February 2026 Volume 9 Issue 7

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Nashville State’s AI Task Force has been hard at work, and we’re excited to share an update on our progress, our direction, and the collaborative effort behind this important initiative.

The formation and work of the AI Task Force is grounded in the voices of our campus community. Last fall, 871 students and 245 employees completed our college-wide AI survey. This was an exceptional response that has shaped every step of the task force’s work. The survey clearly highlighted both the enthusiasm and the concerns surrounding AI use, emphasizing the need for clear guidance, established guardrails, role-specific training, and equitable access to AI tools. Students and employees also expressed a desire for practical skills, ethical frameworks, and support in using AI responsibly and confidently.

Using survey insights, the task force has made significant progress toward developing collegewide structures that support responsible, mission‑aligned AI adoption. We are pleased to share that the committee has completed a comprehensive AI policy, now advancing through the review and approval process. Aligned with the TBR AI policy, it aims to provide clarity, promote responsible use, and ensure that our approach supports teaching, learning, student success, and operational efficiency. It also preserves faculty flexibility in determining if and how AI may be integrated into their individual courses.

In addition, the task force is finalizing a tiered AI training framework with the goal of helping employees gain foundational knowledge, with branching, role‑specific pathways to address diverse needs across divisions. Training discussions have focused on making sure faculty, staff, and students receive the right support at the right depth whether they are beginners or experienced AI users.

Purpose of the AI Task Force

The AI Task Force, sponsored by President Jackson, is charged with developing a coordinated, inclusive, and mission‑aligned approach to the integration of artificial intelligence across the college. AI Task Force membership (shared below) consists of college-wide and cross-departmental representation.

Committee Membership

Division/Department	Representative
Academic Affairs	VP of Academic Affairs & Workforce Development (Chair) – Dr. Jo Williams     Academic Dean – Donna Whitehouse
Student Affairs	VP of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management – Dr. Alexis Pope AVP of Student Affairs – Dr. Julie Willams
Faculty	Gen Ed/Transfer Programs – Valencia Cyphers Career/Technical Programs – Jay Chambers Faculty Senate Chair – Jeff Green                  Adjunct – Eulunda Maxwell                         Extended Campuses – Michael Kiggens
Teaching Center	Director – Kimberly Leifker
Online Learning/Teaching Innovation	Executive Director – Dr. Jamie Edwards
TSD	CIO – Charvis Rand
Library	Librarian – Peter Lyon
Student Representative	SGA Member – Colby Cook
Human Resources	Director – Jill Ferrand
Staff Assembly	Student Service Specialist – Christopher Karr
Administrative Assembly	Campus Director – Dr. Justina Rogers
Strategic Analytics and Planning	AVP – Charles Clarke
Access Center Director	Director – Evan Espy

As Nashville State continues developing thoughtful, student‑centered approaches to AI, the task force remains committed to transparency, collaboration, and innovation. The task force meets monthly, and meeting minutes can be found in the Committees SharePoint. We are grateful for the level of engagement from our campus community and look forward to sharing more updates as our work progresses.

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The Teaching Center is pleased to announce that we’re accepting applications for 2026-2028 Faculty Fellows. We welcome applications from all academic disciplines to promote diverse faculty representation. Three positions will be available beginning Fall 2026.

The Teaching Center Faculty Fellows are all chosen from full-time faculty. The Faculty Fellows are responsible for planning, promoting, implementing, and assessing professional development experiences for faculty and for conducting faculty-driven scholarship on institution-wide initiatives, challenges, and opportunities. The Faculty Fellows also play a major role in mentoring and/or consulting with faculty members seeking support and advice on improving their teaching practices.

Here’s what you’ll need to apply:

• Teaching Philosophy and Statement of Interest 
• Current Resume/CV
• Two letters of recommendation from faculty and/or administration

For more information, please review the application here.

Application Deadline: Submit application items as email attachments to Kimberly.Leifker@nscc.edu by Wednesday, March 18 before 5PM CST

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Greetings Falcons,

On April 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice finalized a new digital accessibility rule. This rule requires all state and local government websites and mobile apps to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA. For the TBR System, this means all institutions — including Nashville State Community College — must be in full compliance by April 24, 2026.

Accessibility Training was mentioned at Convocation, and we are now announcing that the Digital Accessiblity Basics Training (TBR) is open for all faculty and staff in D2L. We are asking that all administrators, staff, faculty, and adjunct faculty access and complete this training by April 24. This training contains all of the basic accessibility knowledge you should be aware of and how it may relate to your role at Nashville State. There are four requirements for completion and to earn a certificate of completion, but we encourage all of you to review the materials and improve your accessibility knowledge.

