CUNY’s first University Dean for Technology and Computing, rebuilding computing curricula so New York students graduate with the AI skills employers hire for.
Session
Main Stage
Date
Tuesday, December 1
Level
Everyone
// 01 / Bio
Aankit Patel is the inaugural University Dean for Technology and Computing at CUNY Central. He leads computing education and faculty innovation, including CUNY Tech Futures, AI in General Education, and Don’t AI Alone. He also funds and convenes university-wide work in teaching, applied AI research, and academic policy.
Previously, through CUNY Computing Integrated Teacher Education, he helped innovate teacher preparation that reaches all 1,600 NYC public schools.
// 02 / The session
CUNY Tech Futures: rebuilding the first rung of NYC’s tech ladder
Abstract
The New York metro area now has more tech workers than the Bay Area, yet entry-level tech postings in the city have fallen sharply. The entry-level openings that remain increasingly ask for AI skills and hands-on experience.
That shift matters most for the City University of New York (CUNY), the city’s largest source of homegrown tech talent. Eight in 10 CUNY graduates stay in New York, but curricula have historically moved far slower than the job market. CUNY Tech Futures is the city’s publicly funded response: a $5.3M program funding 14 projects across 12 campuses, pairing AI engineers and researchers with the faculty designing new degree pathways.
Brendan Collins of the NYC Tech Talent Pipeline and Aankit Patel, CUNY’s University Dean for Technology and Computing, are joined by two industry professionals building the courses. They’ll share what’s working, what isn’t, and why industry has to help build the talent pipeline it hires from.
What you’ll learn
How CUNY embeds AI into computing degrees
Co-designing courses with industry engineers
Why employers should help build the pipeline
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