Episode 015 - Alex Hernandez

explAInED Episode 015: AI Access, Future Work, and Human Skills with Champlain College President Alex Hernandez

Episode Summary

Champlain College President Alex Hernandez joins the explAInED podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on preparing students for a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. From AI access and workforce readiness to ethics and creativity, Hernandez offers a grounded, human-centered perspective on higher education’s role in navigating technological transformation.

We discuss Champlain's pioneering partnership with Anthropic to bring Claude to campus, the creation of faculty fellowships to experiment with AI in the classroom, and the ways students are responding, from anxiety about cheating, to excitement over startups. Hernandez emphasizes the critical importance of combining AI fluency with human skills like collaboration, communication, and critical thinking, especially in a future where students must be more than just tech-literate. Champlain’s approach is clear: give students access, space, and the chance to engage deeply with technology and each other.

Episode plus: A surprise pitch for a new Bigfoot-themed mascot. Former guests, any guesses whose idea that was?