{"id":13483,"date":"2026-08-27T13:56:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T17:56:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/?p=13483"},"modified":"2026-08-27T14:01:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T18:01:24","slug":"saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"Saint Peter\u2019s University Leads with Purpose in Launching School of Global Innovation and AI"},"content":{"rendered":"

JERSEY CITY, N.J. \u2013 August 27, 2026 <\/b> \u2013 Saint Peter\u2019s University has announced the evolution and relaunch of its School of Professional Studies as the School of Global Innovation and AI (GIAI)<\/b><\/a>, marking a significant expansion of the University\u2019s commitment to artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, computational sciences and workforce-focused innovation.<\/p>\n

Grounded in Saint Peter\u2019s commitment to ethical and human-centered innovation, The School of GIAI\u00a0 brings together global and workforce innovation, ethical and applied artificial intelligence, and computational sciences to prepare students for a world being reshaped by data, automation and rapid technological change.<\/p>\n

The newly reimagined school brings together a growing portfolio of academic programs designed to prepare students for a rapidly changing world of work, where technological fluency, data-informed decision-making and the responsible application of artificial intelligence are increasingly essential across industries and professions.<\/p>\n

Michael Soto, Ph.D., Vice President for Academic Affairs at Saint Peter\u2019s University<\/b>, notes that \u201cThe School of Global Innovation and AI represents an important step forward for Saint Peter\u2019s as we continue to evolve our academic offerings around the needs of today\u2019s students and tomorrow\u2019s workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"logo<\/a>The school currently offers programs including a B.S. in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, M.S. in Data Science, Ph.D. in Data Science, M.S. in Cyber Security, M.S. in Information Sciences, B.S. in Computer Science: Cybersecurity, and certificates in Cybersecurity and Risk Management<\/b>. Planned programs include Interdisciplinary, stackable certificates and credentials to enable students to apply AI across multiple fields. The school also houses the university’s international programs and partnerships, including international study opportunities, to link applied artificial intelligence with global, interdisciplinary real world learning opportunities.<\/p>\n

The school also envisions the future development of an interdisciplinary AI institute and a collaborative commons at Saint Peter\u2019s. These initiatives would bring together students across disciplines, faculty, staff, industry leaders and nonprofit partners to collaborate on projects that advance workforce innovation. Education grounded in Jesuit values and the liberal arts would remain central to this work.<\/p>\n

The school\u2019s new direction is rooted in three interconnected areas: global and workforce innovation; ethical and applied artificial intelligence; and computational sciences.<\/b> Together, these areas reflect an approach to education that combines emerging technology with practical application, critical thinking and a strong grounding in ethics and human-centered decision-making.<\/p>\n

The school is led by Sharath Kumar Jagannathan, Ph.D., Interim Dean of the School of Global Innovation and AI<\/b>, whose academic and professional expertise spans artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, predictive analytics, privacy preservation, cybersecurity and other emerging technologies. His work bridges academic scholarship, applied technology and industry-informed learning, with a particular emphasis on preparing students for emerging opportunities in AI-driven and technology-enabled fields.<\/p>\n

“This new School reflects our belief that technological innovation must remain centered on people, purpose and the common good,\u201d said Dr. Jagannathan. \u201cWe will bring students, faculty and industry partners together to apply artificial intelligence and computational sciences to real-world challenges while preparing graduates to lead with technical expertise, ethical judgment and a global perspective.”<\/p>\n

Dr. Hubert Benitez, President of Saint Peter\u2019s University, lauded this transition and appointment of Dr. Jagannathan: \u201cDr. Jagannathan brings significant expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data privacy, and their applications across various domains. He has been deeply engaged in advancing innovative academic initiatives and fostering applied learning opportunities for students. This strategic transformation reflects the University\u2019s commitment to innovation, future-focused learning, and academic relevance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Serving undergraduate, graduate, adult and professional learners, the School will integrate education, applied research and experiential learning in artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, computational sciences and emerging technologies. Its programs will support students preparing to enter the workforce, advance within their professions or transition into technology- and data-intensive fields.<\/p>\n

Students will have opportunities to apply their knowledge through research, internships, interdisciplinary projects, industry-informed challenges and collaboration with faculty and external partners. By connecting technological expertise with fields such as business, healthcare, education, government and the sciences, the School will encourage students to examine complex problems from multiple perspectives and develop practical, human-centered solutions.<\/p>\n

Building upon Saint Peter\u2019s established strengths in data science and computational disciplines, the School will continue expanding connections among education, research and professional practice. The University\u2019s Ph.D. in Data Science, for example, prepares students for careers in academia and industry through advanced coursework, applied research and dissertation work that contributes to the continuing development of the field.<\/p>\n

Grounded in Saint Peter\u2019s Jesuit tradition, the School will emphasize integrity, reflection, discernment, service, and respect for human dignity. Its mission is to ensure that innovation and emerging technologies are applied ethically, expand access and opportunity, and contribute to the common good.<\/p>\n

