SUNY colleges plan to use $10 million from funding increase to expand access to internships
SUNY Empire State College's Long Island campus in Selden. Credit: Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
State University of New York campuses are setting aside nearly $10 million annually to help 3,000 SUNY students get internships and "other experiential learning opportunities" — an important factor in helping to link students to potential jobs, the state said.
The funding for the effort comes by way of a $163 million increase for fiscal year 2024 in aid for SUNY's state-operated campuses, according to a press release from Gov. Kathy Hochul's office.
"With this nearly $10 million in state funding, we are expanding internship opportunities for thousands of students at SUNY schools to help ensure graduates have the skills they need to enter the workforce and pursue their careers," Hochul said in the statement.
Twenty-nine campuses will boost the number of paid internships for undergraduates, the statement said. With most of its funding allocation, Farmingdale State College will develop internships and fund stipends so that students can get unpaid ones, the state said.
The funding for the development of internships for SUNY students comes as some of them forgo the opportunity due to barriers such as cost, education experts say.
Among first-generation seniors, 35% said they had internship experience, according to a 2021 National Survey of Student Engagement Career and Workforce Preparation Module that was cited by the state. Meanwhile, 40% of applicants turned down an internship due to obstacles that include not being able to afford it or relocate.
As part of this effort, at least 28 SUNY campuses will give out internship stipends, which can help offset childcare and transportation costs.
Some campuses will also bring on an internship coordinator, the state said. At least nine of them will use some of the funding to get software programs that will provide services such as a job board, the state said.
In April, SUNY also announced the Chancellor's Summer Research Excellence Fund, which sought to grow research opportunities for first-generation and other students who often have difficulties accessing those options. At the time, SUNY said that it would provide 150 internships at Stony Brook University and four other campuses.
While announcing this latest initiative, SUNY Chancellor John King said in the statement: "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."
Education: Howard University
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.
Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation; New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting; Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.
