Governance

Strategy & Governance

Our vision for responsible AI adoption, the principles that guide us, and the governance structures that ensure accountability across Maine’s public universities.

System Guidance

Our Vision

The University of Maine System is building a rapidly maturing AI ecosystem that combines system-wide governance, detailed guidance documents, a growing licensed tool portfolio, and expanding training programs. Our approach embeds AI leadership directly into senior administration, separates AI efforts into administrative and academic tracks, and encourages a culture of experimentation within clear data-security guardrails.

With a dedicated $500,000 annual AI budget — representing strategic investment from the system’s $689 million operating budget — UMS is positioned to lead among public university systems nationally. Our vision encompasses not just technology adoption, but the transformation of how we teach, research, and serve the people of Maine.

Strategic Priorities

Transformative AI Research
Supporting faculty-led AI research through seed grants, HPC infrastructure, and national partnerships.
Enterprise AI Adoption
Expanding licensed tools and workflows across administrative and academic operations.
AI Literacy at Scale
Building AI literacy from workshops to graduate certificates across all campuses.
Sustainable AI
Reducing AI’s carbon footprint while applying AI to Maine’s climate challenges.

Key Milestones

2024

AI Task Force established; GenAI Teaching Guidelines adopted

2024

Enterprise GenAI RFP issued; pivoted to multi-tool strategy

2025

Maine AI Conference; Chronicle of Higher Education profile

2025

State AI Task Force final report; EDUCAUSE Review publication

2026

294 active users across 7 tools; UMA $400K grant; ai.maine.edu launch

Principles & Values

Eight guiding principles govern AI adoption across the University of Maine System, drawn from existing Board policy and the system’s generative AI guidance document.

Strict prohibition on entering protected or personal information into AI tools. FERPA and HIPAA compliance enforced across all campuses.

Mandatory disclosure when work products are based on AI output. All AI use in teaching and assessment must be communicated to students.

AI outputs must be reviewed for disparate impact on protected classifications. Equitable access to AI tools across all campuses and populations.

AI outputs must be verified before reliance. Human judgment remains the final authority in all decision-making processes.

Faculty retain full discretion to set their own AI use spectrum, from prohibition to full integration, within their courses.

No copyrighted materials may be submitted to AI tools. Outputs must be checked for potential infringement before use.

All AI systems and outputs must comply with the Board of Trustees ICT Accessibility Policy (Section 902) and WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

Research focus on energy-efficient AI training and inference. Commitment to understanding and reducing AI’s environmental footprint.

Governance Structure

System-Wide AI Task Force

Evaluates tools, sets aside demo resources, and coordinates experimentation across all seven campuses. Work is organized into two parallel tracks:

Administrative / Operational Track

Procurement, risk management, facilities, budgeting, and operational efficiency applications.

Academic / Classroom Track

Teaching, learning, research, and student-facing AI integration across disciplines.

Related Governance Bodies

Information Security Governance Council
CISO-led council overseeing security policy aligned to NIST/ISO/FIPS.
Data Governance Council
Manages data classification, privacy, and cross-system data standards.
UMaine AI Initiative
Research-focused entity with 40+ affiliated faculty and annual conference.
Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board
Sets strategic AI goals including Green AI and workforce development.
University Teaching Council
Reviews and updates AI teaching guidelines annually.

AI Leadership

Administrative AI Integration

Ryan Low

Vice Chancellor for Finance & Strategic AI Integration

Reports to the Chancellor and presents to the Board of Trustees on both finance and AI matters. UMS designee on the Maine AI Task Force. Featured speaker at the HLC 2025 Annual Conference. Financial Director for UMS TRANSFORMS.

Educational Technology Strategy

Robert Placido

Chief Information Officer

Author of “A More Human University” (EDUCAUSE Review, Oct 2025) and “Apathy by Design: Sparking Deep Learning with AI” (2025). Among the system’s power users with an active stack of Claude, Perplexity, Scribehow, and Windsurf.

AI Operations

Angela Michaud

Strategic Operations Manager, Finance & AI Integration

Part of the dedicated two-person AI integration office within the Chancellor’s administration. Supports system-wide AI coordination and operational implementation.