Academic Innovation Accelerator
Supporting creative approaches to academic programming
AI Technology Champions Award and Network
Join a growing community of AI innovators among Coastal Athletic Association Academic Alliance
Award Opportunity
Win a $10,000 stipend and travel expenses to the S2EARCH26 Convening at UNC Wilmington in June, 2026.
Deadline to apply: Friday, November 21
The AI Technologies Award is open to faculty and staff who have:
- Designed courses or assessments that smartly engage students with AI technologies.
- Used AI to expand research capabilities and accelerate scholarship outcomes.
- Leveraged AI technologies to facilitate career success and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Developed AI-integrated initiatives to increase campus efficiency and equity.
- Implemented novel approaches to promote student success.
- An interest in partnering with other CAA institutions for extramural funding applications in 2026 and beyond.
The program is open to full-time and part-time faculty and staff. Projects that span disciplines, departments, and units are eligible, as are projects that involve collaborators from other institutions.
Applications will be reviewed by a Stony Brook committee of faculty and staff. The provost will submit two nominees to the Coastal Athletic Association Academic Alliance, who will select four winners from across the conference. All nominees to the Academic Alliance will be automatically welcomed into the AI Technology Champions Network.
Award criteria are:
- Innovation and impact
- Ethical and equitable implementation
- Scalability and sustainability
- Collaborative potential
- Professional leadership
AI Technology Champions Network
Membership benefits:
- Attend virtual convenings with inter-institutional community of practice.
- Access a peer-based community of learning.
- Build your network among CAA faculty and staff.
- Find connections for future collaborations.
- Apply for future funding opportunities.
Explore the CAA Academic Alliance
The Champions Award and Network represents the 13 CAA universities’ collective commitment to shape the future of responsible AI technologies in higher education through innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity across the Alliance campuses.
Project EDGE: Empowering Development in General Education
This project supports faculty who seek to create or revise courses that will enhance the quality and relevance of Stony Brook's general education program, the Stony Brook Curriculum.
It provides faculty members and departments with financial and in-kind support to design and implement new courses or adapt existing courses.
Funds will be provided directly to faculty as research dollars after the course is approved by the appropriate curriculum committee.
Our ultimate goal is to encourage innovation and excellence in teaching while also reducing students' time to degree through expanded access to general education courses.
Building your Proposal
Have Questions? Let us know.
Additional Resources in Support of Curricular Innovation
Excellence in Teaching Cohorts
Curriculum Innovation Accelerator Consulting Board
The consulting board provides feedback on projects and ideas related to the Provost's Office Curriculum Innovation Accelerator. The board works with representatives from across Academic Affairs and the deans to develop and discuss ideas.
| Name | Title | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Diane Bello | University Registrar | Enrollment Management |
| Jennifer Dellaposta-Bracero | Senior Assistant Dean Director of Student Services |
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences |
| Erica Hackley | Assistant Dean for Academic Planning | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Amy Milligan | Senior Assistant Dean for Curriculum, Accreditation, and Student Services | College of Business |
| David Rubenstein | Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs | Graduate School |
| Catherine Scott | Director | Office of Educational Effectiveness |
| Rose Tirotta-Esposito | Director | Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching |
| Richard Tomczak | Director of Faculty Engagement | Division of Undergraduate Education |