Minnesota State University Moorhead to launch applied artificial intelligence institute

NINA MOINI: Artificial intelligence is having a growth spurt, and there are a few ways to approach this quickly evolving technology. You can resist it, help advance it, ignore it altogether, or learn to use it.

Well, Minnesota State University Moorhead is going with that last option, and launching a new Institute of Applied AI. An anonymous donor provided funding to start the institute, which MSUM plans to open this fall.

For a closer look at these plans, Jason Trainer is joining us. He's the University's Vice President of Enrollment Management and Strategic Efforts.

Thanks for your time this afternoon, Jason.

JASON TRAINER: Thank you for having me.

NINA MOINI: Well, I'm curious about your title. Enrollment Management, Strategic Efforts, those all sort of seem to be the ingredients for parts of-- different parts of AI. I'm curious to know, where this idea came from, for an Institute like this?

JASON TRAINER: Well, we've had, I imagine, as many organizations and universities have had, AI integrating into parts of the campus, in programs and faculty discussions around how to leverage AI in the classroom, or how to leverage AI to make the universities more effective or efficient, and then some general ethical conversations around how you do it in a way that isn't cheating or an unethical situation.

So the discussions that we were having were kind of diverse. Really, what drove this concept for us is when we were talking to a lot of our successful alumni, the CEOs of organizations or senior leadership across all different industries, from education to health to business, and we would ask them what we should be thinking about, and what do our graduates need moving into the future?

And across every industry sector, AI was always part of that conversation. And so that really, I think, started to expand the conversations that we were having here at Minnesota State Moorhead, and led to the eventual creation of the Institute.

NINA MOINI: So when the Institute, hopefully, if things go as planned, opens up in the fall, what will it look like in there? What will be going on? Can you paint us a little picture/

JASON TRAINER: Yeah. We've got four different kind of themes that are happening in the Institute. And much of this is going to, similar to AI, it's evolving and changing so rapidly.

NINA MOINI: Got it.

JASON TRAINER: We have the post of where we think that we're going to be, but ultimately, also, the freedom to allow it to organically develop and flourish into what will ultimately be happening in the coming years.

We have a space that we are looking at specific professional sectors, so education, business, healthcare, human services, the arts, the sciences. And we really want to have work in those spaces that prepare our students to leverage AI and feel confident that they're able to use AI when they enter the workforce, and it's an asset to them. And so that's one of the major themes.

The second is more aspirational for us. We want to be a regional kind of powerhouse in the AI space. And so when industries or organizations are getting together and they're working in this FM region, we want to make sure that they think to invite Minnesota State Moorhead to the table to have some of those conversations. So a lot of thought leadership and collaborative partnerships with organizations and industries across the region.

NINA MOINI: OK. It's a good idea to embrace something that is happening already. And I know that MSUM has seen some long-term decline in enrollments, and you're not alone there. Was part of the idea behind trying to be on the forefront or at the forefront of AI, a way to set MSUM apart, and then try to attract more students? Where does enrollment play into this?

JASON TRAINER: Yeah. We are in growth mode. And you're right, we've had a couple of decades of really steady enrollment decreases for the University.

And we've had a new president, with President Tim Downs, that has joined us coming up on two years. And we really changed the trajectory of the University in terms of where we were wanting to focus.

So we are in growth mode, and we look at the thriving area and region that we serve, as well as the industry and investments that are happening, how do we align ourselves to be a part of that growth? Is one of the main themes.

This is one of a few different things that we're working with, and we're seeing these efforts already paying off. We had new enrollment growth, 8% growth in the fall, 16% growth in new enrollments in the spring, and we're projecting similar growth for the fall.

So it takes a few years of that to be able to really see the overall University start to expand. But we feel very confident that we're making the right decisions, and this Institute is the type of work that needs to be done, and to be an attractive place for students and families.

NINA MOINI: OK. And I understand, you have five AI Fellows. Are they already on campus, or what would they be specializing in?

JASON TRAINER: Yeah. So they are all within the unique disciplines. They are current faculty. We describe them often as out early adopters.

Different than a lot of other areas, AI, there's not a single expertise. And that's probably one of the things that I've learned so much, as we've spoken to thought leaders and folks that are working really diligently in this space, is that it's changing so much.

And so, in academia, we're used to hiring faculty that they're on-- that they have so much expertise in this, and they are that all-knowing person. And really in this space, you have to be the person that just kind of is fascinated, is interested in it, uses it every day, is curious.

And so we have many of those faculty on our campus, many that were using AI. And when our provost went out to create these Fellows and to bring some of that work to together and to shine a spotlight on that, that's where those Fellows have come in.

And so we're leveraging them in some great ways, but they're doing what kind of faculty do, which is to do great research into-- and their personal interests, I think, brought them into the AI space.

NINA MOINI: Did you have to do a lot of explaining to people, or are you having to explain to people how AI is beneficial? There are sides of it that are not as supported. A lot of people feel like maybe AI is on its way to taking jobs away from humans. So where does all of that factor in, the pros and the cons, as you embark on this AI journey?

JASON TRAINER: Yeah. I think that's an excellent question, and that's probably, one of the ethical discussions that need to be a part of the Institute.

We had a great thought leader on our campus a couple of weeks ago when we made this announcement. And during his session, he explained this, as I think we're all wrestling with that similar, larger question, that what AI does is it has raised the standard. And so if you can only do what AI can do, are you at risk to being replaced? And I think the answer is yes, you are.

But you're looking at the question the wrong way, and that is that AI allows for you to have, for example, better writing.

But what AI is limited to is it has to have the content, and the refinement, and those other elements to be put into it, to critique it. And so, it's a tool for you to be leveraged that can make the end product or service or experience better. But if you're only-- if you're not willing to raise your expectation or your standard, you could be replaced by AI.

And so our focus is really that mindset of not to be afraid of it, to understand that it's a tool in the same way that the internet and computers and other tools have come alongside of us and helped us, and it likely will shift where the jobs are and where the job market is. And that's part of that liberal arts education that we really embrace, which is we're really trying to focus on developing those adaptability, those strong communications, and critical thinking skills that can be transformational through someone's career.

NINA MOINI: It's all a part of a moving forward in it, it sounds like.

Well, Jason, thank you so much for stopping by and telling us about this. We hope you'll come back in the fall when the center's open.

JASON TRAINER: We look forward to sharing much more information and news about the Institute. Thank you.

NINA MOINI: Thank you.

Jason Trainer is the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Strategic Efforts at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

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