AI Literacy Integration Fellows announced at Saint Vincent College
LATROBE, PA - Saint Vincent College has appointed five AI Literacy Integration Fellows within the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS). The fellows will lead practical work this spring to help students learn, evaluate and ethically apply AI tools across their fields of study.
- Mallory Truckenmiller Saylor, C'19 - Director of the Saint Vincent College Writing Center and adjunct professor
- Dr. Yara Acaf - Assistant professor of communication and media studies
- Dr. Juan-Carlos Rivas - Associate professor of Spanish
- Dr. Emily Arledge, C'15 - Assistant professor of history
- Dr. Christopher McMahon - Professor of theology
Each fellow is using release time during the spring semester to build AI literacy activities that support program goals while protecting academic integrity. Their focus: give students hands-on experience with relevant tools and clear guardrails for ethical use.
"AI tools present both opportunities and challenges in higher education. While AI tools can generate answers to questions with remarkable speed, we know that deep learning requires time, effort and struggle," said Dr. Elaine Bennett, AHSS dean. "Our faculty fellows will explore how to preserve that essential challenge for our students, at the same time ensuring that they know how to use the tools that will be relevant to their professional lives."
The initiative centers on human dignity and the common good. Fellows will collaborate with their departments to identify useful technologies, set expectations for appropriate use and design teaching strategies that help students practice discernment, not shortcuts.
"Our students must be prepared to work effectively and ethically in AI-augmented environments," Bennett added. "As Pope Francis reminded us in Antiqua et Nova, technology must serve human flourishing, not diminish it. An important part of our approach is thinking critically about the social, ecological, economic and spiritual implications of AI. We want our students to be thoughtful, responsible professionals who raise important questions for themselves and society."
What education leaders can borrow from this approach
- Anchor AI policies in academic integrity: define allowed uses by assignment type, and require disclosure of AI assistance.
- Teach tool evaluation: have students compare outputs for accuracy, bias and source transparency, then reflect on limits.
- Build "slow learning" into AI tasks: require drafts, process notes and citations of prompts so effort is visible.
- Map AI to discipline skills: pick tools that reinforce core competencies (analysis, language practice, revision, research planning).
- Coach ethical reasoning: discuss impacts across social, ecological, economic and spiritual dimensions before tool use.
- Assess process and product: grade the workflow (prompts, iterations, critiques) as well as final work.
For faculty, this model balances skill-building with formation. Students learn to use AI with judgment, and programs keep learning outcomes intact.
Standing alongside Dr. Elaine Bennett, dean of AHSS at Saint Vincent College, are the AI Literacy Integration Fellows: Dr. Yara Acaf, Dr. Emily Arledge, Dr. Juan-Carlos Rivas, Mallory Truckenmiller Saylor and Dr. Christopher McMahon.
Further reading on AI ethics in education: UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI. For educators seeking structured course options by role, see AI courses by job role.
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