As we count down to the new year, we thought we’d share some of the SUNY news you may have missed during 2012.
Last month, the Carnegie Corporation awarded SUNY a $500,000 grant to support the SUNY Works initiative. The funds will be used for bringing cooperative education to college campuses across the state.
As part of the program, campuses have developed partnerships with businesses and employers to combine coursework and job training. Companies that have partnered with SUNY include Global Foundries, General Electric, IBM, Motorola, and Chevron.
The Carnegie Corporation chose to support the initiative in large part due to SUNY Works’ focus on addressing the rapid changes in educational requirements which have resulted in the skills and experiences—that once served working adults well—being eclipsed by the enormous economic and technological changes in the workplace, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Today, the majority of college students—as many as 70 to 80 percent—work while enrolled in classes. SUNY Works will provide those students the opportunity to generate income in a work environment that will make them employable following graduation while they are enrolled in college. Seven out of every 10 co-op students are offered positions by the employers for which they worked while enrolled in the program.
“SUNY Works is changing the way we deliver higher education across New York State, giving students a huge advantage, not only by allowing them to earn an income during college, but also by providing them with hands-on experience and training that nearly always results in a job offer after graduation. This is an outstanding example of SUNY’s systemness at work,” said SUNY Senior Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges and the Education Pipeline Johanna Duncan-Poitier.
“With proven success in 27 countries and counting, cooperative education is heralded by many as one of the most effective and unique academic programs of our time,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “SUNY Works promises to have a positive, lasting effect on the way New York’s public colleges and universities prepare students in all disciplines for successful careers and meet the needs of New York’s workforce. We are deeply grateful to Carnegie Corporation for this support.”
Photo Credit: Ulster County Community College