The growing opposition comes as Central considers achieving a Research 2 Polytechnic University Designation designed to have the university “further define itself through a polytechnic model — one that brings together applied learning, research, innovation, and Central’s strong liberal arts and social sciences foundation.”
Central Connecticut State University President Zulma R. Toro shared the proposal for this change in a letter this year titled Exploring a Research 2 Polytechnic University Designation.
Repeated requests for comment were made to CCSU communications staff.
Dr. Timothy Scott, of the CCSU Social Work Department and chair of the CCSU Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Generative AI, said his opposition to the proposal stems from concerns it would shift the university’s mission “from broad public education toward producing the labor, research, technical systems and legitimacy needed to expand technologies of mass surveillance, prediction, automation and social control.
“In doing so, this shift would also marginalize, if not repurpose, the humanities, social sciences, education, social work, arts, and other non-polytechnic fields,” Scott said. “These fields may not disappear, but they risk being subordinated to the AI/polytechnic mission as service areas for general education, communication, workforce skills, or narrow ethics support. At the same time, AI technologies would likely become more deeply infused into these fields through teaching, assessment, advising, research, administration and professional practice, extending monitoring, data collection and automated decision-making across the university and beyond.”
The petition, which had more than 310 signatures as of Monday, offers reasons why “students, faculty, alumni, and families of Central Connecticut State University do not support President Toro’s proposal.”
“It began as a teacher-training school and is the sixth oldest of its kind in the nation. For decades, CCSU has operated as the largest and most affordable institution in the Connecticut State University (CSU) system. This mission should be preserved,” the petition says.
THE RESEARCH 2 POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY DESIGNATION
According to CCSU, the schools’ “strengths are in engineering, applied sciences, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, robotics, health sciences, education, and interdisciplinary learning, combined with nationally recognized programs, applied research, and deep community engagement, create powerful pathways for student success and workforce impact.
However, by “expanding hands-on learning experiences, industry collaboration, and real-world learning opportunities for every student, we can add more value to earning a Central degree,” according to CCSU.
To achieve the Research 2 Polytechnic University Designation, CCSU would have to reach two thresholds established by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The designation also requires approval by the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, Board of Regents and the state of Connecticut.
Toro has established several task forces that includes a steering committee that is “charged with developing a comprehensive, evidence-based assessment of Central’s readiness to pursue this path and creating a roadmap to become a Research 2 polytechnic university,” according to the CCSU website.
The task forces include the steering committee, academic programs, the unique role of interdisciplinarity and the liberal arts and social sciences, physical and technological infrastructure, campus and community engaged learning, strategic partnerships resource development and investment plan and institution name. The institution name committee “will investigate the possibility of a new name that will better reflect the polytechnic designation,” according to CCSU.
According to presentation material from CCSU, R2 also is a Carnegie Research Activity Designation for universities with high research spending and doctorate production with at least $5M in research spending and 20 or more research doctorates awarded annually.
“Polytechnic universities typically emphasize typically applied learning, applied research designed to be tested/refined in real-world settings, often with industry/community partners and an emphasis toward STEM, engineering, technology, sciences, and applied science, often with strong co-ops, internships and workforce pipelines,” according to a CCSU presentation.
The transition would be a year in the making according to a school proposal. The announcement was made public in February. In the last two months, the school met with university students, staff and faculty. In July, the school will make a proposal to the CSCU Board of Regents. In September, a listening session would be held and in October there would be a Case Statement & Value Proposition and next February a petition would be made to the Connecticut legislature.
“As the higher education landscape continues to evolve, institutions across the country are reimagining how they serve students, employers, and communities. At Central, we are exploring the opportunity to further define ourselves through a Research 2 polytechnic model — one that intentionally integrates applied and experiential learning, research, innovation, and our strong liberal arts and social sciences foundation,” Toro wrote in a letter to the CCSU community earlier this year.
Toro said she was looking for a “deliberate” and “inclusive planning process” and said “the work ahead will benefit from the expertise, insight, and engagement of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners.”
