SUNY Chancellor King Announces Third Year of Internship Exchange Program with University of Puerto Rico and Conservation Organization Para La Naturaleza

ESF among seven SUNY campuses chosen for exchange program

11/05/2026

ALBANY, N.Y. — Nov. 5, 2026 — The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is one of seven SUNY campuses chosen to participate in an internship exchange program in partnership with the University of Puerto Rico and the conservation organization Para La Naturaleza.

State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced the third annual internship exchange program which provides SUNY students the opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico to conduct hands-on research to take climate action and improve sustainability. 

“Internship opportunities play a vital role in preparing students to enter the workforce, as well as to explore career paths that interest them,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “This partnership with the University of Puerto Rico and Para La Naturaleza has empowered SUNY students to gain hands-on research experience, contribute to conservation efforts, and take climate action. We are proud to work with Para La Naturaleza to continue providing our students with high-quality internship opportunities that will lead them to a successful future.”

This year, nine students from seven SUNY campuses will participate in the internship program with Para La Naturaleza in Summer 2027. Chancellor King announced the third year of the program during the SOMOS Conference in Puerto Rico. The SUNY campuses selected to participate in this year’s program are:

• SUNY ESF
• State University of New York at Albany
• SUNY Cortland 
• Fashion Institute of Technology
• SUNY New Paltz
• SUNY Oneonta
• SUNY Oswego

“ESF is proud to continue this partnership with the University of Puerto Rico and Para La Naturaleza, which provides students with extraordinary opportunities to engage in hands-on environmental research,” said ESF President Joanie Mahoney. “We are grateful for Gov. Kathy Hochul’s commitment to strengthening ties between New York and Puerto Rico and supporting initiatives that expand educational opportunity and environmental stewardship. By studying water quality, biodiversity, and conservation practices in Puerto Rico, students gain valuable experience addressing complex environmental challenges while contributing to efforts that support climate resilience and the sustainable stewardship of natural resources.”

 “Thanks to our strong partnership with the SUNY System, students from seven SUNY campuses throughout New York State were able to join us in Summer 2026 to study Puerto Rico’s diverse ecosystems, flora, fauna, and the impacts of invasive species. Students were also able to explore unique natural environments, spelunk in the Karst Cave System, and learn about the past and present contributions of Indigenous peoples and people of African descent. Additionally, this partnership helped support three students from the University of Puerto Rico to conduct research at SUNY Upstate Medical University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. We thank SUNY Chancellor King and the SUNY Board of Trustees for ensuring that this partnership grows and thrives as we seek to help more students experience this wonderful opportunity,” said Para La Naturaleza President Fernanda Lloveras.”

In summer 2026, nine students from ESF, the State University of New York at Albany, SUNY Cortland, the Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Oneonta, and SUNY Oswego, were selected to participate in the program.

As part of their summer internship, student studied multiple topics including Puerto Rico’s diverse ecosystems, flora, fauna, wildlife regulations, and the impacts of invasive species, explored unique natural environments through hiking in El Yunque National Forest, spelunking in karst cave systems, and birdwatching, examined historical and contemporary environmental management practices, including hydraulic power systems and ecosystem restoration efforts, and gained hands-on experience with marine science techniques, including organism sampling in a bioluminescent bay. In addition, three students from the University of Puerto Rico were selected to conduct research at SUNY Upstate Medical University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook over the summer.  

The internship exchange program between SUNY, the University of Puerto Rico, and Para La Naturaleza showcases SUNY’s commitment to collaborating with partners to increase student access to internships, and awareness of the array of career paths available to students. To support paid internship opportunities for students, SUNY has launched internship partnerships with organizations including Special Olympics New York and the New York State Insurance Fund. 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 internship coordinators across the state to assist campuses in identifying internship opportunities. For more information about SUNY’s internship initiatives, please visit https://www.suny.edu/workforcedevelopment/internship/.

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 can complete internships. Governor Hochul’s Executive Budget includes an additional $7.4 million to expand career-connected internships across the SUNY System.

About SUNY ESF  

The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry is one of the nation's premier colleges focused on the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable future. ESF’s mission is to educate future environmental leaders of all backgrounds, advance knowledge, and skills necessary to promote scholarship and stewardship of the natural to designed environments, and act both locally and globally to Improve Our World. ESF’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni make a global impact on improving and sustaining the environment. ESF offers a world-class education among a close-knit community of more than 2,000 scholars with common values and a shared sense of purpose. ESF’s tight-knit community is centered alongside Syracuse University in the heart of Central New York and has a system of properties spanning 25,000 acres that broadly represent New York state’s rich ecological diversity for scientific study and instruction. To learn more, visit suny.edu.

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.