Cochise College secures $1.87M federal grant to build ethical AI capacity in rural education
Cochise College has been awarded a $1.87 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). It is the only postsecondary institution in Arizona selected for this national effort focused on responsible AI in teaching and learning.
Over four years, the "AI-Powered Success" project will train about 4,000 students, educators, and staff. The goal: practical AI literacy, ethical use, and clear pathways from classroom to career.
Why this matters for educators
The college is treating AI as a core skill set, not a side elective. That means structured training for faculty, scaffolded student learning, and industry alignment from the start.
As President Dr. James Perey explained, this marks a strategic shift for rural education-staying student-centered and community-anchored while preparing learners to influence the workforce.
What the grant funds
- Rural AI Playbook: A replicable model for community colleges to implement ethical AI across programs, staffing, and operations.
- K-12 to Industry Taskforce: A regional coalition to align AI skills from early grades into postsecondary and local employers.
- GenAI Workforce Microcredential: Short, stackable training focused on high-demand competencies and workplace use cases.
- Faculty and Staff Development: Hands-on training, classroom-ready assets, and ongoing support for adoption.
Instructional modules and training guides will be released as Open Educational Resources (OER), giving rural colleges nationwide a scalable blueprint to follow.
What campus leaders are saying
"The student that does not have good AI literacy skills is not going to be competitive in the business marketplace of the future," said Martin Versluis, educational technologist at Cochise College.
Acting dean of academic affairs Janelle Simpson underscored the workforce signal: "We're getting a lot of feedback from our industry partners and from our community that our students need to be prepared to use AI in the workforce, and so it's really important to us, as we serve our community to be responsive to that need."
Versluis added that ethical practice is central: "It's very, very important that students know how to use it effectively, know how to use it ethically."
Simpson said the rollout builds on existing work with an emphasis on doing it right: "We are building on a lot of work that we already had… we want to make sure as we build this out, that it's done correctly."
Scale and momentum
About 74 schools across the U.S. received funding, with roughly 24% being community colleges. For Cochise College, the grant moves plans from concept to execution, with public updates to follow as milestones are met.
What educators can do now
- Spell out AI learning outcomes: Define baseline literacy for your programs (ethics, prompts, evaluation, data privacy, tool limits).
- Create short credentials: Build microcredentials aligned to local employer needs and integrate them into degree pathways.
- Stand up faculty PD: Offer workshops, model assignments, and shared rubrics. Incentivize adoption.
- Pilot in high-impact areas: Start with programs already touched by AI (e.g., healthcare, business, IT, advanced manufacturing).
- Publish OER: Share what works-policies, modules, assessment guides-so peers can adapt quickly.
- Establish guardrails: Draft clear policies on acceptable use, privacy, academic integrity, and bias mitigation.
- Build the bridge early: Coordinate with K-12 and employers to align competencies and internships from day one.
Focus areas to watch
- Healthcare programs: Clinical documentation, simulation, decision support, and workflow augmentation.
- Workforce readiness: Resume/portfolio audits, scenario-based assessments, and AI policy literacy for workplace settings.
- Equity and access: OER-based materials, device access plans, and student support for responsible use.
Resources
Cochise College is moving from keeping pace with technology to setting a practical model for rural colleges: ethical integration, workforce alignment, and open resources others can use immediately.
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