“Central is uniquely positioned for this moment. In addition to the liberal arts and social sciences, our academic strengths span engineering, applied sciences, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, robotics, health sciences, and education, complemented by deep interdisciplinary collaboration and a commitment to student success. We also hold distinctive designations, including national recognition in cybersecurity and our status as an age-friendly university, reflecting innovation and inclusivity,” Toro said in the letter to the CCSU community this year.
Toro said the university’s goal is for “every graduate to leave Central with at least two applied and experiential learning opportunities that prepare them for careers, graduate study, and civic leadership.”
“Our vision also includes clusters of excellence in areas such as Industry 4.0, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, global health, climate and ecological resiliency, transformational models in education; and economic inequality, supported by state-of-the-art facilities. At the same time, Central remains deeply engaged locally and globally, strengthening connections across Connecticut and around the world,” Toro said in the letter.
CCSU would be the only Public Research 2 Polytechnic University in New England if the school were to make the transition.
“A polytechnic model offers an opportunity to amplify what we already do well: combine theory and practice, expand research with impact, deepen industry and community partnerships, and prepare graduates who are ready to lead in a rapidly changing world,” Toro continued.
'WHAT IS AT STAKE IS NOT ONLY CURRICULUM'
Scott, the faculty member, wrote an opinion piece in the Courant on March 31 citing “a number of irreconcilable concerns for community stakeholders to consider.”
Scott said the changes could result in a two-tiered university: one side well-funded, employer-facing, and tied to AI/STEM growth; the other under-resourced, algorithmically managed, and expected to support rather than challenge that transformation.
But in comments after the petition surfaced Scott said, “this is the danger of tech ethics-washing: the use of academic critique to legitimize AI growth rather than seriously challenge the systems, interests, and power relations driving it. It turns the university into a kind of reputation laundromat, where the humanities and social sciences are used to give profit-driven technologies a moral seal of approval instead of acting as an independent check on power. The result is a university that pacifies public concern about AI rather than confronting the underlying harms.”
Scott said, “President Toro’s proposal to make CCSU an R2 polytechnic university would reposition the institution to serve the regional and national research and development aims of the modern state and its tech industry partners. Critics of this national trend often use the term ‘AI Factory’ to describe R2 polytechnic universities because the model turns universities into industrial pipelines for applied research and workforce training serving tech, military, policing, logistics, cybersecurity and other data-intensive interests.”
The petition said that the CSU-AAUP, which is a union that represents faculty members, including professors, librarians, coaches and counselors, at the four Connecticut State Universities, administered a survey with 200 faculty responses with 33 percent supporting the proposal to pursue a regional polytechnic university.
According to the petition, the survey also showed 75 percent of respondents agreed that “the proposal should not proceed to the Board of Regents until it is voted on and approved by the Faculty Senate.”
It claims, “President Toro announced the pursuit of polytechnic designation before conducting formal surveys or consultations with faculty, students, or alumni. While task forces have since been formed, their focus has been on implementation rather than open evaluation.”
“Our petition’s core warning is therefore about institutional purpose. If CCSU is reorganized around the R2 polytechnic model, the university could move away from its comprehensive public mission and toward a narrower role as a workforce, research, and legitimacy pipeline for the AI economy. What is at stake is not only curriculum, but the future identity and public responsibility of the university,” Scott said.
The petition also claims, “President Toro’s timeline is unsound and undermines shared governance. Cal Poly Humboldt officially became a polytechnic university after a transition process that took approximately two years of planning with faculty. President Toro’s current proposal … seeks approval from the CSU Board of Trustees in only five months and to become a polytechnic university within one year. ”
Toro said to the CCSU community that it is an idea the university is exploring together.
“The higher education landscape is evolving, and Central’s unique programs and experiences have put us in a position to create a new pathway for students to succeed and for the state to thrive in the future. We are exploring this idea together, and we want everyone to be involved,” Toro said.
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