Southern WV Community & Technical College Awarded $1.8 Million Grant to Launch AI Readiness & Capacity Initiative to Transform Teaching, Learning, and Student Support

Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College (Southern) is launching a comprehensive AI Readiness & Capacity Initiative, a four-year, institution-wide effort designed to advance the responsible integration of artificial intelligence across academic programs and student services. The initiative is supported by $1.8 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Grant Program.

“This significant investment allows Southern to intentionally and responsibly leverage artificial intelligence in ways that directly support our students and faculty,” said Dr. Corley Dennison, Interim President of Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College. “As a rural institution serving a high-need region, this initiative ensures our students are not left behind in a rapidly evolving technological landscape, while strengthening our capacity to deliver high-quality instruction and wraparound support services.”

Southern serves a rural, high-need region of Appalachia marked by low household income, limited educational attainment, and persistent barriers to college access and completion. A majority of Southern’s students are first-generation and low-income, many of whom balance coursework with work and family responsibilities. These challenges contribute to ongoing issues related to retention, completion, and access to consistent academic and student support services. The AI Readiness & Capacity Initiative is designed to directly address these challenges by leveraging AI to enhance teaching, learning, and institutional effectiveness.

A central focus of the initiative is improving teaching and learning through the integration of AI tools, AI-supported instructional strategies, and AI-related content in high-impact academic programs, including Nursing, Allied Health, Business, Information Technology, and General Education. Faculty will participate in a structured professional development model that begins with baseline AI literacy workshops and progresses to discipline-specific training. By year three of the initiative, Southern anticipates that at least 75 percent of faculty will be using AI-enabled strategies to deliver more personalized instruction, improve student engagement, and strengthen learning outcomes. In addition, the college will develop new AI-focused academic offerings, such as an AI foundations course or certificate, to prepare students for an evolving, technology-driven workforce.

The initiative also strengthens student support services and operational efficiency through targeted AI-driven innovations. Southern will implement a 24/7 AI-powered student services chatbot to provide real-time assistance, deploy a predictive early-alert analytics system to identify and support at-risk students, and pilot AI-assisted administrative tools to streamline internal processes. Together, these efforts are expected to increase access to timely student support, reduce staff workload, and improve overall responsiveness. As a result, the college projects an increase of at least five percentage points in first-year student retention by the end of the grant period.

To ensure ethical, sustainable, and responsible adoption of artificial intelligence, Southern will establish a college-wide AI task force and develop a comprehensive AI policy framework. AI expectations and training will be embedded into ongoing professional development and new-hire orientation to ensure long-term institutional alignment. Continuous improvement will be guided by a robust evaluation plan that includes baseline data collection, annual assessments, a formal midpoint evaluation in year three, and a summative evaluation in year four. These evaluations will measure faculty AI adoption, student achievement, effectiveness of support services, operational improvements, and overall gains in institutional capacity.

By the conclusion of the AI Readiness & Capacity Initiative, Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College will have established a sustainable AI infrastructure, enhanced instructional quality, expanded student support systems, and developed a replicable model for responsible AI integration at rural community colleges. The initiative positions Southern as a regional leader in AI-driven educational innovation while expanding opportunity and improving outcomes for Appalachian learners and the communities the college serves.