Humanity & Technology: The Role of the Liberal Arts at Tech Institutions

Once again, after a first smaller meeting in April, Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College brought together the newly founded Council of Leaders of Liberal Arts Units at Technological Universities (CoLLT). We united 25 deans, associate deans, and chairs from STEM institutions from across the U.S. and Mexico. In addition to learning about our various strengths and challenges, we focused on the theme of Humanity & Technology and discussed a series of practices at which our units have considerably more experience than units at traditional universities.

Presentations included:

• In the Age of AI, What Are We Actually Educating Students For? Ron Tackett, Kettering University

• Georgia Tech’s Academic AI Strategy: David Joyner, Georgia Tech 

• WPI’s AI Initiative: Jeff Bardzell, WPI 

• Tech For Humanity: Laura Belmonte, Virginia Tech 

• A School of Technology and Human Experience: Will Gibbons, RPI 

• Ethics and Emerging Sciences: Kate Murphy, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 

• STEM Lingua: John Lyon, Georgia Tech 

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The participants also resolved to produce a collection of short essays that will map out the features specific to liberal arts units at academic institutions focused on technology and science. And the next meeting of the Council will be hosted by Laura Belmonte and her colleagues at Virginia Tech in spring.

Full list of participants

Jeffrey Bardzell, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 

Laura A. Belmonte, Virginia Tech 

Maria Bergstrom, Michigan Technological University 

Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Missouri University of Science and Technology 

Jeff Crane, Cal Poly Humboldt 

Heidi Hatfield Edwards, Florida Institute of Technology 

Robert Flowers, Lehigh University 

William Gibbons, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 

Thaddeus Guldbrandsen, Wentworth Institute of Technology 

Camille Johnson, Cal Poly Pomona 

Kyle Knight, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology 

Kelly Norris Martin, Rochester Institute of Technology 

Amanda Murdie, Georgia Tech 

Kathleen S. Murphy, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo 

Andy Oler, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 

Branko Pérez Restovic, Tecnológico de Monterrey 

Agustin Rayo, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Judith Ruíz Godoy, Tecnológico de Monterrey 

Ronald J. Tackett, Kettering University 

Corey Taylor, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 

Lucia Taylor, Utah Tech University 

Kelland Thomas, Stevens Institute of Technology 

Richard Utz, Georgia Tech 

LaReesa Wolfenbarger, Michigan Technological University 

Jackie Zhang, Oregon Institute of Technology