Case Western Reserve University News - August 27, 2025 | News Glare

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Case Western Reserve University announced several campus initiatives and hosted community events today, while responding to an on-campus emergency that prompted a temporary shelter-in-place order.

AI TOOLS LAUNCH IN LEARNING PLATFORMS Today CWRU rolled out three new artificial intelligence features in Canvas and Echo360: Smart Search, Discussions Summary and AskEcho. Smart Search enables users to query course content on Canvas and receive synthesized results instantly; Discussions Summary offers concise overviews of discussion threads; and AskEcho provides real-time, AI-generated answers to questions during Echo360 video sessions.

PHI SIGMA RHO RECRUITMENT EVENTS KICK OFF The university’s chapter of Phi Sigma Rho, the engineering sorority, begins its fall recruitment series this evening with an “Info Sesh & Ice Pops” from 5 to 7 p.m. in Fribley Commons (Room 231). Additional events over the next two weeks will introduce prospective members to the group’s philanthropic and professional development activities.

SIEGAL LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAM OPENS REGISTRATION Registration opened today for the remote course “The Binding of Isaac in Jewish and Christian Thought: Contrasting Theological Perspectives,” offered by the Siegal Lifelong Learning Program. The six-week series examines differing religious interpretations of the biblical story and begins in early September.

POLICY CHANGE ON AI NOTE-TAKING APPLICATIONS Starting Sept. 12, CWRU will block all third-party “AI note-taker” applications-including Fireflies.ai, Read.ai and Fanthom.video-on Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, regardless of prior user installations. The policy aims to protect intellectual property and maintain academic integrity.

VEALE INSTITUTE SEEKS FACULTY FELLOWS The Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship invited applications today for its 2025-26 Faculty Fellows program. Designed to help faculty translate research into marketable ventures, the cohort-based, experiential initiative combines workshops, mentorship and networking with industry partners.

CAMPUS SHELTER-IN-PLACE AFTER POSSIBLE SHOOTING At approximately 5:30 p.m., CWRU issued an alert advising all those on campus to shelter in place or, if outdoors, to seek safe locations following reports of a possible shooting near Lot 1 and Case Quad. Cleveland Police responded to the scene and a search of the vicinity was conducted; no injuries have been reported and the university lifted the order after confirming the area was secure.

Upcoming Highlights

Citizenship Fair for first-year students, Sept. 3, Mather Quad
Fall registration fee deadline, Sept. 5
Hispanic Heritage Month spotlight series begins Sept. 15

All members of the Case Western Reserve community are encouraged to monitor CWRU Alert and the university’s official channels for updates on campus safety and upcoming events.