The Pulse Newsletter

September 2026

In this edition

Welcome to the Pulse

Message from Provost Abby Parrill-Baker

Portrait of a woman with brown hair and glasses in a dark blazer and blue top

Dear Colleagues,
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping nearly every profession our students will enter. Employers are integrating AI into their operations while seeking graduates who can combine technical fluency with critical thinking, data-informed decision-making, ethical reasoning, communication, and professional judgment. Recent labor-market research also suggests that entry-level workers may be particularly affected when AI automates rather than augments their work.1  In contrast, less than half of UM-Flint students completing a recent technology survey indicated an expectation that they would need to use generative AI in their careers after completing school. Preparing students for the changing workplace requires us first to develop our own AI literacy and then to incorporate it thoughtfully across the curriculum.

AI literacy involves much more than learning to operate a particular tool. Because technologies and models evolve quickly, our focus should be on durable competencies: selecting appropriate tools, protecting sensitive information, recognizing bias, verifying evidence and citations, evaluating outputs, and understanding when AI should—or should not—influence a decision. Research involving radiologists illustrates this need: accurate AI recommendations can improve performance, but significant errors can pull even trained professionals toward incorrect conclusions.2  Sound human judgment remains essential.

Every academic unit has a role in identifying both shared and discipline-specific competencies. All students need a foundation in AI literacy, ethics, logic, and critical evaluation. They also need opportunities to examine how AI is used within their fields—from analyzing business data and supporting clinical decisions to developing software and understanding technology’s effects on human relationships. Our goal should be to prepare graduates to use AI to augment human capabilities and pursue higher-value work, not merely to automate existing tasks.
We must also engage honestly with AI’s risks, including workforce disruption, cognitive offloading, misinformation, inequity, privacy concerns, and the environmental demands of its infrastructure.  Over half of UM-Flint students responding to a recent technology survey identified the risk of plagiarism/cheating and false accusations of using AI inappropriately as additional risks specific to the academic setting.  Avoiding AI will not protect our students from these challenges. Teaching them to question its outputs, understand its limitations, and use it responsibly will better equip them to navigate a workplace and society in which AI is increasingly present.
I invite faculty and staff colleagues to explore AI tools, participate in professional learning, and consider the AI competencies our students will need. By developing this literacy together, we can help students become not simply users of AI, but informed, ethical, and adaptable professionals capable of shaping how it is used.

1, 2 For further reading (all links verified 8/28/2026)

Message developed with input from Nick Gaspar and Joel Howard and with drafting assistance from UM-GPT.

Regards,

Abby Parrill-Baker, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Academic Unit Featured Stories

Recent news, stories, and recognitions from across UM-Flint’s colleges and schools.

College of Arts, Sciences & Education

College of Health Sciences

College of Innovation & Technology

School of Management

School of Nursing

Sapna Thwaite with dark hair in a red jacket

From the Vice Provost for Engaged Learning and Teaching Innovation

I hope your summer was everything you hoped it would be! This time of year always brings a renewed sense of possibility and I am pleased to share multiple initiatives that are taking shape on our campus. 

Updates from the Desk of the VP ELTI
Stephen Turner with dark hair in a suit

From the Desk of Vice Provost for Academic Strategy and Effectiveness

As the new academic year gets underway, several initiatives within Academic Strategy and Effectiveness are moving into their next stages of implementation. This semester will bring new opportunities for faculty participation, along with expanded resources intended to support assessment, faculty qualifications, program review, and our continuing work on career alignment and student success.

Read the VP for Assessment and Accreditation Updates
John M. Ambrose in a plaid blazer and bow tie smiles while standing with arms crossed in front of a window.

A Message From the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management

This summer, the College of Innovation & Technology and Office of Admissions joined forces to represent UM-Flint at the annual Metro Detroit Youth Day on Belle Isle. It was a vibrant day of connection, discovery, and community engagement that highlighted the best of what our campus has to offer.

Read more about Metro Detroit Youth Day
Chris Lewis in a blue suit with glasses

Graduate Programs Updates

Beginning this fall, the University of Michigan-Flint will implement a new process for selecting a Graduate Student Speaker for each commencement ceremony. The Graduate Student Speaker will represent UM-Flint’s graduate student community and be recognized for academic excellence, intellectual maturity, strong character, exceptional talent, and meaningful service to the university and the broader community.

Read more about Supporting Graduate Students

The Office of the Registrar

2027–28 and 2028–29 Academic Calendars Approved

The University’s 2027–28 and 2028–29 academic calendars have been approved by the Board of Regents and are now available on the Registrar’s Office website.

With both calendars now finalized, faculty, staff, and academic units can begin planning well in advance for future semesters. The calendars include important academic dates, including semester start and end dates, breaks and holidays, examination periods, commencement, and other key deadlines.

Visit the Registrar’s Office Academic Calendar webpage to view the newly approved calendars and other upcoming academic events.

Azadeh Sadeghi with long dark hair smiles in a professional setting, wearing a black jacket and a patterned shirt.

Faculty Spotlight | Azadeh Sadeghi

This edition’s Faculty Spotlight is Azadeh Sadeghi, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management in the School of Management. Sadeghi is using analytics to help organizations and their surrounding communities make better decisions in an uncertain world, through innovative supply chain research, hands-on teaching, and meaningful student connections.

Read more about Azadeh Sadeghi
Amalie Helms smiling and wearing glasses, standing in a well-lit indoor space.

Staff Spotlight | Amalie Helms

This edition’s Staff Spotlight features Amalie Helms, Staff Supervisor in the CASE Dean’s Office, whose deep roots at UM-Flint and passion for collaboration continue to shape her work supporting faculty, staff,  students and the campus community.

Read more about Amalie Helms
Female student sitting on the library floor reading a book

Frances Willson Thompson Library Updates

The University of Michigan Flint Thompson Library is launching a survey [insert link] to better understand how faculty use the library collections as teaching materials. Per Matt Wolverton, the library is looking for some reassurance that the current collections are serving our faculty’s needs.

Explore the Library updates
UM-Flint Online and DIgital Education logo

The ODE Corner

The Office of Online and Digital Education provides comprehensive support to instructors and academic units in the development and delivery of online courses and programs at UM-Flint. Find the latest information. In this issue, learn about the new Panorama Tools, Maizey Image Describer, training opportunities, a new student-facing Canvas course, Learning with GenAI, and more. 

Find the latest information from ODE

2026 UM-Flint Convocation Photo Gallery 
Photos by Stephanie VanWagoner, Office of Marketing & Communication

Important Dates, Events and Deadlines