Himmelreich Talks to Syracuse.com About the AI Policy Minor and AI in Teaching

January 30, 2026

Syracuse.com

Johannes Himmelreich

Public Administration & International Affairs Department

Autonomous Systems Policy Institute

Campbell Public Affairs Institute

AI Policy Minor

Artificial Intelligence

New York State

U.S. Education

Syracuse.com

Johannes Himmelreich

Central New York professors are adapting their teaching methods in response to widespread student use of generative AI, with many returning to traditional in-person assessment techniques like handwritten assignments, oral exams and in-class writing to prevent AI misuse. While Syracuse University, Le Moyne College and Onondaga Community College have varying AI policies that generally allow professors to set their own classroom rules, there is no reliable way to detect AI-generated work, making prevention strategies difficult.

Despite concerns about academic misconduct, some educators are embracing AI as a study tool and teaching resource, with Syracuse University launching an AI Policy minor and professors using chatbots to create study materials and facilitate critical discussions about the technology's ethical implications.

The idea is not to teach students how to create or use AI, but rather to think critically about its real world applications, says Johannes Himmelreich, associate professor of public administration and international affairs and program director of the AI policy minor.

“AI is going to have significant social impact. This will create policy challenges that require an understanding of the technology as well as the policy analysis skills,” Himmelreich says.

Read more in the Syracuse.com article, “Say welcome back to the blue book: How AI is reshaping higher education in Syracuse.”