Howard University And Bowie State University Announce $4M Initiative To Produce AI-Ready Graduates

A multi-million-dollar initiative is on the way to ensure the responsible use of AI at two HBCUs.

ASCEND-AI

According to a press release, Howard University and Bowie State University will benefit from a $4 million initiative called ASCEND-AI (Advancing Student and Collaborative Educator Networks for Digital AI Integration). It is led by LaTanya Brown-Robertson, associate dean for academic innovation and student success in Howard’s College of Arts and Sciences, and is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

ASCEND-AI will reach about 400 undergraduate and graduate students and 50 faculty members across each campus annually to increase their AI literacy. The program seeks to strengthen its evaluation of AI-generated misinformation and hallucinations and encourage ethical use of AI. Additionally, the partnership will prepare participants to use AI for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Faculty members at Howard University and Bowie State University will be trained and given resources to intertwine AI-related modules into their courses, allowing students to apply AI concepts directly in their coursework.

“Industry demands for AI‑ready professionals and leaders, whereas universities currently are behind in producing AI-ready graduates. The ASCEND-AI grant focuses on addressing this gap and it will help Bowie State University faculty and students develop AI fluency, i.e., develop knowledge, skills and abilities to use and collaborate with AI systems ethically, safely, efficiently and effectively,” Azene Zenebe, professor of information systems at Bowie State University and the chair of the management information systems department who is among the ASCEND-AI core team, told AFROTECH™.

Bianca J. Jackson, founder & CEO of BrickRose Exchange, who serves as ASCEND-AI’s external evaluator, commented:

“As the external evaluator for ASCEND-AI, what I know to be true is this: the most important question in AI isn’t who builds the tools. It’s who gets to shape how they’re used. HBCU students aren’t just the future workforce. They are future creators and stewards of AI systems that will define opportunity for their communities and beyond. That takes imagination. And it takes the audacity to believe that Howard and Bowie State students don’t just belong in that conversation. They are called to hold it collectively. What I’ve seen in this initiative is exactly that capacity being built with intention. That’s not a small thing. That’s the work.”

Looking ahead, ASCEND-AI will host three large-scale collaborative workshops each year, bringing together students and faculty from both universities, per the press release. These workshops will include AI-use competitions highlighting innovation in research, teaching, and problem-solving. The partnership will later expand to secondary school teachers by its third year, and they will also be able to compete when the expansion goes into effect.

Those looking to partner with ASCEND-AI can submit a form here.