University establishes Miami Center for AI to support teaching, research
Dennis Cheatham to serve as center’s director
University establishes Miami Center for AI to support teaching, research
Dennis Cheatham to serve as center’s director
Supporting teaching and research will be at the forefront of the new Miami Center for AI.
Miami University’s Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the center during the Sept. 25 board meeting. Dennis Cheatham serves as director of the center, which will provide guidance and resources for the Miami community, create external partnerships, and communicate the university’s AI initiatives.
With artificial intelligence (AI) touching seemingly all corners of society, Cheatham emphasized how important it was for Miami to meet the moment by highlighting its strengths in both teaching and research.
“I’ve worked with so many brilliant people who are doing the work,” said Cheatham, an associate professor of Graphic and Experience Design. “I’m excited to share their work with the world.”
First steps for the center include identifying both an internal advisory board and national advisory board, as well as exploring possibilities for a physical space.
Developing programming is also high on the list of priorities.
“We want to bring together perspectives from across campus to collaborate on the center’s activities. That’s crucial,” Cheatham said. “Finding a physical space to support students and support faculty is important. We want to provide programming that complements the work already being done on campus by places like the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Howe Writing Center.”
Focusing on how AI affects “impact sectors,” such as engineering, cybersecurity, governance, art, entertainment, and discourse is also part of the center’s mission.
AI tools are reshaping teaching, learning, and interaction, Cheatham said, and the center is designed to facilitate transdisciplinary connections to assist Miami students, faculty, and staff.
“This is a chance to really engage with everyone,” he said. “Teaching and research are really quite joined here at Miami. Research is not separate from teaching and really infuses our teaching with innovative ideas. The center melds those two together. There is a reason our culture is so entwined with the teacher-scholar model.”
Cheatham noted that the center is not responsible for developing university policy when it comes to AI, but it will advise and support those initiatives.
To that end, an upcoming AI conference in April on the university’s Oxford campus is in the works. Previously, Miami’s IT Services organized and hosted an AI Symposium in the spring.
“In 2027, the AI center will start supporting that event,” Cheatham said. “We’re excited to build a conference and invite industry partners and external parties to engage with our faculty and staff as we investigate how AI is affecting teaching, learning, and research.”
The center will be part of the Office of the Provost. Miami also recently announced its AI in the Majors initiative, which is designed for undergraduate students to graduate with AI competencies aligned with their professional interests.
Meeting this key moment is exciting for Cheatham, especially since it offers an opportunity for the university to share its expertise on a large scale.
“These technologies are challenging us to evaluate many things,” Cheatham said. “For me, it’s a chance where the university, in a very Miami way, can answer the question of where authentic teaching is moving forward. This is the moment where Miami shares with the world what we’re learning.”