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This includes a sizeable institutional grant to support efforts in the classroom. The ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ College Library has also created an AI research guide that includes recent publications, websites, newsletter, podcasts, and more. Further guidance for faculty is available in the Canvas AI module. 

Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity

In March 2025, the College announced a $50 million gift—the largest in our 231-year history—from Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings ’83 to launch the Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity. The Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity will be a step forward in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾’s growing engagement in this breakthrough technology, and ensure that students graduate well prepared to lead in a world reshaped by AI. Initial priorities include: 

• hiring ten new faculty members in a range of disciplines;
• supporting current faculty who want to incorporate and interrogate AI in their teaching, research, and artistic work;
• and leading conversations about the uses of AI and the changes and challenges it will bring, including workshops, symposia, and support for student research.

Learn more about the initiative in the College news release

A Major Award: Davis Foundation Grant

In the fall 2024 semester, the Davis Foundation awarded a three-year grant worth almost $250,000 to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾’s “AI in Teaching Initiative.” The grant was received from the Davis Educational Foundation established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis after Mr. Davis’s retirement as chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc.

The project, which involves resource-sharing with Colby and Bates Colleges, as well as the University of Southern Maine and the University of New England, offers workshops, panel discussions, symposia, and keynote addresses, all with the aim of supporting institutional efforts focused on effective teaching and learning.

Recognizing that faculty and staff are at different stages in their familiarity and adoption of AI, this initiative is designed to offer several points of entry to and engagement with this effort, and those interested in learning more about these opportunities should contact the AI subcommittee of the CoTCP (Committee on Teaching and Classroom Practice).

Current Activities

In the spring 2025 semester, eighteen courses were offering, or planning to offer, an AI component; this is more than twice the number of courses using it as the previous semester. Departments and programs exploring AI in the classroom currently include Biology, Chemistry, Digital and Computational Studies, Economics, Environmental Studies, German, Math, Physics, and Psychology.

More than 70 faculty members (nearly a third of the total) and twenty-one staff employees have been provided access to the AI platform Amplify and are experimenting with ways to use it in the classroom. Some 340 students, meanwhile, have access to the Amplify platform. 

AI Resources

The ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ Library provides a weekly curated list of AI resources, specially tailored for a higher education context. The goal is to keep people informed and engaged with the latest developments in AI and its impact on academia, including not only academic sources but also general interest pieces across various media formats.

Specific guidance for faculty on generative AI is available in the Canvas AI module. This includes information on preparing your courses, AI and academic integrity, assignment/assessment design, and more. 

Contact

For research support, .

For more information, email ai@bowdoin.edu.

For teaching and learning support, email bclt@bowdoin.edu.

For technical support, contact the .