Winter 2023 was a scary time for educators being confronted with generative AI for the first time. The launch of ChatGPT caused nothing less than a seismic shift in the field of higher education. Amidst calls to ban it from schools and decrying the end of entire disciplines, there was also a great surge of enthusiasm and optimism as faculty and students alike contended with how this will shape their educational experience going forward. This paper reflects on this time and on the then-emerging issue of how to respond to generative AI in higher education from the perspective of a teaching and learning centre. These centres occupy a middle space for educators between the administration making decisions for institutions and the faculty members responding to generative AI in their classrooms. Teaching and learning centres can provide resources, strategize, and centralize the distribution of information, resources, and supports from across institutions and between institutions. [The title appears as "A Teaching and Learning Perspective on the Emergence of Generative AI in Higher Education" within the published proceedings PDF.]