STLCC to Host Mini-Conference on AI in Higher Education

March 23, 2026

Posted by STLCC in News Resources 

St. Louis Community College will host “The Human Impact of AI in Higher Education,” a free interactive mini-conference bringing together academic leaders, tech leaders and teaching innovators to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the human dimensions of higher education.

The event will be held on April 14 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at St. Louis Community College–Forest Park, 5600 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63110, in the Health Sciences Building, Room 412.

As the region’s convener of forward-thinking collaboration, St. Louis Community College is uniting experts from six institutions — Lindenwood University, Maryville University, Saint Louis University, St. Louis Community College, Washington University in St. Louis and Webster University — for a future-focused discussion on AI’s evolving influence on learning, teaching and work.

“AI is transforming higher education in real time, from the way students learn to how faculty teach and how institutions operate,” said Renita Luck, EdS, associate vice chancellor for distance learning at St. Louis Community College. “This convening is about ensuring we remain attentive to the human side of that transformation: the people, the roles, the ethics and the evolving expectations of what it means to learn and work in an AI-mediated world.”

Regional higher education faculty and deans, CIOs, and leadership are invited to attend and engage in interactive discussions with guest speakers.

Speakers Include:   

• Lindenwood University 
  
  • W. Travis McMaken, PhD, dean, College of Arts and Humanities, Butler Bible Endowed Professor of Religion 
  • James Hutson, PhD, professor, department head, College of Arts and Humanities 
• Maryville University 
  • Brian M. Gant, EdD, assistant professor of cybersecurity, program lead, undergraduate cybersecurity 
  • Phyllis R. Davis, MBA, director, cybersecurity graduate program 
• Saint Louis University
  • Mike Holmes, DT, director of academic applications, Information Technology Services
  • Jackson Nickerson, PhD, dean, Chaifetz School of Business 
• St. Louis Community College 
  • Renita Luck, EdS, associate vice chancellor for distance learning 
• Washington University in St. Louis
  • Anna M. Cunningham, MEd, PhD, assistant director of teaching innovation, Center for Teaching and Learning 
  • Jeromey Farmer, PhD, professor of practice and academic chair, McKelvey School of Engineering 
  • Dan Maranan, MBA, executive director, Digital Intelligence and Innovation Accelerator 
• Webster University
  • Tara J. Plachowski, PhD, MFA, Gen AI Faculty Fellow, Faculty Development Center and visiting assistant professor  

Refreshments will be provided, and no registration is necessary. Free parking is available in the STLCC-Forest Park parking garage off Macklind Ave.