A&M-Victoria selected for Google AI for Education Accelerator program
Texas A&M University-Victoria has been selected to join the Google AI for Education Accelerator Program, an initiative that looks to bring cutting-edge artificial intelligence resources and training to its students, faculty and staff at no cost.
The program, which was launched by Google, aims to equip students with critical AI and job-ready skills by providing access to advanced Google AI tools, training programs and certifications.
“I am excited to be working with this Google accelerator partner program,” said Hardik Gohel, director of the Master of Science in data science program and the Applied AI Research Lab. “This will not only help our students and staff, but will also help us expand our STEM community.”
Gohel first learned about the program through national AI symposia he attended and through industry contacts at Google, he said. He applied on behalf of A&M-Victoria the previous spring semester, and the approval process took approximately four months.
“This is an exciting opportunity for students and faculty to earn industry-recognized credentials to supplement their college education,” said Dmitri Sobolev, interim dean of the College of Natural & Applied Science. “This provides an opportunity to keep up with the changing employment landscape and helps future-proof their careers.”
Through the accelerator program, A&M-Victoria will gain access to the Google Accelerator Hub along with all of its program benefits, onboarding guides and resources tailored for higher education. Faculty members will gain professional development opportunities to integrate AI into their teaching and research. For students, they will also have access to AI learning pathways to empower them with industry-relevant skills and provide them with opportunities to collaborate with peer institutions at the forefront of AI in education.
After accessing the Accelerator Hub, the university will also unlock several no-cost resources for faculty and students which include Google AI training and certificates. Students will also have access to Google’s Gemini AI at no cost and NotebookLM through Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals. Access to these resources will be managed through the accelerator’s Excel Hub.
Looking ahead, Gohel said he is excited about the partnership and its potential impact.
“In the future, I would like to work more with Google and other companies like AWS and Microsoft to integrate their tools and their curriculum into our curriculum.” Gohel said. “That way, we can make sure that our students have the AI readiness skills they need to get a job in the market.”
Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.