Public Debate: "UMW Should be an AI University"

Описание: The February 4, 2026, public debate on the resolution: “Resolved: UMW Should be an AI university.” The moderator (Tim O'Donnell) frames debate as the right method for high-stakes institutional decisions, then the affirmative (Anand Rao) argues for rapid AI integration (workforce, ethics, infrastructure), while the negative (Stefan Bauschard) argues universities should center human flourishing, deliberative process, and enduring purpose—not rebrand around a tool. Audience Q&A presses on branding, evidence, creativity, job displacement, and what responsible adoption should look like, followed by rebuttals and a final vote.

The debate was sponsored by UMW's Center for AI and the Liberal Arts https://academics.umw.edu/center-for-ai/


0:00 Welcome + why the provost is moderating
1:06 Why debate matters for “important discussions”
2:49 Debate format + rules of engagement
3:38 Introducing the debaters + “40 years in the making” backstory
6:48 Affirmative opening: why UMW should be an AI university
8:41 Argument 1: workforce imperative + labor-market claims
10:17 Argument 2: liberal arts as AI’s essential partner (ethics/humanities)
12:36 Argument 3: UMW’s momentum + Kodak “creative destruction” analogy
15:03 Negative opening: pro-AI, anti-“AI university” framing
16:44 Argument 1: universities are for human flourishing, not tool-centered identity
18:37 Argument 2: process matters—deliberative legitimacy and buy-in
19:47 Argument 3: tools change, purpose endures (internet/electricity analogy)
21:28 Cross-ex: naming, focus, and whether “AI university” shifts institutional priorities
33:08 Audience Q&A: branding risks, liberal arts identity, and differentiation
39:26 Audience Q&A: University of Florida—evidence of student benefit?
43:32 Audience Q&A: creativity, AI art, and drawing the line
51:57 Audience Q&A: moral case—job displacement and “end-times” concerns
58:51 Rebuttals begin: “nostalgia is not a strategy” vs. “V.U.C.A. world” framing
1:11:08 Post-debate survey + closing remarks + final vote result

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