Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Arkansas State University–Beebe to participate in their Faculty Professional Development Day. I was invited to deliver the keynote and spend time engaging with faculty about GenAI and higher education.

Honestly, opportunities like this are always energizing because the most valuable part is engaging in conversations with faculty who are actively thinking through how these tools fit (or don’t fit) into their teaching, their disciplines, and their students’ learning.

During the session, we explored several themes that continue to surface across campuses:

• How generative AI is changing the nature of academic work
• Practical ways faculty can begin experimenting with AI in their courses
• The importance of developing AI literacy among both instructors and students

Faculty also participate in some hands on activities as part of the presentation, and many asked really thoughtful questions—from concerns about academic integrity to curiosity about how AI might support teaching activities (feedback, brainstorming, course design, etc.). Of course, one of my goals for sessions like this is not simply to provide answers, but to help frame the questions institutions should be asking as they navigate generative AI. Faculty development days are powerful spaces for that kind of exploration because they bring colleagues together to share perspectives and imagine new approaches to teaching and learning, and I’m just grateful to the team at ASU–Beebe for the invitation, the warm welcome, and the opportunity to contribute to the conversation.