Penn State Smeal College of Business alum Dan Ives, a senior equity research analyst covering the technology sector at Wedbush Securities, calls artificial intelligence (AI) “the most important technology since the start of the Internet in the mid-’90s.”
“So many companies and universities are just starting to figure out how they’re going to teach AI or utilize it for students. It’s important that Penn State is a leader in this space,” he says.
To help make that goal a reality, Ives and his wife [and fellow Smeal graduate] Robyn made a $100,000 commitment to create the Dan and Robyn Ives AI Innovation Initiatives Fund.
Their annually funded gift will give Smeal’s eLearning Design and Innovation Group (eLDIG) $20,000 a year over the next five years to explore the challenges and opportunities that AI presents for Smeal students, faculty and staff and to expand educational and experiential learning opportunities.
Kitt Camplese, eLDIG’s director of learning design, says students and faculty should be actively engaging with AI tools to tackle real-world business challenges, enhancing their learning and problem-solving capabilities to reflect industry trends and standards.
“Our goal is to see AI be seamlessly integrated into the curriculum,” she says. “Dan and Robyn’s vision and commitment to supporting AI innovation will advance Smeal’s commitment to excellence in business education by providing students and faculty the resources they need to learn and lead in an AI world.”
The Iveses say they hope students will have a competitive edge when interviewing for an internship or full-time position because of their Penn State experience and how they are prepared to work
with AI.
“Giving back is part of Penn State’s culture, whether it’s your time or your resources, and we’re proud to do our part,” Robyn Ives says. “But this is just the beginning of what’s needed.”
—Anne Louise Cropp
