NYU and SUNY set up evidence lab to test higher education programs in the AI era
Two of the largest university systems in the United States are setting up a joint research lab to assess which campus programs genuinely prepare students for an AI-influenced workforce, as pressure grows for higher education reform to be driven by evidence rather than intuition.
New York University and the State University of New York have launched the Higher Education Design Lab, a joint initiative designed to rigorously test which university programs deliver measurable outcomes for students navigating a workforce shaped by AI, polarization, and rapid economic change.
NYU is the largest private nonprofit university in the US, while SUNY is the country’s largest public college and university system. Together, they span urban, suburban, and rural campuses, giving the new lab access to a wide range of institutional contexts rarely studied side by side.
The lab is positioned as a response to growing concern that higher education innovation is moving faster than the evidence supporting it.
Across the sector, universities are rolling out new programs aimed at career readiness, civic engagement, and dialogue across difference. But leaders behind the initiative argue that too many reforms are being implemented without clear proof that they improve long-term student outcomes.
Linda Mills, President of NYU, took to LinkedIn to frame the challenge directly. “Across higher education, institutions are launching new programs to meet the pressures of AI, polarization, and a rapidly shifting workforce — and that work matters,” Mills wrote. “But when the stakes are this high, we can't afford to lead on intuition alone.”
She added that universities need approaches that are “tested, transparent, and proven to help students collaborate, think critically, and thrive.”
What the lab will study
Rather than introducing new programs, the Higher Education Design Lab focuses on evaluating existing initiatives already operating across NYU and SUNY campuses.
Its early research agenda includes examining:
Dialogue and discourse initiatives, including speaker series, debate programs, and structured dialogue training
Career readiness models, such as employer partnerships and experiential learning pathways
First-year and orientation programs, assessing required versus optional onboarding experiences
Teaching and learning innovations, including faculty development and instructional toolkits
Community-based and experiential learning, including service learning and civic engagement
The goal is to develop shared metrics and frameworks that can be adopted beyond NYU and SUNY, allowing other institutions to base decisions on evidence rather than anecdote.
Scale and diversity as a testing ground
John B. King Jr., Chancellor of SUNY, points to the breadth of the two systems as central to the lab’s value. “The strength of this partnership is that it spans two of the largest and most diverse higher education systems in the nation,” King says. “That gives us a rare ability to study new and old initiatives across institutions of every size, mission, and geographic setting.” He adds that this range makes it possible to identify “which innovations are effective, for whom, and under what conditions.”
The lab is housed initially at NYU’s Marron Institute of Urban Management and guided by an advisory board that includes the City University of New York.
CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez says participation brings the perspective of a large urban public university serving nearly 250,000 students. “We look forward to our participation in the Lab’s advisory board to contribute insights that address both the challenges and aspirations of our diverse student population,” Rodríguez says.
Additional partners from higher education, government, and industry are expected to join as the lab develops its research frameworks.
Several contributors emphasize that the lab is not positioned as an advocacy body, but as a testing ground for claims already shaping policy and investment decisions across higher education.
Mindy Tarlow, Senior Fellow at NYU’s Marron Institute, describes the lab’s role as deliberately neutral. “The Lab’s role is to listen, test ideas, and share outcomes — whether they affirm or challenge our approach,” Tarlow says.
Jonathan Haidt, founder of the Constructive Dialogue Institute, argues that evaluation is the missing step in a sector-wide push toward civic and dialogue programming. “The next step is understanding which of these efforts will provide a return on investment,” Haidt says. “The Higher Education Design Lab will break new ground by evaluating how institutions can best strengthen their commitments to evidence-based innovation.”
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