March 25, 2026
Dear Campus Community,
Artificial intelligence is changing how we live, learn, and work. At Gettysburg College, we have a responsibility to our students to navigate this moment with a clear eye on the future and with an unwavering commitment to our mission and values.
In response to the profound change occurring in education and the workforce, we are launching a three-year AI initiative starting this fall. This initiative will position our campus to experiment, assess, and to understand what AI means for a Gettysburg education—and ultimately to define a Gettysburg Approach to AI moving forward.
Our goal is to ensure that every Gettysburgian is prepared to flourish in a world increasingly shaped by AI—equipped with the knowledge, skills, and discernment to use AI ethically and effectively in their own lives and careers.
Over the next three academic years, our AI work— guided by an AI Leadership Team comprised of students, faculty, and staff—will be implemented in three phases:
- Year 1 (2026-2027):We will focus on exploration, learning, and iterating as a community—building hands-on experience with AI and engaging students, faculty, staff, alumni, employers, and graduate schools on the benefits, challenges, and questions posed by AI.
- Year 2 (2027-2028):We will begin building a Gettysburg Approach to AI—an AI philosophy that will inform future decisions about policies, AI literacy standards, and AI instruction. This work will involve ideation, refinement, evaluation of competing models, and campus debate and discussion.
- Year 3 (2028-2029):We will draw on what we’ve learned to define and adopt a Gettysburg Approach to AI—shifting from ideation and evaluation to implementation and execution of College decisions.
I am deeply grateful to Psychology Prof. Richard Russell and Chief Information Officer Gavin Foster for leading this necessary work to date, alongside their talented team: Michelle Schmidt, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs; Junjie Luo, Director of the Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and Learning (JCCTL) and Associate Professor of Asian Studies; Melissa Forbes, Lecturer of English and Coordinator of the Writing Center and First-Year Writing; Eric Remy, Director of Educational Technology; and Josh Wagner, Director of the Innovation and Creativity Lab.
More information on our AI work will be provided in the months ahead. I look forward to partnering with you as we shape an approach to AI that reflects the very best of our Gettysburg College community.
Sincerely,
Bob Iuliano
President