Day 1 Agenda | The Gen‑Z Puzzle
Today’s generation challenges the ways colleges recruit, retain, and teach. With fewer high-school graduates in the United States, colleges must innovate how they support traditional-age students. Generative artificial-intelligence tools have changed these students’ relationship with their education, while concerns about students’ willingness to consider a diversity of viewpoints have upended campuses and classrooms. The first day of the Chronicle Festival will explore these crucial issues and more.
12:30-12:35 PM ET
Welcome
12:40-01:30 PM ET
Leadership Panel: What It Takes to Support Students Now
With DEI under scrutiny at the federal and state level, how do college leaders navigate the political climate while continuing to build inclusive campuses? How do they envision student-success efforts evolving to meet the changing times? Join a university president and the chancellor of a community-college district as they look to the road ahead.
Speaker | DeRionne P. Pollard
Incoming President, American Association of Community Colleges; former President, Nevada State University
Speaker | Russell Lowery Hart
Chancellor, Austin Community College District
Interviewer | Jasper Smith
Staff Reporter, The Chronicle of Higher Education
01:35-01:55 PM ET
Sponsor Segment presented by Google: Accelerating Academic Mission and Research Impact in the New Era of AI
Higher Education stands at an inflection point in this New Era of Innovation and Economic Growth, where AI is rapidly transforming how education is delivered, research is conducted, and institutions operate. This session explores practical generative AI applications driving agentic and multimodal experiences that redefine interaction and skill acquisition. We will share how the latest AI models, hypercomputing infrastructure, and no-code agent tools empower students, faculty, and administrators to achieve deep personalization in learning, accelerate research breakthroughs, and strategically align educational journeys with future career pathways.
Speaker | Charles Elliott
Head of Industry Architects, Google Public Sector
02:00-02:30 PM ET
Interview: Academic Integrity in the Age of AI
The emergence of generative artificial intelligence has raised widespread fears about its impact on academic integrity. In this session, Tricia Bertram Gallant will offer expert advice on how to approach this challenge and help faculty members and administrators refocus classes and students on learning.
Speaker | Tricia Bertram-Gallant
Director of Academic Integrity Office and Triton Testing Center, University of California at San Diego; Co-author, The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for Integrity in the Age of AI (University of Oklahoma Press)
Interviewer | Beth McMurtrie
Senior Writer, The Chronicle of Higher Education; Co-author of Teaching, a weekly newsletter
02:30-02:50 PM ET
Interview: What Does AI Literacy Really Mean?
Colleges are being called on to prepare students for an AI-driven work force. Should they? And, if so, how? In this session, two Chronicle journalists will discuss AI literacy, students’ views on AI, and more.
Speaker | Beth McMurtrie
Senior Writer, The Chronicle of Higher Education; Co-author of Teaching, a weekly newsletter
Interviewer | Ian Wilhelm
Deputy Managing Editor, The Chronicle of Higher Education
02:55-03:15 PM ET
Sponsor Segment presented by Old Dominion University: Forward-Focused Digital Transformation for the Next Era of Higher Education
Old Dominion University is redefining what it means to be a modern research institution through a holistic digital transformation that spans research, teaching and learning, and operations. ODU’s Forward-Focused plan embeds AI and innovation into every pillar. ODU is not only modernizing classrooms and operational systems but also creating new models for research enablement and student success—positioning the university as a national leader in the future of higher education.
Speaker | Brian O. Hemphill
President, Old Dominion University
03:20-04:10 PM ET
Roundtable: The Value of Viewpoint Diversity
More university leaders, politicians, and academics are calling for greater viewpoint diversity in higher education to better teach students and prepare them for a world where views are often conflicting. But what does viewpoint diversity really mean? Is there a consensus on how it should be defined and measured? And what is realistic in how campuses are held accountable for it?
Speaker | Steven Pinker
Johnstone Family Professor, Department of Psychology, Harvard University
Speaker | Sian Beilock
President, Dartmouth College
Interviewer | Len Gutkin
Senior Editor, The Chronicle Review; author of The Review, a weekly newsletter on the ideas shaping the academy
04:10-04:15 PM ET
Closing Remarks
With support from:
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