Harnessing AI to Advance GW's Strategic Framework
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping higher education, and at GW, it plays a critical role in advancing all three priorities of the university’s Strategic Framework. To ensure AI is harnessed thoughtfully and in alignment with GW’s mission, President Ellen M. Granberg announced a university-wide strategic mapping exercise to identify current AI uses, opportunities, and risks across research, teaching, and operations, led by Senior Advisor to the President on AI Strategy, Dr. Zoe Szajnfarber. This collaborative effort will inform the development of GW’s institutional AI strategy and lay the foundation for principled, impactful adoption of AI across the university.
Timeline
- December 2025:
- AI mapping exercise announced
- Working group co-chairs named
- Data collection survey sent to GW leadership for distribution within units
- January 2026:
- GW community members invited to join working groups
- February 2026:
- Opportunities for broader community input through surveys and focus groups
- March 2026:
- Working groups analyze input and summarize their initial findings
- April/May 2026:
- Preliminary reports are shared with stakeholders for feedback and refinement before delivering recommendations
Working Groups
Zoe Szajnfarber
Professor and Senior Advisor to the President on AI Strategy
Research Working Group
Co-Chairs:
- David Broniatowski, Professor of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at GW Engineering
- Ted McKoy, Assistant Director for Award Set-up and Subaward Management in the Office of Sponsored Projects
Goals:
- Understand AI as an enabler (and complicator) of the research enterprise, in terms of both research itself and research administration
- Identify what support researchers and staff administrators need to engage productively and responsibly with these technologies
Education Working Group
Co-Chairs:
- Ryan Watkins, Professor of Educational Technology Leadership in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development
- Karen Singer-Freeman, Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning Excellence in the Center for Teaching Excellence
Goals:
- Understand what GW students need to know about AI and what skills they need to thrive in a post-graduation world where AI will be commonplace
- Understand how the presence of AI in the classroom should change teaching and learning
- Determine what supports are necessary for the people at the center of that evolution, including tools, training and beyond
Operations Working Group
Co-Chairs:
- Patrick Hall, Teaching Assistant Professor of Decision Sciences and Chief AI Officer in the School of Business
- Sue Bogan, GW IT Digital Transformation Specialist
Goals:
- Characterize the opportunities and risks of using AI as part of workflows and the complexities of moving in that direction, including cost and energy use
- Determine necessary support for staff
Ways to Get Involved
Please complete this form if you would like to express interest in joining a working group.
There will be additional opportunities to share your ideas and activities as we collect information through schools and units and directly from community members. More information will be shared soon.
Separately, if you are interested in learning more about the GW Trustworthy AI research initiative, you can find information here.
