The Environmental Scan, made filterable
Spring 2025 baseline — 8 regions, 122 colleges, 3 entries, 10 notes · updated scan (latest: June 2026) adds 14 source-verified findings (10 new). Every entry is tagged with one or more Vision 2030 domains: People · Policy · Systems · Resources.
Central Valley / Mother Lode
filter to regionEngaged People
- 🆕AI Taskforce for governance, supports, and guardrails. Merced College has established an AI Taskforce providing coordinated cross-campus leadership for secure and ethical AI use, with projects spanning AI policy, the Innovation Challenge, the AI webpage, an AI course, AI tools, and the AI Champions network. 2026 · high confidence — source
- 🆕AI Champions Network of 32 faculty and staff. A cross-functional 'AI Champions Network' of 32 faculty and staff embedded across every division meets monthly in cohort format to share lessons learned and support responsible, human-centered AI adoption across teaching, learning, and operations. 2026 · high confidence — source
- 🆕'AI with Purpose' self-paced foundations course for faculty/staff. Merced College developed 'AI with Purpose: A Human-Centered Guide for Education, Work, and Life,' a 6-8 hour self-paced course for faculty and staff covering AI foundations, AI for educators, AI for students, and AI in the workplace; completion earns 3 DE recertification hours. 2026 · high confidence — source
PeopleSystems
Team/Lead: Merced Community College
- Mar 2024 AgTechX Summit held at Merced College on March 7
- Artificial intelligence, automation, electric vehicles, and robotics are reshaping the landscape of agriculture
- Sept 2024 AI Focus Group at Merced College
- We are developing an innovative AI-powered tool to assist students with navigating academic pathways and transferring to four-year institutions. This tool, integrated with the Program Pathway Mapper, uses a large language model (LLM) to provide personalized guidance and answers to your academic questions.
2 linked resource(s) — show status
Policies
- 🆕HUMANS framework guiding principles for AI. Merced College's AI approach follows the HUMANS framework (Human-Centered, Universal Support, Managed Privacy, Algorithmic Fairness, Notice & Transparency, Safety & Security), aligned with California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office guidance; an AI Tool Registry & Policy is noted as 'coming soon.' 2026 · high confidence — source
- Three-tier syllabus AI statement options for faculty. The Teaching with AI page provides faculty three syllabus statement options (AI generally permitted with attribution; permitted under some circumstances; not permitted), adapted from the ASCCC Academic Integrity in the AI Age resource. 2026 · high confidence — source
- Unattributed AI use tied to Academic Honesty Policy (AP 5540). Merced College states that using AI tools to generate content without proper attribution is a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy (Administrative Procedure 5540), and students may be sanctioned for confirmed, non-allowable use. 2026 · high confidence — source
PolicyResources
Team/Lead: Merced Community College
- Not yet found. Appears to be professor to professor.
- Per Faculty Handbook,
- Syllabus Requirements, AI Policy
1 linked resource(s) — show status
Resources
- 🆕District-approved FERPA-compliant AI tool suite. The district has invested in a small set of approved, FERPA-compliant AI tools: Google Gemini and NotebookLM, Nectir AI (Canvas-integrated, supports GPT/Claude/Gemini), Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365), and BoodleBox (multi-model collaboration), and directs staff not to use unvetted tools or upload FERPA-protected data. 2026 · high confidence — source
- 🆕AQL Labs partnership to build AI strategy. AQL Labs (a strategy firm founded by former Gates Foundation postsecondary leaders) is supporting Merced College leadership in co-developing a shared AI mission and vision, identifying priority use cases, and establishing goals and guardrails, learning alongside peer colleges. 2026 · high confidence — source
- 🆕Applied Computer AI Systems Professional Certificate. Merced College offers an 'Applied Computer AI Systems Professional' Certificate of Completion (13 units; core course CTIS-13) that provides IT professionals foundational knowledge to design and implement AI-driven solutions, covering AI architecture, machine learning, cloud AI (AWS/Azure), and AI ethics. 2026 · high confidence — source
- 🆕CTIS-31 AI Technology, Ethics, the Individual, and Society. CTIS-31 (3 units) examines ethical dilemmas posed by AI technologies including privacy, bias, accountability, and fairness; the catalog also lists CTIS-02 (Programming Concepts and AI Driven Methodologies) and CTIS-08 (Introduction to Smart Systems Analysis and Design). 2026 · high confidence — source
- 🆕Innovation with AI Hub and live consultations. The Trident Innovation Center runs an 'Innovation with Artificial Intelligence' Hub with AI guides, live consultations from instructional designers (Pamela Huntington, Keri Ortiz), EdTech pilots, and an 'AI Conversations' Teams channel open to all employees. 2026 · high confidence — source
- 🆕AI Innovation Challenge for faculty and staff. The AI Innovation Challenge invites all faculty, staff, and administrators to propose AI-driven solutions for problem-solving, process improvement, and student experience; selected participants receive access to advanced tools and Innovation Team support. 2026 · high confidence — source
- CTIS-13 AI Concepts and Real-World Applications. CTIS-13 'AI Concepts and Real-World Applications' is a 4-unit, CSU/UC-transferable course introducing fundamental AI concepts, machine learning, natural language processing, and real-world applications in healthcare, finance, and manufacturing, with hands-on AI tool experience. 2026 · high confidence — source
- Library LibGuide: Generative AI guide for students. A Merced College library guide ('Using ChatGPT Effectively / Generative AI Guide for Students') by librarian Karrie Bullock covers ChatGPT capabilities/limits, fact-checking, prompt techniques, and citing generative AI, advising students to check course syllabi; adapted from University of Arizona Libraries under CC BY 4.0. 2025 · high confidence — source
ResourcesPeople
Team/Lead: Merced Community College
- AI for Students: Ensuring Appropriate & Effective Use
- AgTechX Summit held at Merced College on March 7
- Artificial intelligence, automation, electric vehicles, and robotics are reshaping the landscape of agriculture