UTICA, NY – SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) today announced that Dr. Babak Elahi, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded a $50,000 grant through the State University of New York’s (SUNY) Embedding Industry Credentials in Academic Coursework (EICAC) initiative. The grant will expand SUNY Poly’s effort to embed industry-recognized credentials, featuring Google certificates as a key focus, directly into academic coursework across the arts, humanities, and social sciences, strengthening career readiness and expanding opportunities for students.

“This initiative builds on SUNY Poly’s commitment to career-ready education,” said Elahi. “By integrating Google industry credentials directly into coursework, we’re creating clearer pathways for students to strengthen their skills, document competencies, and compete even more effectively for internships and jobs.”

SUNY Poly Provost Dr. Andrew Russell emphasized the value for students. “A SUNY Poly education combines theory and practice, and our faculty excel in helping students connect what they learn in the classroom to the skills employers are seeking,” Russell said. “Embedding industry-recognized credentials into academic programs is a meaningful way to add value for students by building their confidence, career readiness, and upward mobility.”

This SUNY initiative is supported through the SUNY Chancellor’s Economic Development and Upward Mobility funds, in partnership with the National Association of Systems of Higher Education, Google, and the University of Texas at Arlington.

SUNY Poly programs supported through this initiative include Communications and Media Design, Interactive Media and Game Design, Interdisciplinary Studies, Psychology, Sociology, and the online master’s program in Information Design and Technology. Initial credential focus areas include Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, UX Design, and Project Management, aligning with existing strengths in sociological data analysis, information design, and project-based learning, while enabling students to complete or progress toward Google credentials as part of their academic experience.

Through this initiative, SUNY Poly faculty will identify courses where credential outcomes align with course objectives, develop documentation mapping Google credential competencies to learning outcomes, and explore prior learning assessment approaches for students who have already completed relevant Google credentials.

In addition to course integration, SUNY Poly will explore co-curricular pathways through student organizations to expand access and participation, including opportunities to engage with Google credential-aligned learning outside the classroom. The initiative will also support broader recruitment and workforce connections by collaborating with partners such as regional Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES.