SIUE Department of Mass Communications Hosts “Creativity and Critical Thinking in the Age of AI” during Mass Comm Week 2026

SIUE Department of Mass Communications Hosts "Creativity and Critical Thinking in the Age of AI" during Mass Comm Week 2026

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of Mass Communications hosts its annual Mass Comm Week, March 23 to March 26. Media professionals visiting the Edwardsville campus will focus on the integration of artificial intelligence in today's media landscape.

Each year, the Department organizes a week of opportunities for students to learn from professionals in the field, and to gain valuable professional perspective. This year's theme "Creativity and Critical Thinking in the Age of AI," highlights how artificial intelligence is reshaping communication practices while underscoring the continued importance of human creativity, critical thinking and ethics. The program features an outstanding roster of speakers who will share insights from diverse disciplines and professional experience.

The week begins on Monday with an interdisciplinary panel titled "Creativity and Critical Thinking in the Age of AI." Professors Shivendu Singh, PhD, from the School of Business, Sinan Onal, PhD, School of Engineering, Jeff Manual, PhD, professor of history and librarian Mitchell Haas, MSLIS, will discuss AI use creatively and critically at 1:30 p.m. Later that day, Omar Perkins, Director of AI Strategies at the Perkins Institute, will present "The Cultural Mind Shift: Practicing AI Beyond the Tool" at 3:30 p.m.

The first day concludes with a presentation titled "Critical Perspective on A.I." by SIUE faculty members Gary Hicks, PhD, and Ashton Speno, PhD. The events will take place in MUC Maple-Dogwood Room, and the university community is invited to attend.
On Tuesday, March 24, at 11:30 a.m. students are invited to enjoy the First Amendment Free Food Festival at Dunham Hall Patio, organized and supported by the student newspaper, The Alestle. The festival will be followed by a presentation titled "Creative Workflows with AI: Human and Ethical Issues" by Nick Walden, Partner in Brand and Creative at Elasticity, at 3:30 p.m. Walden will discuss how the creative media industry ethically uses AI into everyday professional workflows.
Sessions on Wednesday, March 25, begin at 2 p.m. with a panel of recent graduates discussing "What we wish we knew before we graduated" in MUC Maple-Dogwood Room. This year's panelists include Amyri Davis, Producer at KTVI, Syndey Gordon, Broadcast Engineer at KTVI, Hannah Ledford, Individual Giving Coordinator at Nine PBS and Prajakta Pawaskar, account manager at Top Tier Events. The session will be followed by presentations showcasing current graduate and undergraduate student work. Mass communication students will share their research and experiences from their involvement with The Alestle, Mass Comm Club, Global Village, sports streaming, video production and photography projects.

The week concludes on Thursday, March 26, with a screening of the documentary "The Librarians" emceed by Joe Kohlburn at 2:00 p.m. in The Abbott Auditorium at Lovejoy Library. The film highlights librarians as the first responders in the fight for democracy and First Amendment Rights. The screening is supported by the Lovejoy Library and the College of Arts and Sciences.
For more details, please see the full program of events.

PHOTO: SIUE Mass Comm student crew in newly renovated TV studio