SUNY Old Westbury launches campus-wide AI initiative – Long Island Business News

• SUNY Old Westbury launches AI@OW, a campus-wide AI education initiative.

• AI instruction will be provided to all undergraduate students by 2026.

• Initiative emphasizes ethical AI use, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary learning.

• Supports research, administrative innovation, and alignment with New York State AI goals.

SUNY Old Westbury launches AI@OW, a campus-wide AI education initiative.

AI instruction will be provided to all undergraduate students by 2026.
Initiative emphasizes ethical AI use, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary learning.
Supports research, administrative innovation, and alignment with New York State AI goals.

The State University of New York at Old Westbury is launching a campus-wide artificial intelligence initiative designed to provide AI instruction to all undergraduate students. The university aims to integrate AI across teaching, research and operations to ensure that its campus community is equipped to apply the technology both ethically and innovatively.
“Quite simply, AI is here and we all must learn and adapt it as a tool of opportunity for everyone,” Timothy Sams, president of SUNY Old Westbury, said in a news release about the initiative.
“With the growing demand for AI literacy from employers and students, we will integrate AI fluency alongside the critical thinking skills and ethical values we have long taught as a liberal arts institution,” Sams said.
During the campus’ inaugural Founders’ Day program on Wednesday, part of the university’s ongoing 60th-anniversary celebration, Sams challenged a newly formed AI Task Force to develop an “AI@OW” plan within 90 days. The plan is intended to address shifts taking place in higher education and the broader communities the university serves.
The initiative comes at a time when institutions nationwide are responding to the swift impacts and practices prompted by AI. For example, in September, Hempstead-based Hofstra University announced that is is preparing to roll out campuswide access to ChatGPT Edu, an artificial intelligence tool specifically for educational organizations, for faculty and students.
SUNY Old Westbury officials say its AI initiative supports New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul’s aim to foster the state as a leader in artificial intelligence research for the public good, including the launch of the Empire AI initiative in 2024.
“On this anniversary of Old Westbury’s founding, the campus is setting new expectations for educational excellence to benefit all students,” SUNY Chancellor John King Jr., said in the news release.
“Under the leadership of President Sams, the campus continues to show us each day what’s possible for students through a public liberal arts education, and I am excited to see how this campus grows in its mission to provide access and upward mobility through a diverse and multicultural educational environment,” said King, who attended the Founders’ Day program.
In December 2024, the SUNY Board of Trustees updated its general education framework – a set of core competencies all undergraduates must meet – to include AI, emerging technologies and civil discourse, effective in the fall of 2026.
“As a campus committed to uplifting people through education and creating a more just, sustainable world, it’s our responsibility to ensure students from all corners of society don’t just use AI but lead with it,” Sams said. “We want them to use this evolving technology with vision, accountability, and integrity. The success of our graduates tomorrow depends on how boldly we respond today.”
The initiative at SUNY Old Westbury aims to provide AI education to all undergraduate students that supports their academic interests and emphasizes ethical use. The initiative also aims to expand AI capabilities across teaching and administrative operations to enhance learning, support interdisciplinary collaboration and improve the delivery of services to students and the community at large. The initiative is also designed to identify or develop AI applications and strategic opportunities to support research to increase productivity and innovation among students and faculty.

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