Why This Matters to You

Accessible content isn’t just for people with disabilities — it creates equal access for all users. Your role is critical because accessibility is for everyone, and shared compliance helps create a better experience for all. Our goal is to ensure that Nashville State is compliant to not only reduce legal and compliance risk, but to improve the usability of our digital experiences and create a stronger culture of accountability and collaboration.

Please feel free to review NSCC’s Accessibility Resources page for more information.

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When I occasionally think back on my high school Spanish classes, what I recall clearly is the painful crush I had on my friend Brett’s older sister Kim, who was two years ahead of us in school. What I really remember is that she was interested in older boys who had things, like cars, facial hair, parties, and permission from their mom to stay after school. I did not have those things, but I did have the ability to occasionally forget to wear deodorant and then smell like a hormone putrefaction chamber by third period, and I could raise a Mount Vesuvius pimple overnight. But for some reason, Kim preferred those older boys, making for a very painful freshman year.

For years, other than the memory of my Spanish teacher admonishing “en Espanol, por favor!” every time I answered a pregunta in English, that’s about all I remembered from Spanish class.

Then I visited Belkis Barrios’s Spanish class at the Southeast campus on November 4th, 2025. Belkis started the class speaking in Spanish, and she spoke in Spanish for probably 80% of the class. At first, I really was kind of lost (and not just because of memories of Kim). Then, very slowly, things started to make sense. Not completely fluent sense, of course, but enough sense for me to be able to follow along.

As Belkis continued, my confidence in my understanding grew, and by the time Belkis did a vocabulary quiz with Kahoot, I was full on engaged, competing with the students in her class. Obviously, I must have retained something from high school Spanish, but this confidence really had a whole lot to do with Belkis and the way she teaches.

First off, everything was very clearly organized in terms of how the time would be spent and the sequence of events: engaging with new vocabulary; learning through repetition and the use of visuals; applying the new vocabulary; quizzing on the new vocabulary, etc. The logical, easy to follow sequence allowed the learning to build up naturally. As my understanding began to come online, I realized that although Belkis spoke in Spanish 80% of the time, she used vocabulary that was accessible to students at the level of her class (and apparently my level). She spoke with very clear diction and articulation, making it possible to parse out the different words. She also made excellent use of nonverbal communication, using gestures, facial communication, and eye communication to emphasize meaning. She used paralanguage to draw attention to keywords in her sentences. She combined a vocabulary designed to reduce semantic noise with an excellent grasp of how to use nonverbal communication channels.

I would say of the 80% of the time she spoke in Spanish, with my limited and rusty knowledge, I was able to take in 60 to 70% of what she was saying, which means I absorbed 48 to 56% of the class material. Wouldn’t we all be happy if our students got 50% of the class material during lecture?

After the Kahoot quiz, then came, from a teaching perspective, what for me was the pìece de résistance (I don’t know French, either). Belkis put a short text, written in Spanish, on the screen. It concerned what was then a current event: the discussion around/controversy surrounding the choice of the upcoming Super Bowl half-time music. As she and the class worked the exercise, it became apparent to me that Belkis had written the piece. Again, there was the attention to sentence structure and vocabulary to make it accessible to students at their level. I was immediately struck by how thoughtful it was that she had chosen a subject that would likely be relevant to her students, and that she had taken the time to write the piece, rather than using a standard textbook passage.

That concern for student learning was the underpinning and fundament of everything Belkis presented that day. Observing this gave me a reflection point for my own teaching, to re-examine how directly my course design and teaching points to that true north of concern for student learning. I owe a thank you to Belkis for her willingness to share her class time with me, the inspiration she provided, and for finally convincing me that I might have use for a Kahoot quiz in my classes. As I so often say after I observe a class, I wish I could take it.

As always, if you haven’t gone to observe one of your peers teach, I strongly encourage you to do so. It’s an inspiring and learning experience. And you’re all welcome to come visit one of my classes if you want.

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Human Resources Update

By Connie Daniel, Senior Administrative Assistant, Human Resources

February 2026

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Through the Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education, Nashville State continues to meet learners where they are—removing barriers and delivering practical, high-quality education across the region.

For more information or to book the Mobile Classroom for an event, email WorkForceMobileClassroom@nscc.edu to get started.

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Greetings Nashville State!

Thank you to everyone who assisted with these events!

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