By Keri Straub, MBA, Vice President, Enrollment Management, Marketing & Communications at Elizabethtown College.

A feature piece from our Winter 2025 issue of the Lancaster Thriving Publication  

Elizabethtown College is committed to preparing graduates to become responsible, ethical, and creative contributors to society. As the world adapts to rapid technological change and the rise of generative artificial intelligence, we must ensure our students have the tools, skills, and knowledge to remain relevant and confident as they enter the workforce.

Across nearly every industry, AI is reshaping how professionals work, solve problems, and innovate—and higher education is no exception. To support our students’ success, Elizabethtown College is focused on staying ahead of these shifts, integrating forward-thinking approaches that empower students to grow, lead, and thrive in an AI-driven future.

First, we have an obligation to responsibly demonstrate the value and potential consequences of AI to students. As a tool, it can support and expand learning, but it can also easily overreach if used without caution. Allowing students to discover the tool and brainstorm is appropriate; however, establishing clear parameters for its use is essential and helps our students work more efficiently while holding set standards and boundaries to complete their research, which will benefit them in their future careers.

Moving AI-forward in an ethical environment is a priority. At Elizabethtown College, we take the use of AI very seriously across the campus with both students and employees. We’ve already created a taskforce with subcommittees focused on responsible data use, curriculum, teaching, and advising, and the student experience. These task forces aim to ensure that the vast opportunities, concerns, and rapid advances of AI get thoughtful and ethical consideration. The goal is how AI use on our campus can strengthen academic excellence, protect individual rights, enhance the student experience, and support the College’s long-term vitality.

AI also enables us to create a safe and innovative environment where students can explore new ideas. With safety as our guiding priority, students are encouraged to experiment, take risks, and learn through discovery. It promotes students to think critically, broaden their knowledge, and deepen their understanding of an infinite number of possibilities. With responsible constraints, we are confident that AI is helping us to shape stronger college graduates that will go on to create positive impact on the world around us.

In respect to that commitment, Elizabethtown College partners with businesses and industries to develop programs that shape the world around us and help organizations move forward. The launch of our Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence and Educational Technology reflects this commitment. The program prepares educators and professionals for leadership roles across K–12 education, higher education, educational technology, training and development, and a range of interdisciplinary fields.

Designed to equip aspiring leaders with essential expertise in artificial intelligence, educational technology, online learning best practices, and cybersecurity, the certificate serves as a model for the type of forward-thinking, industry-responsive programming we can create. The College’s Office of Strategic Partnership and Innovation welcome the opportunity to collaborate with any organization seeking to strengthen workforce capabilities and advance employee skillsets in an ever-changing world.

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