In a significant move, Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled today that the State University of New York (SUNY) campuses will allocate nearly $10 million in annual state funding to offer internships and experiential learning opportunities to 3,000 SUNY students before they graduate. This funding, part of the historic $163 million increase in direct operating aid to SUNY’s State-operated campuses for FY 2024, underscores the commitment to enhancing student experiences beyond the classroom.
Governor Hochul emphasized the transformative nature of internships, highlighting their role in allowing students to delve into their fields of study and acquire invaluable hands-on experience before completing their degrees. “With this substantial state funding, we are broadening internship prospects for thousands of SUNY students, empowering them with the necessary skills to enter the job market and pursue their professional aspirations,” she remarked.
SUNY Chancellor John King visited SUNY Delhi, where he met with students and business leaders to discuss internship opportunities and the ways SUNY can create a workforce development pipeline in Delaware County and across the state. SUNY Delhi will utilize its funding to provide high-quality applied learning opportunities by hiring student interns to assist with various projects on campus. Each internship will align with academic programs and be tailored to the student’s interests and career goals. The campus will also hire a Director of Career and Transfer Services to bolster student success; implement the on-line platform Handshake to improve job placement rates, career development resources, and enhanced alumni engagement; and offer financial support for students to ensure they have access to opportunities from the pre-employment/recruitment stage through completion of the internship/work experience.
Other state-operated campuses will use their portion of the $10 million to expand internship opportunities and professional career development including:
- All 29 campuses will increase the number of paid internship slots for undergraduate students.
- At least 28 campuses will provide internship stipends, including wraparound supports like childcare and transportation access, that students face to complete internships.
- At least 25 campuses will hire staff for internship coordination, which includes developing employer and industry partnerships.
- At least 9 campuses will invest in software programs to create job boards and track internship opportunities.
SUNY Chancellor John King said, “Hands-on learning is crucial for a students’ success and upward mobility, and it is that real-life experience that employers are frequently looking for when hiring recent college graduates. In my State of the University address, I shared SUNY’s goal to work toward ensuring every undergraduate has access to an internship or research opportunity before walking across the graduation stage. By utilizing the SUNY operating aid increase championed by Governor Hochul and the legislature, I’m proud that we are providing $10 million in annual, sustainable support for internship programs across the system at our State-operated campuses.”
SUNY Delhi Acting President Dr. Mary Bonderoff said, “As a core part of SUNY Delhi’s mission, applied learning encompasses a range of activities and skills demonstration to prepare students to enter the workforce upon graduation. Additionally, many of our academic programs incorporate required internships into their curricula, allowing our students to gain a competitive edge in the job market. We hear directly from employers that these real-world skills and job experiences set our students apart. Faculty do a tremendous job developing relationships with industry partners. Looking toward the future, I’m confident these opportunities and relationships will continue to strengthen.”
Assemblymember Patricia Fahy said, “We know that on average, 60% of employers prefer to hire graduates and workers with internship experience. We know that students who participate in an internship get an average of 1.61 job offers after graduation, while non-interns get an average of 0.77. Internship experience translates into real-world career experience and readiness that helps to leverage better pay, benefits, and economic empowerment post-college. Furthermore, paid internships are more likely to translate into job offers, attract applicants from a wider swathe of socioeconomic backgrounds and connect employers with new generations of skilled workers is a win-win for our not just our students and universities, but economy more broadly. I commend SUNY Chancellor John King for continuing to invest the record state aid we secured last year in the success of New York’s students, including ensuring they’re equipped with the experience and skills necessary to succeed in our workforce through this initiative.”
A 2021 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Career and Workforce Preparation Module found that only 35 percent of first-generation seniors reported participating in an internship—far lower than their peers. Forty percent of applicants had to decline internships because of external barriers, such as being unable to afford it or being unable to move.
In April, SUNY launched the Chancellor’s Summer Research Excellence Fund to support 150 paid internships across five research-intensive campuses. SUNY has also announced the SUNY Climate Corps and the Veterans Enrollment and Support Internship Program. In April, SUNY launched the Chancellor’s Summer Research Excellence Fund to support 150 paid internships across six research-intensive campuses.
About The State University of New York
The State University of New York, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023, is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2022, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit www.suny.edu.
February 6 2024 Albany NY
Source: NY.gov – Midtown Tribune news
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