MCC Daily Tribune
SUNY Student Paid Internships at County Governments Partnerships Launched
Initiative from SUNY and NYSAC will Help More Students Secure Internship Opportunities and Help Improve County-Level Government Operations
Students Interested in Summer Internship Spots Can Contact SUNY Career Service Offices on Their Campuses
Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. and the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) announced a new initiative Thursday to help SUNY students secure paid internships with county governments and local agencies throughout New York State. In partnership with NYSAC, SUNY will connect talented students with an array of opportunities for internships and future career pathways in their local government agencies.
SUNY students interested in summer internships are able to apply for available positions in at least 15 counties by contacting their campus career service offices, with more opportunities for internships with local governments anticipated to open for Fall 2026.
“Internships play an integral role in preparing students for the workforce by providing skill development, as well as exposure to professional environments and a variety of career paths,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “With the great partnership with NYSAC, this initiative will help SUNY students explore public service careers and support county government operations that benefit New Yorkers throughout the state. This is a win-win opportunity, and I thank NYSAC for working with SUNY to help create opportunities for our students and for local governments.”
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “Through collaboration with partners like NYSAC, SUNY's students have more opportunities to be active members of their communities, while developing skills that help them reach their full potential. This initiative will help ensure New York county governments have access to great SUNY student interns, and that SUNY students can secure paid internships while giving back to New Yorkers throughout the state.”
Stephen Acquario, Executive Director of the New York State Association of Counties, said, “We’re proud to partner with Chancellor King and SUNY on this exciting initiative to create new pathways for students to serve their communities. Counties deliver essential services that impact New Yorkers every day, but many are struggling to recruit the next generation of public servants. This initiative will help build a pipeline of talented young leaders by connecting students with meaningful, paid opportunities in county government. From public health and infrastructure to economic development and public safety, county service offers students a chance to make a real difference in our communities while exploring fulfilling careers in public service.”
SUNY has set a goal that every undergraduate student will participate in an internship or other quality experiential learning opportunity. Paid internships are invaluable opportunities for students to learn on the job, be compensated for their work, and apply their academic experience to real world tasks. This initiative will ensure that students are prepared to be part of the next generation of skilled workers, as well as reinforce county governments’ capacity to serve their communities.
State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Senate Higher Education Committee Chair said, “Paid internships are a pathway linking education to the workforce. This partnership between SUNY and county governments ensures students can gain real experience in public service without worrying about bills. Building that pathway early is how we grow the next generation of skilled public servants across New York State.”
State Senator Monica R. Martinez said, “For students interested in careers in public service, local governments offer unique opportunities to learn about the needs of our state’s residents. These municipalities, which include New York’s counties, are among the closest to the people, and this initiative will connect students with internships that provide real-world opportunities to understand how they work and interact with residents’ everyday lives. As chair of the Senate’s Local Government Committee and a former member of county government, I thank SUNY for this partnership in developing the next generation of public sector leaders.”
State Assemblymember Alicia L. Hyndman, Assembly Higher Education Committee Chair, said, “The synergy between our premier public university system and our county governments is a masterstroke in workforce development. By launching this partnership with NYSAC, Chancellor King is ensuring that paid, experiential learning is no longer a luxury, but a cornerstone of the SUNY experience. Democratizing access to these local government pathways allows our students - particularly those from historically underserved communities - to apply their academic rigor to real-world civic challenges while earning a fair wage. This is how we cultivate the next generation of New York’s leaders and strengthen the very fabric of our local agencies.”
To help advance more internship opportunities for SUNY students, as part of SUNY Chancellor King’s 2025 State of the University agenda, SUNY designated regional workforce coordinators across the state to assist campuses in identifying internship opportunities. SUNY regional workforce coordinators will partner with NYSAC to identify internship opportunities with county-level governments throughout New York State and connect those opportunities with SUNY campuses.
SUNY is committed to nurturing future talent by collaborating with campus and community partners to increase awareness of the array of career pathways available to students and offer hands-on experience through internships. SUNY has worked to expand internship opportunities in multiple ways through the launch of programs including the SUNY New York State Insurance Fund Internship Program, SUNY Educational Opportunity Career Development Internship Program, the Chancellor’s Summer Research Excellence Fund, the SUNY Institute for Local News, the Veterans Enrollment and Support Internship Program, and the SUNY Climate Corps.
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, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its 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 $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum.
Veronica Chiesi Brown
Community Relations
03/20/2026