Chancellor King and Special Olympics New York Announce Partnership to Launch Paid Internships for SUNY Students

August 12, 2026

Initiative will Connect SUNY Students with Opportunities to Contribute to Special Olympics New York Throughout the State

Builds on SUNY's Goal for Every Student to Participate in a High-Quality Internship Experience

Students Can Apply Now for the Fall Semester Here

Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. and Special Olympics New York today announced a new partnership to help SUNY students secure paid internships to assist with projects hosted by Special Olympics New York throughout the state.

"SUNY's commitment to student success and upward mobility has led us to establish the goal of an internship or other experiential learning opportunity for every undergraduate student," said SUNY Chancellor King. "Through this partnership with Special Olympics New York, our students will have the opportunity to explore careers that interest them and gain valuable hands-on skills that prepare them for the workforce. We are proud to work with Special Olympics New York to provide our students with internship opportunities that will lead to successful futures."

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "Through collaborations with organizations like Special Olympics New York, our students can gain important career skills while enriching their education. Thank you to Governor Hochul and the State Legislature for their continued support and investment in SUNY's internship programs, and the success of our students."

Special Olympics New York President and CEO Stacey Hengsterman said, "Special Olympics New York is proud to partner with Chancellor King and campuses across SUNY to provide students with meaningful, paid experiences that will build professional skills while making a lasting impact in their communities. Whether students will be organizing events, supporting athletes, advancing health initiatives, or promoting inclusive schools, these internships give students the opportunity to lead with purpose, gain hands-on experience, and help create a more inclusive New York. We're excited to welcome SUNY students to our team."

Through the partnership with Special Olympics New York, SUNY students will be able to contribute to projects and initiatives being implemented by the organization throughout the state. Paid internships will begin as soon as the coming fall semester in areas including:

  • Polar Plunge Event Management – Interns will act as the lead student coordinator for a Mobile Polar Plunge event hosted on campus. This role offers hands-on experience in event planning, peer-to-peer fundraising, marketing, and community engagement. The intern will take ownership of organizing and executing the event, working closely with campus partners and Special Olympics NY to raise funds and awareness for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
  • Unified Champion Schools– Interns will assist in the planning and implementation of Unified Champion Schools program-related activities local to their campus. Typical duties will be related to non-profit program management and could include program marketing, program administration, event leadership, data management, volunteer management, and outreach.
  • Assistant Coach– Interns will work with athletes with intellectual disabilities in a sports training environment. Interns will be placed with an existing training club near campus. They will assist head coaches, athletes, and families throughout a single sports season that coincides with a college semester.
  • Sports Management– Interns will be responsible for assisting in the planning and implementation of program-related activities in their region. Specific duties vary, depending on the active sports season and existence of special, high-priority, projects or partnerships during the time of placement. Typical work entails a variety of tasks related to non-profit program management and could include program marketing, program administration, event leadership, data management, volunteer management, and outreach.
  • Health – Interns will be responsible for assisting in the planning and implementation of Special Olympics New York Health initiatives locally. Duties may include assisting with event coordination, volunteer and stakeholder communication, organization and packing of health program supplies, resource development, and electronic data entry of medical screening forms.
  • Partnership Development Intern (SUNY Cortland)– Offered exclusively at SUNY Cortland, this internship is a unique opportunity to evaluate the full landscape of Special Olympics New York's engagement at SUNY Cortland and develop a model for coordinating these efforts into a more cohesive, sustainable partnership between the nonprofit and the university.

Students interested in participating in one of the paid internships can apply here: https://www.specialolympics-ny.org/who-we-are/staff-board/career-opportunities/.

Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee said, "I have long believed that an internship should not depend on a student's ability to work for free. Paid internships allow students to get a head start in the fields they love and help them stay focused throughout the college semester. Special Olympics New York serves 51,000 athletes across this state, and it does so at no cost to a single family. SUNY students will now be part of how this happens. I thank Chancellor King and Special Olympics New York for creating opportunities that serve our students and our communities at the same time."

Assemblymember Alicia L. Hyndman, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, said, "As the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education and a disability advocate, I am proud of SUNY's partnership with the Special Olympics to provide paid internships for our students. Such an early-career opportunity with a prestigious organization ensures our scholars will have access to well-paying jobs in the future."

Special Olympics New York is one of the largest Special Olympics chapters in the country, serving over 51,000 athletes across the state with year-round sports training, athletic competitions, and health screenings. The organization also partners with over 375 schools statewide to offer Unified Sports, where students with and without disabilities compete as teammates. All programs offered by Special Olympics New York are offered at no cost to athletes, their families, or caregivers.

SUNY is committed to ensuring every student can participate in a paid internship or experiential learning opportunity to gain hands-on job preparation before they earn their degree. To support paid internship opportunities for students, SUNY has launched internship partnerships with organizations including the New York State Association of Counties, the New York State Insurance Fund, as well as an internship exchange program with the University of Puerto Rico and the conservation organization Para La Naturaleza. SUNY has also launched programs including the SUNY Educational Opportunity Career Development Internship Program, Chancellor's Summer Research Excellence Fund, the SUNY Institute for Local News, the Veterans Enrollment and Support Internship Program, and the SUNY Climate Corps. As part of Chancellor King's 2025 State of the University agenda, SUNY also designated regional workforce coordinators across the state to assist campuses in identifying internship opportunities.

Through strong investment from Governor Hochul and the State Legislature, the SUNY Board of Trustees provides $14.5 million in annual state funding to support paid internships for students at State-operated campuses. In addition, SUNY awarded funding to 23 community colleges to expand access to stipends and wraparound services, including transportation and child care expenses, so students could complete internships. Governor Hochul's Executive Budget includes an additional $7.4 million to expand career-connected internships across the SUNY System.

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. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.

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