earlier this month, College of Arts and Sciences Senator Kimberly Kelly posed a very good question about AI and its use and impact on our campus. I thought I would expand on my answer here.

As most of you know, Julie Jordan is now serving as MSU’s first-ever Senior Advisor for Artificial Intelligence and Data Governance, following her successful tenure at Vice President for Research and Economic Development. In this new role, she is overseeing strategic AI initiatives and comprehensive data governance. Dr. Jordan recently joined me in a robust discussion with the University Committee on Artificial Intelligence.

During our conversation, we focused on MSU’s role as a thought-leader among universities in the implementation of AI in research and teaching. What is clear to me from this and similar discussions is that artificial intelligence is a paradox, at once a frontier of unprecedented opportunity and also a source of significant concern. Leadership in AI requires a clear sense of when its use is appropriate. Across our campus, we are experiencing both the excitement of innovation and the weight of its challenges.

As chief academic officer, I am committed to moving forward thoughtfully. Even while many of our colleagues are already leveraging AI to transform research, teaching, and service, we will continue to engage with the critical questions it raises about ethics, creativity, and the future of human connection. While our university is dedicated to growing AI capabilities on campus, at the end of the day it is up to faculty to decide how and whether to use these developing technologies at the intersection of their disciplinary commitments and specific learning outcomes.

Discipline-specific discussions will help to uncover new learning objectives focused on using AI effectively and ethically and, for each longstanding learning objective or context, help to clarify whether AI has a role at all. By framing these conversations around specific objectives within colleges, departments, and courses, faculty exercising their academic freedom can make thoughtful decisions about when to include or exclude AI.

The integrity of any academic activity, whether conducted using blue books or AI-enabled simulations, rests in its connection to our goal of producing thoughtful, capable, and virtuous students. Clarity about these connections will help us explain to students why AI is or isn't appropriate in each assignment or learning context.

Moving forward, I look forward to many more important conversations about AI at MSU, and I hope you will contribute your voice to the discussion.

Please let me take a few additional minutes of your time for an update from the Division of Academic Affairs.

SEC Honors Ryan for SEC ALDP Contributions

I was honored to help recognize Executive Vice Provost Peter Ryan with a special award for his extraordinary contributions to the SEC’s Academic Leadership Development Program during the 2026 SEC ALDP Spring Workshop at the University of Alabama this month. Dr. Ryan has been instrumental in the success of the conference’s signature academic initiative, especially his support of the SEC ALDP Fellows program. He also led our efforts to host the Fall Workshop in October, which was a resounding success. He is most deserving of this special recognition, and I was honored to be on hand in Tuscaloosa to present him with the award. Congratulations, Peter — and thank you!

Kudos and Congratulations

Every month, I look forward to sharing faculty and staff success stories with you, and here are a few that have crossed my desk recently:

* Congratulations to Jan Chambers, the director of the Center for Environmental Health Sciences and a fellow Giles Distinguished Professor, who has been honored with the Society of Toxicology’s prestigious Founders Award. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8452. 

* Kudos to Molly Zuckerman, a professor in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, and graduate student Lydia Bailey for their recent article in Science: “Uncovering the secrets of syphilis: Integrating archaeological, skeletal, and paleogenomic data can reveal the origins of syphilis.” Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8453. 

* Congratulations to Anne Marshall, a professor in the Department of History and executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, who is a finalist for the 2026 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, one of the most significant honors for scholarship in the field of American history. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8437. 

* Kudos Emily Stafford, an associate clinical professor in the Department of Psychology, who has earned an inaugural national award for Best Clinical Foundations Course in a clinical psychology doctoral program from the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8441. 

* Congratulations to Aswathy Rai, an associate teaching professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Nutrition and Health Promotion, who has been honored with a 2025 Excellence in College and University Teaching Award for Food and Agricultural Sciences by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8435. 

* Kudos to John Ramirez-Avila, an associate professor in the Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who has been named a fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8428. 

* Congratulations to Sheila Williamson, a clinical psychologist with the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability, who was recently honored with the 2025 Torchbearer Award from the Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8436. 

* Kudos to Vuk Marojevic, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Paul B. Jacob Chair, who has received a National Science Foundation SWIFT Award to advance his research. Read more at https://www.bagley.msstate.edu/news/31532. 

* Congratulations to Candace Lukasik, an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion and a faculty affiliate in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, who has received a highly competitive 2026 Collaborative Research Grant from the American Academy of Religion. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8443. 

* Kudos to SaMin Han, an assistant professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design, who is leading the inaugural Envision Resilience National Design Studio Grant, and project team members Chuo Li, professor of landscape architecture and environmental design, and David Perkes, professor in the School of Architecture and director of the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8449. 

* Congratulations to Karyn Brown, an assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and instructor in the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre, who has been honored with the Alabama Public Relations Society of America’s Outstanding Educator Award. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8423. 

* Kudos to Dean Terry Jayroe and the College of Education team for being recognized as a Mississippi Emerging Science of Reading Educator Preparation Program by the Mississippi Department of Education. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8416. 

* Congratulations to John Green, a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and the director of the Southern Rural Development Center, who has been named a Community Development Research Fellow with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8414. 

* Kudos to Jesse Wade, an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre, who received the Adult Playwriting Award from the Mississippi Theatre Association for his original play, “Touch,” the story of a scientist who gives emotions to an android she has created, exploring themes of technology, humanity and connection. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8444. 

* Congratulations to Mary Dozier, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology, who was invited to serve as a keynote presenter at the Institute for Challenging Disorganization annual conference, a national event focused on understanding and addressing chronic disorganization, hoarding and other concerns. Read more https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8412. 

* Kudos to Madhav Dhakal, an assistant research professor with the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute, who received the 2025 Conservation Research Award from the Soil and Water Conservation Society. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8413. 

* Congratulations to Ross Smith, an assistant professor of practice in the Hall School of Mechanical Engineering, who has been appointed to serve as the workforce representative on the IACMI Consortium Council. Read more https://www.iacmi.org.

* Kudos to MSU Three Minute Thesis winner and College of Forest Resources graduate student Samadhi Nawalage, who won second place at the 3MT regional competition at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools annual meeting in Baton Rouge this month. Read more at https://www.theadvocate.com. 

* A thank you to our faculty, staff, and students at MSU-Meridian who recently donated to a Mississippi Blood Services campus drive. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8454. 

* And a welcome to Associate Teaching Professor Leslie Burger, who will be leading the efforts to enhance visibility, recognition, and advancement of our faculty as MSU’s first director of faculty recognition. Read more at https://www.memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8424. 

Final Words

Thank you for reading this month’s letter. Your comments, questions, suggestions, and concerns about these or other topics are welcome at david.shaw@msstate.edu. 

David

Dr. David R. Shaw is Provost and Executive Vice President at Mississippi State University. His email address is david.shaw@msstate.edu.