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CUNY AI Literacy and Professional Readiness Series

Applied, ethical AI for real-world learning and career readiness

800+
Attendees reached across CUNY and NYU
94%
Student satisfaction
217
RSVPs for flagship CUNY x NYU session
Cross-campus
Participation and collaboration

About the Initiative

The CUNY AI Literacy and Professional Readiness Series is a Spring 2026 initiative led by Dr. Ngoc Cindy Pham, Associate Professor in the Murray Koppelman School of Business at Brooklyn College.

Supported by a grant from the CUNY AI Innovation Fund through the Office of Academic Innovation (CUNY Office of Academic Affairs), the series equips CUNY students with practical, ethical, and career-ready AI skills. The program brings together students from Brooklyn College, other CUNY campuses, and NYU Tandon School of Engineering through hands-on, industry-informed sessions that connect classroom learning with real-world applications in business, research, and career development.

Participants earn a digital badge as part of a micro-credential pathway designed to demonstrate AI readiness to future employers. The series emphasizes critical thinking before tool adoption, ethical decision-making, applied enterprise use cases, and targeted support for first-generation and immigrant students.

The initiative is part of CUNY's broader efforts in AI leadership development and workforce-focused AI literacy programming.

CUNY Skyline with Logo
Spring 2026 Curriculum

Featured Sessions

Conor Grennan presenting

Artificial Intelligence & The Future of Work

Conor Grennan (NYU Stern / AI Mindset) & Finn Grennan
AI in Business & Marketing Event Hall

AI in Business & Marketing

Hannah Frey (IBM)
Matt Lentz (.Monks) session in action

Applying AI to Enterprise Consulting

Matt Lentz (Monks)
Paul Santello session on AI in Marketing

How AI is Reshaping Marketing & Advertising

Paul Santello (Marketing Professor & Consultant)

Speaker Highlights

Across February and March, the series reached 800+ attendees (including students, faculty and staff) with a 94% satisfaction rate — with April still ahead.

February
March
April Grand Finale

Student Innovation Hub

Current Action

Student Innovation Showcase: Call for Submissions

Prepare your applied AI projects, research papers, or tools developed during the Spring 2026 series. Selected submissions will be featured globally on this Hub.

*Submissions open late April 2026

Timeline

Launch Target: May 2026

End of Spring Semester Showcase.

Leadership & AI Team

Meet the dedicated team making the CUNY AI Literacy initiative possible.

Student Leaders

Zaineb Cheema

Zaineb Cheema

LEAD ORGANIZER & VIRTUAL OPERATIONS
Brooklyn College
Hibah Zeinab

Hibah Zeinab

LEAD ORGANIZER & MODERATOR
Brooklyn College
William Sanchez

William Sanchez

LEAD ORGANIZER & MODERATOR
Brooklyn College

Student Team

Ali Imran Deniz

Ali Imran Deniz

WEB DEVELOPMENT & EVENT COORDINATOR
Brooklyn College
Jason Lin

Jason Lin

OPERATIONS & MEDIA COORDINATOR
Brooklyn College
Madia Azimi

Madia Azimi

EVENT COORDINATOR & VIRTUAL OPERATIONS
Brooklyn College
Ruhshona Sayfiddinova

Ruhshona Sayfiddinova

EVENT COORDINATOR
Brooklyn College
Juan Solis Cazares

Juan Solis Cazares

PARTNERSHIPS & EVENT COORDINATOR
Brooklyn College
Ines Bakir

Ines Bakir

MARKETING & OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Brooklyn College
Damir Shavkatov

Damir Shavkatov

CUNY LIAISON & PROGRAM AMBASSADOR
Brooklyn College
Odil Nuriddinov

Odil Nuriddinov

PROGRAM ASSOCIATE
Brooklyn College

NYU Tandon Collaborating Faculty & Student Leaders

Dr. Shizhu Liu

Dr. Shizhu Liu

Deputy Director Industry Associate Professor M.S. in Management of Technology (MOT) program
NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Siddhant Gautam

Siddhant Gautam

NYU Tandon School of Engineering
TCC Team

TCC Team

NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can attend the CUNY AI Literacy Series?
The series is primarily designed for CUNY students, faculty, and staff. Students from Brooklyn College, other CUNY campuses, and NYU Tandon School of Engineering are encouraged to participate.
Are there any prerequisites required?
No prior technical experience or AI knowledge is required. The series is built to take participants from absolute basics to practical, ethical, and career-ready AI application.
What is the format of the sessions?
Sessions are industry-led, hands-on, and highly interactive. They combine theory with real-world application, featuring guest speakers from companies like IBM and NYU Tandon Engineering.
Will I receive a badge or certificate?
Yes! Participants can earn a digital badge as part of a micro-credential pathway. This badge demonstrates your AI readiness and ethical technical proficiency to future employers.
How do I register?
You can register by clicking the "Register Now" button in the navigation bar or by scrolling to the session details and using the provided RSVP forms for specific event dates.
Are the sessions held in-person or online?
All of our sessions are hosted in a hybrid format! You can choose to join us in-person at the host campus, or participate virtually via a live Zoom broadcast. Link and location details are provided upon registration.
Still have questions? Contact Us →