Hofstra University and the Frank G. Zarb Graduate School of Business hosted the Roundtable on Technology in Business Schools (TBSR), a four-day conference focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and its growing influence in business education.
The event, held from June 10-13, brought together representatives from around 30 leading business schools across the US, including Harvard, Indiana and Yale. Discussions covered a range of technological advances, but AI emerged as a central theme.
Participants took a closer look at how AI can be integrated into business curricula, from its potential applications in education to future-proofing graduates with the skills they need for a rapidly evolving technology environment.
“At Hofstra University, we are committed to preparing students for the future of business, and that future is deeply intertwined with AI,” said Janet Lenagan, dean of the Frank G. Zarb School of Business.
“TBSR provided a valuable platform to explore how we can best integrate AI into the curriculum and equip the next generation of business leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to harness AI's potential,” Lenagan added.
The keynote was delivered by Daniel Pellegriti (Class of 2000), a Google Workspace Specialist with expertise in Enterprise GenAI and a Hofstra University alumnus. His insights shed light on how Generative AI can be leveraged to enhance business processes and decision-making.
“Generative AI is applicable across every industry, globally, and it's here to stay,” Pellegriti said.
He further discussed the importance of educating today's business students on how to take full advantage of technology.
“Schools should emphasize and teach students about AI so that they are aware of not only how to use it but also its growth and impact on the industry,” Pellegriti said.
To bring more attention to AI, a dedicated panel discussion was held featuring IT experts from the University of Illinois, Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Colorado Boulder.
Panelists explored the specific applications of generative AI at their schools and how they are preparing their campus communities to successfully leverage the ever-evolving technology.
Chris Tidrick, senior director of information technology and chief information officer at the Geis College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, talked about how the school began implementing digital twins.
“We created teacher avatars for presentations and had students test them. They couldn't tell the difference between the AI avatars and the actual teachers,” Tidrick explained.
According to Tidrick, the real challenge in implementing AI on campus is getting the community to see it as a benefit rather than a risk.
In this regard, Shannon Thomas, director of information technology at Georgia Tech's Scheller College of Business, highlighted the school's “lunch-and-learn” sessions focused on educating the campus community about AI and its benefits. The Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder has formed an AI task force to look at AI and its appropriate uses.
“The task force is looking at AI from three perspectives: research, management and education,” said Dave Kohnke, senior IT director at Leeds School of Business.
Tidrick finally added: “AI won't take your job, but it will take your job to people who know how to use AI.”
While much of the time was spent discussing advances in business technology education, conference sponsors also provided an opportunity for attendees to socialize over dinner and take part in a boating adventure.
Sponsors of the event included Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Asana, Hiration, VirtualSpeech, and 22 Miles. Other participating universities included Auburn University, Baylor University, Concordia University, Cornell University, Duke University, Florida State University, Georgia Southern University, Indiana University, Montclair State University, New York University, Rutgers University, Texas Christian University, University of Alabama, University of Arkansas, University of Florida, Indiana University, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Oklahoma, and University of Tennessee.
