Zicklin School Recognized for Innovative AI Projects to Transform Business Education
February 13, 2026The Zicklin School of Business has won five grants from the City University of New York to implement innovations in artificial intelligence education. Nearly $95,000 in funds will cover faculty stipends, graduate assistantships, AI software licenses, and the like, to be deployed across disciplines, from computer information systems to entrepreneurship and innovation to business law and ethics.
Here are more details about the five AI projects:
AI Under the Hood: Building AI Literacy Through Customized Hands-on Chatbot Development
Co-led by Romi Kher of the Lawrence Field Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Zoe Sheehan, a professor of fine arts in the Weissman School, this initiative intends to demystify AI for Baruch College undergraduates. Students will gain hands-on understanding of how AI models are built and trained by creating their own custom chatbot. The project will also have the added benefit of preparing students for an AI-integrated workforce.
Baruch Business Academy students
Baruch Business Academy Transfer Student Guidance: AI-Enabled Support Tools
Launched in 2021, the Baruch Business Academy helps students at six partnering CUNY community colleges earn an associate’s degree in business administration and smoothly transition directly to the Zicklin School of Business. The Academy currently serves nearly 1,000 students and intends to expand to encompass additional majors and partner schools. This project will facilitate that expansion by developing two AI-powered technology tools: one to help Academy staff provide customized guidance to students at partner schools; the second to enable Academy staff to analyze anonymized data on academic progress to identify latent trends and equity gaps in order to proactively address barriers to student success.
Lev-Aretz, Packin (left to right)
CUNY On Digital Ethics (CODE) Podcast
This project will produce a 10-episode educational podcast discussing the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI, to be hosted by the Department of Law’s Yafit Lev-Aretz and Nizan Packin, both nationally recognized experts in technology law, digital governance, and fintech. Invited experts will include scholars, regulators, industry leaders, and policymakers of diverse perspectives. The podcast will also collaborate with the Robert Zicklin Center for Corporate Integrity to host a live recording lunchtime event, which will foster direct engagement by students and other community members.
Mohan, Hada (left to right)
AI Infusion in the Business Core of Baruch’s BBA and MBA Programs at the Zicklin School of Business
This project seeks to integrate and streamline AI education across Zicklin’s undergraduate and graduate programs, so that all students gain the necessary competencies to excel in today’s workforce. Co-led by Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Innovation Kannan Mohan and Associate Professor Mahima Hada (Allen G. Aaronson Department of Marketing and International Business), the initiative will analyze curricula to identify and address gaps in AI education; procure additional licenses for AI software so that faculty can build AI learning agents for their courses; and collaborate with alumni and adjunct faculty with AI industry expertise.
Jain, Kumar, Javaly, Nagale (left to right)
Model Coding Partner: AI MCP-Powered Student Pair Programming Environment
Led by Radhika Jain, Nanda Kumar, Vinayak Javaly, and Sonyl Nagale (all faculty in the Chook Department), this initiative counteracts students’ overdependence on AI for coding tasks by using, er, AI. By applying the industry practice of pair programming, in which two developers work simultaneously on the same code, this project will design and train an AI coding partner chatbot that will ensure that students grasp the underlying logic of coding. It will do this by making students show their work before answering; employing a Socratic method by offering hints, code fragments, and detailed questions rather than full solutions; and explaining why things are wrong. This targeted, tailored approach will support students of different skill levels, ensuring they develop the critical thinking skills necessary for success.
“These grants are testament to the commitment of Zicklin faculty, staff, and leadership to ensuring that our programs and support structures are preparing students for AI-enabled careers,” said Kannan Mohan, the Zicklin School’s associate dean for academic affairs and innovation.