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A $1 million federal grant will expand how Rockhurst University partners business programs with technology and AI.
The university said it's striving to be at the forefront of innovation by making capital improvements to foster innovation inside Conway Hall.
These improvements will expand tech-focused degree programs.
"I'm old enough to certainly remember bringing in the internet," said Dean Myles Gartland, who's seeing new technologies emerge. "The internet was going to completely change all of business. And it did change all of business, but the fundamentals stayed the same."
This change is not new to Gartland as he's seen technology evolve and the college evolve with it. With technology rapidly developing, Gartland said the university's infrastructure needed to match those developments.
The building housing the College of Business and Technology also experienced an evolution of education with the eras it's been through. This next evolution is AI.
"AI's going to have a productivity boost just like the internet did," Gartland said.
From dry erase boards to projectors and now to AI, time has changed how students learn.
With $1 million from House Resolution 6938, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act 2026, they will be able to expand program offerings.
This will include a Master of Science in Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence.
"I think if they're embracing it as a tool, I think yeah, it shouldn't be the one answer to everything," said Priscilla Villarreal, a senior analytics and technology major. "But I think AI can be very helpful for many things."
AI is opening doors to possibilities outside of the classroom, with it already being integrated in business spaces.
While artificial intelligence is breaking a mold, Rockhurst University said its effectiveness and ethical uses can start with lessons in a classroom.
"The idea is that when they go into the world, what they learned in college is very similar to what their corporate world looks like," Gartland said.
It's a world scrolling through technological advancements.
"As we go more into this modern age and time, I definitely see AI, a lot more technology into our education, seeing how we can advance that because the only thing we're ever doing is advancing," Villarreal said.
But even with enhanced technology, the faculty said it doesn't work without educating students on the human skills.
"A good curriculum is not only going to balance the use of the technology, but business development, business usage, critical thinking, ethics and just continually using our critical thinking skills," Gartland said.
This means the school will teach practical uses for AI instead of causing a dependency for the tool.
The grant is evolving once again the education foundation built inside one of the campus's oldest buildings.
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