The CAA Academic Alliance requested applications from the thirteen institutions comprising the Alliance. Nearly 400 applicants responded to the call, with 22 faculty/staff members chosen for the inaugural cohort, including two from Elon University.
An Elon faculty member and staff member have been named to the inaugural cohort of the Coastal Athletic Conference Academic Alliance AI Technologies Champion Network.
Dan Anderson, special assistant to the president, and Michele Lashley, assistant professor of strategic communications, are recognized as faculty and staff “who are creatively and responsibly integrating artificial intelligence technologies into teaching/learning, research, student success, leadership development and institutional effectiveness.”
As the use of AI is impacting higher education, structured and collaborative approaches are essential for implementation that is cohesive, consistent and ethical. The AI Technologies Champion Network initiative addresses this transformational challenge by recognizing leaders across the Alliance, including Elon, building a community of AI technology champions and preparing inter-institutional teams for near-future extramural funding efforts.
Anderson was also named an AI Technologies Network Award recipient, which acknowledged his spearheading of the Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence and his effort involving scholars from 48 countries to produce a statement of principles guiding higher education’s role in preparing humanity for the AI revolution.
Launching as a novel initiative in October 2025, the CAA Academic Alliance requested applications from the thirteen institutions comprising the Alliance. Nearly 400 applicants responded to the call, with 22 faculty/staff members successfully creating the Alliance’s Class of 2025-26.