Dear Members of the Quinnipiac Community,
We are pleased to announce the release of Quinnipiac University’s first official Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy and Guidelines. This policy marks an important step in shaping how we thoughtfully and responsibly incorporate AI across teaching, research, and administrative functions. It reflects our institutional commitment to innovation, privacy, equity, and academic integrity and provides a framework to empower our community to embrace AI’s potential while addressing its risks and limitations. This is an approved initial version of a policy that everyone involved acknowledges will continue to evolve over time.
To guide this effort, Quinnipiac has established an AI Steering Committee responsible for overseeing strategic direction, policy development, and ethical considerations related to AI. The AI Steering Committee includes Debra Liebowitz, Provost; Mark Varholak, Chief Financial Officer; Bethany Zemba, Vice President for Strategy & Community Relations and Chief of Staff; and Adam Nemeroff, Assistant Vice Provost for Innovations in Learning, Teaching, and Technology. Furthermore, an expanding network of AI Champions throughout the university will foster innovation and collaboration on AI-related projects, as well as provide valuable advice and recommendations to enhance these initiatives.
To help faculty, staff, and students engage with this work, we invite you to explore the QILT Artificial Intelligence Resource Hub (QILT.qu.edu/ai), a curated set of practical tools, examples, and guidance. This includes sample syllabus statements, instructional examples, and strategies for thoughtful AI integration.
Below are key practices and expectations to guide the Quinnipiac community’s use of AI:
- Ensure Privacy Compliance: Follow all applicable laws and policies, including FERPA and copyright regulations. Do not input protected or sensitive information into public models.
- Use Approved Tools When Handling Sensitive Information: Use only university-approved tools, especially when working with FERPA-protected or copyrighted material. For more information, visit QILT.qu.edu/AITools.
- Verify and Refine Outputs: AI-generated content must be reviewed for accuracy and potential bias.
- Maintain Transparency: Disclose when AI is used in academic or administrative work.
- Apply Critical Thinking: Refine and evaluate AI outputs to ensure alignment with ethical and professional standards.
- Review Research Guidelines: For guidance specific to research and grant writing, refer to the Generative AI and Academic Integrity section of the AI Policy.
Students are expected to use AI only when permitted by instructors, cite any use of AI, and engage in open dialogue about how AI may affect learning. Instructors are encouraged to clearly define AI expectations in syllabi, model transparency by sharing their own use of AI, and foster discussion about its role in teaching and learning.
Instructors are encouraged to use generative AI cautiously when providing feedback and grading. Although this is not yet part of our formal policy, it is an emerging area that requires professional judgment and human oversight. Over the next year, we will involve the community in discussions on this topic and work on developing clearer guidelines for its use in this specific context.
Instructors should provide students with clear and timely guidance on how to use AI in their courses. They should refrain from using AI detection tools, as inputting student work into these platforms without written consent can violate FERPA regulations. Additionally, these tools may produce false positives or negatives, especially for multilingual students, raising ethical and legal concerns. Faculty should explore alternative methods to address suspected academic dishonesty. For assistance with adapting syllabi or assignments, please refer to the AI Syllabus and review examples from Semester Spark.
We encourage all members of the Quinnipiac community to review the full policy to better understand the expectations for AI use and how it supports our mission to build the University of the Future.
Thank you to the AI committee members and colleagues at the university who contributed to this effort through feedback and conversation. This policy represents a foundation for continued conversation, exploration, and innovation.
If you have any questions or feedback, please contact the Office of the Provost at Provost@qu.edu or the QILT team at QILT@qu.edu.
Sincerely,
Debra J. Liebowitz Provost
Adam Nemeroff Assistant Provost for Innovations in Learning, Teaching, and Technology