AI is rapidly changing the business and higher education landscape. Rather than fighting this onslaught of change, the College of Business (COB) embraces the progress AI brings. And so, on May 2, College of Business faculty and staff alike met on campus for an all-day AI Summit. The day included an AI-innovative guest speaker/entrepreneur, as well as additional panels and breakout sessions given by COB faculty and staff.
Keynote speaker, Victor Cho, CEO of Emovid (an AI-enhanced, multimodal messaging platform for businesses) stated, “I had the honor of joining Thomas Aicher and the amazing UCCS College of Business staff, who spent an entire day unpacking what AI will mean for their world. This is exactly the kind of proactive planning and hands-on skill-building that every educational organization needs to be doing.”
“The impact of unleashing higher-order reasoning and agentic systems into the world cannot be overstated,” he added. “It will over time fundamentally transform how we work, how we add value in the society and of course – how we are educated.”
The focus of this summit was to provide information and understanding of AI, how it will develop and how to successfully implement it in the classroom, research or within workflows.
“We created the AI Summit because AI isn’t just the future – it’s already here,” said Magan Calhoun, DBA, Associate Dean of Academic Programs. “As a College of Business, we have a responsibility to help our faculty, staff and students understand how to use these tools in smart, ethical and effective ways. This event was our way of giving people the space to explore what’s possible, get hands on, and start thinking about how we lead – not just react to – what’s next.”
Overall, the event was a great success, with participants learning or appreciating new aspects of AI. One particular highlight from the day was a panel discussion composed of UCCS students – who each shared their experiences, answered questions and gave personal insight toward AI usage at UCCS.
“A big thank you to Magan, Victor and each and every one of the presenters at the AI Summit,” said Bri Newland, Ed.D., Associate Dean of the College of Business. “We all learned a bit more about AI thanks to your ingenuity, critical thinking, and expertise. I’d also like show appreciation to all faculty and staff who attended the summit. I look forward to seeing how you use AI to further innovate your unique roles within the College of Business.”
“Your dedication to trying new things and strengthening your skillsets benefits us as a college, therefore benefitting our students and community,” she added.
About the UCCS College of Business
The UCCS College of Business was established in 1965 and has more than 1,300 undergraduates and 350 MBA students. The College of Business and Administration awards the Bachelor of Science in Business and Bachelor of Innovation degrees. The Graduate School of Business Administration awards the Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Accounting and Executive Doctor of Business Administration degrees. More than 10,000 alumni of the College of Business live and work around the world. For more information, visit uccs.edu/business.