F&M Stories
New Fellowship Prepares Students for Responsible AI Leadership
Knowing how to use artificial intelligence (AI) is one skill. Knowing how organizations and society can do so with good judgment is another thing.
A new fellowship at Franklin & Marshall College’s Mehlman Leadership and Performance Institute will help students develop that judgment while gaining professional experience. The Fellowship in Responsible AI Leadership combines workshops and career preparation with financial support for summer internships or employment.
Designed for eight to 12 juniors during the 2026–27 academic year, the selective program welcomes students from every major. Fellows will explore how organizations can develop and use AI fairly, honestly, and accountably, examining questions of privacy, bias, transparency, and human judgment.
“Whatever field our students enter, they will face decisions about how artificial intelligence should be used,” said Bryan Stinchfield, executive director of the Mehlman Leadership and Performance Institute. “We want them to have the confidence to ask difficult questions, recognize the people affected by those decisions and help their organizations move forward responsibly.”
Four workshops will connect those questions to students’ professional goals. Sessions will introduce responsible AI leadership and explore how institutions and employers are approaching AI policy and governance. Workshops offered in collaboration with F&M’s Center for Career and Professional Development will focus on resumes, networking, interviewing and workplace readiness.
“Whatever field our students enter, they will face decisions about how artificial intelligence should be used.”
Fellows also will participate in at least four events in F&M’s HUMANS + AI Series.
The summer experience will give students an opportunity to put their learning into practice. Fellows may receive up to $5,000 to support eligible unpaid or underpaid internships or employment, with fellowship funding adjusted so that combined employer compensation and institutional support do not exceed $5,000. Opportunities may include F&M student employment or employment in an international student’s home country.
Next fall, the fellows will come together to reflect on what they learned in their summer experiences — and how they can carry responsible AI leadership into their careers.
AI @ F&M
F&M is committed to fostering human-centered AI innovation through its signature interdisciplinary approach that asks how these tools can be used ethically, responsibly, and sustainably in service to a more just and human future.
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