Governor Kathy Hochul on May 20th, announced plans to advance Artificial Intelligence research and encourage international collaboration in education with University College Cork during her visit to Ireland. The Governor directed the State University of New York Collaborative Online International Learning Center to partner with the University College Cork – the program’s first partnership with the National University of Ireland system. Almost 20 years after SUNY COIL’s inception, Governor Hochul will expand this successful program to encourage students and faculty to engage in collaborative, international teaching and learning opportunities while also expanding research and education in emerging fields like AI.

“For nearly 20 years, SUNY COIL has fueled international collaboration in education and helped students across disciplines access unique learning opportunities,” Governor Hochul said. “New York State is inviting University College Cork to become a partner through this program to encourage collaboration between faculty in Ireland and New York while expanding opportunities for SUNY students who are pioneering research in AI and other emerging fields right here in our state.”

SUNY’s Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Center currently partners with 197 institutions around the globe as well as 35 SUNY campuses and eight CUNY campuses. The COIL method creates equitable team-taught learning environments where faculty from two cultures work together to develop a shared project syllabus, emphasizing experiential and collaborative student learning.

As both SUNY and University College Cork continue to advance important educational opportunities and research in AI, a partnership between the institutions will encourage faculty and students to work together across countries to share and participate in instruction that fuels innovation across the SUNY COIL network.

Additionally, SUNY Oneonta, the home of SUNY COIL, will dedicate resources to advance the integration and utilization of AI in the classroom and bolster international education. These steps will help improve student experience in the classroom, spur innovation and improve lives.

On May 20th’s announcements further advance New York State as a leader in AI by engaging the international community and encouraging collaboration across the field among the next generation of leaders. Earlier this month, Governor Hochul announced the new SUNY INSPIRE Center will scale AI research and scholarship to advance public good just weeks after securing $275 million in the FY 2025 Enacted Budget for Empire AI.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. said, “Under Governor Hochul’s direction, New York State is capitalizing on every opportunity to further artificial intelligence research and education—including through Empire AI, the SUNY INSPIRE Center, and growing investment and partnership across the state. This new agreement with University College Cork through SUNY COIL adds yet another layer of international partnership to contribute to this work.”

CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said, “As one of the world's most diverse university systems, CUNY is proud of its faculty who have fostered partnerships worldwide to develop courses using the Collaborative Online International Learning model. COIL courses allow our students to engage directly with peers and faculty abroad and prepare them to address global challenges that will require sustained collaboration across national borders and cultures.”

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “Under Governor Hochul's leadership, New York State is focused on becoming a global hub for responsible and ethical AI innovation, research and development. By inviting this new collaboration between the University College Cork and the SUNY system, we can encourage further growth and advancements in this dynamic and emerging field.”

SUNY Oneonta President Alberto J.F. Cardelle said, “We are very excited about leveraging the power of COIL to create a transnational community of researchers and practitioners who can collectively continue to harness the power of AI in the generation and dissemination of knowledge. For us to completely harness the power of AI we must learn how to communicate about it, how to teach about it, and how to teach with it.”

University College Cork International Education Office Director Dr. Christopher Brown said, “Perhaps more than ever, Universities have a responsibility to offer students and staff opportunities to engage with different perspectives, cultures, and institutions. Beyond physical mobility, leveraging online technology can markedly scale up internationalisation. Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) initiatives provide students and professors with expanded networks and new horizons. We are delighted to explore ways in which University College Cork can participate in this project.”

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York 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 2023, 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.