Former CSCU Chancellor Resigned After AI Report
The 2,007-page document on academic best practices relied on AI for over 95% of its generated content.
Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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Following his resignation from the CSCU chancellorship in April 2025, Terrence Cheng released a 2,007-page report on national best practices in June 2026. Analysis indicates that more than 95% of the text in the report was synthesized using artificial intelligence tools.
Why it matters
The report highlights the growing tension between administrative AI adoption and classroom academic integrity standards in Connecticut. As the state university system works to formalize a policy, individual institutions like Western remain under decentralized guidelines.
The report totaled 2,007 pages, with an estimated 95% of the content generated via AI aggregation and synthesis tools. This stands in contrast to the academic expectations currently set by individual professors at Western.
The players
Terrence Cheng
The former CSCU chancellor and current professor at Western who released a 2,007-page AI-synthesized report.
Natalie Braswell
The interim chancellor currently leading the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system.
The details
Cheng utilized AI to aggregate and synthesize large volumes of data for his best practices report. At Western, where Cheng now serves as a professor, there is no standardized AI policy; instead, each instructor defines individual rules for student use. This creates a disparate environment where students face different penalties for AI-assisted work depending on their specific course enrollment.
Timeline
April 2025: Terrence Cheng stepped down as CSCU chancellor.
June 2026: Cheng released a 2,007-page report on national best practices.
September 2, 2026: Cheng posted a TikTok video discussing student AI use.
The Tech Race
The controversy marks a challenge for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities systemwide AI policy development. It underscores the difficulty of reconciling institutional reliance on automation with the standards of academic integrity applied to students.
Students at Western currently must navigate varying, non-standardized AI rules set by individual professors. Future impacts will depend on the finalization of the systemwide policy currently under development by the CSCU.
The takeaway
The event serves as a case study in the lack of alignment between administrative AI use and student academic expectations. Stakeholders should track the forthcoming systemwide AI policy from the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities to see how these standards are harmonized.
Further reading
Learn more about the evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence in higher education.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WFSB.
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