Aug 16, 2025 By Paul Paterra 5 min read

Pennsylvania Western University’s brand-new curriculum in artificial intelligence is creating a lot of buzz.

The PennWest Center for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies was launched in April with the vision of preparing students, faculty and community partners to innovate and lead in the adoption and responsible use of AI and emerging technologies. It’s believed to be the first of its kind in the state and perhaps this region of the country.

“We are the only state system school that has a center that focuses on AI and emerging technologies,” said Dr. Camille Dempsey, the center’s director. “It’s really about educating people about what AI and other technologies are all about. We have really positioned ourselves to be not only the hub for all questions, work, research, credentialing for Northwestern Pennsylvania, but also through the state and around the country.”

The center is located on the Edinboro campus, but its services are available to students at all of the PennWest campuses, including California and Clarion.

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is defined as the capability of computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence.

Dempsey said the center is starting to generate a lot of interest throughout the country.

“I just talked to a guy in Vancouver who said, ‘I saw your center with this AI solution; we’re super interested in doing something,'” she said. “It’s been a whirlwind. I haven’t had to reach out to anybody because the whole world is reaching out to us. We have a lot of people lining up to work with us. There isn’t anything like this anywhere.”

Dempsey, who also is a professor in educational technology, said the roots for the AI lab were planted in the fall of 2024 when a university provost asked about the possibility of PennWest exploring AI education.

“There were already faculty working in the AI space, so it wasn’t like this was anything new,” she said. “I think this was about helping everybody else get on board and start thinking about issues like responsible use, AI literacy, and equitable access.”

When classes begin Aug. 25, PennWest also will be offering a minor in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, along with general education courses AI for Everyone and Critical Thinking in Psychology in the Age of AI. They are designed to help educate students navigate an ever- evolving technological and workforce landscape.

Dr. Brandon Packard, associate professor and assistant department chair for computing and engineering technology, was involved in creating the new AI minor. He said many of his applied computing students are ready to tack the minor onto their studies.

“For it being a new program, a lot of my students have expressed interest in it,” Packard said.

Packard also was involved in the development of AI for Everyone, a new course geared to those who are not part of the normal student population, such as high school students and working adults.

“That is more about the history, how humans and AI interact, the good and the bad of AI, things for a more general audience,” Packard said. “My hope is that it gets that idea of AI literacy out there because AI is being used more and more on jobs. Even just understanding a little bit about how it works and how to work with it is so helpful nowadays.”

Some of the lessons Packard will provide include how to interact with AI, data privacy, ethical considerations and the good of AI.

Dovetailing with the new AI curriculum is the university’s addition of a school of business geared toward equipping students to lead, innovate and drive economic growth throughout Western Pennsylvania and beyond.

PennWest will offer two new standalone 15-credit certificate programs that can be taken by those not in a degree program, Entrepreneurship Essentials and Entrepreneurship Leadership.

Those taking the class may be working professionals or business owners interested in furthering their skills.

“Education in entrepreneurship cultivates the skills to start, grow and lead businesses through an innovative mindset,” said Dr. Susan Ryan, chair of the department of business and economics. “AI is a tool to help leverage those skills through automating tasks and building insights more efficiently.”

Entrepreneurship Essentials teaches the basics of how to run a business while developing skills and knowledge to improve business operations, and Entrepreneurship Leadership deals with leading a business while developing entrepreneurial confidence and leadership skills.

“The students have this opportunity without committing to a four-year degree,” Ryan said. “It benefits them by sharpening their skills or giving them the basic skills they need to be successful innovators to improve their businesses or launch their own businesses. These two, stackable 15-credit credentials are opportunities that you can come and take these courses that will help you with business pitching, basics of accounting, basics of business and professional communication and personal selling to get you in a position to make a pitch to get your professional funding.”

Dempsey said having the students acquire these entrepreneurial certifications can be helpful in getting into the business world combined with the AI education that is being offered.

“I get a lot of requests from the center where businesses and organizations are asking if we have students that are AI experts who can also teach and lead with AI in their organizations,” she said.

Also addressed are data security and privacy.

“These are all things that we’re going to have professional development on,” Dempsey said. “If you can’t keep people safe, there’s nothing to educate anybody about.”