Through the School of Global Innovation and AI, Saint Peter\u2019s will continue to expand opportunities for students to develop skills that are increasingly relevant across business, healthcare, cybersecurity, technology, government, education and other sectors. The school\u2019s interdisciplinary focus recognizes that artificial intelligence is no longer limited to the technology sector\u2014it is becoming an essential part of how organizations solve problems, make decisions and innovate.<\/p>\n

The School of Global Innovation and AI<\/a> reflects Saint Peter\u2019s University\u2019s continued commitment to academic innovation, career readiness and ethical leadership<\/b>, preparing students to navigate\u2014and help shape\u2014the technological and workforce transformations of the years ahead.<\/p>\n

*****************************************************************************<\/p>\n

About Saint Peter\u2019s University<\/b><\/p>\n

For more than 150 years, Saint Peter\u2019s University, inspired by its Jesuit, Catholic identity, commitment to individual attention and grounding in the liberal arts, has educated a diverse community of learners through undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional programs to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately and promote justice in an ever-changing urban and global environment. To learn more, visit www.saintpeters.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JERSEY CITY, N.J. \u2013 August 27, 2026 \u2013 Saint Peter\u2019s University has announced the evolution and relaunch of its School of Professional Studies as the School of Global Innovation and AI (GIAI), marking a significant expansion of the University\u2019s commitment to artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, computational sciences and workforce-focused innovation. Grounded in Saint Peter\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1293,"featured_media":13485,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3,5,2,6],"tags":[34],"class_list":["post-13483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-current-students","category-faculty-staff","category-future-students","category-press-release","tag-press"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSaint Peter\u2019s University Leads with Purpose in Launching School of Global Innovation and AI - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Saint Peter's University welcomed its largest freshmen class in either years as the 25-26 year kicks off with Mass of the Holy Spirit.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"dbocchino\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"dbocchino\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/3911a54e5ade77498f635cc16e6fb64e\"},\"headline\":\"Saint Peter\u2019s University Leads with Purpose in Launching School of Global Innovation and AI\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-27T17:56:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-27T18:01:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/\"},\"wordCount\":967,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/230\/files\/2026\/08\/GIAI-logo.png\",\"keywords\":[\"press\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Alumni\",\"Current Students\",\"Faculty Staff\",\"Future Students\",\"Press Release\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/\",\"name\":\"Saint Peter\u2019s University Leads with Purpose in Launching School of Global Innovation and AI - News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/230\/files\/2026\/08\/GIAI-logo.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-27T17:56:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-27T18:01:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/3911a54e5ade77498f635cc16e6fb64e\"},\"description\":\"Saint Peter's University welcomed its largest freshmen class in either years as the 25-26 year kicks off with Mass of the Holy Spirit.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/230\/files\/2026\/08\/GIAI-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/230\/files\/2026\/08\/GIAI-logo.png\",\"width\":1105,\"height\":430,\"caption\":\"logo for the School of Global Innovation and AI\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Saint Peter\u2019s University Leads with Purpose in Launching School of Global Innovation and AI\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/\",\"name\":\"News\",\"description\":\"Go forth and change the world.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/3911a54e5ade77498f635cc16e6fb64e\",\"name\":\"dbocchino\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/27b97d7b6ab02fac704ad7fa2b54981bdf899d5f577f4942de499573931ae1d3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/27b97d7b6ab02fac704ad7fa2b54981bdf899d5f577f4942de499573931ae1d3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"dbocchino\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/author\/dbocchino\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Saint Peter\u2019s University Leads with Purpose in Launching School of Global Innovation and AI - News","description":"Saint Peter's University welcomed its largest freshmen class in either years as the 25-26 year kicks off with Mass of the Holy Spirit.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"dbocchino","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/"},"author":{"name":"dbocchino","@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/3911a54e5ade77498f635cc16e6fb64e"},"headline":"Saint Peter\u2019s University Leads with Purpose in Launching School of Global Innovation and AI","datePublished":"2026-08-27T17:56:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-27T18:01:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/"},"wordCount":967,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/230\/files\/2026\/08\/GIAI-logo.png","keywords":["press"],"articleSection":["Alumni","Current Students","Faculty Staff","Future Students","Press Release"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/","url":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/","name":"Saint Peter\u2019s University Leads with Purpose in Launching School of Global Innovation and AI - News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/230\/files\/2026\/08\/GIAI-logo.png","datePublished":"2026-08-27T17:56:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-27T18:01:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/3911a54e5ade77498f635cc16e6fb64e"},"description":"Saint Peter's University welcomed its largest freshmen class in either years as the 25-26 year kicks off with Mass of the Holy Spirit.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/230\/files\/2026\/08\/GIAI-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/230\/files\/2026\/08\/GIAI-logo.png","width":1105,"height":430,"caption":"logo for the School of Global Innovation and AI"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/27\/saint-peters-university-leads-with-purpose-in-launching-school-of-global-innovation-and-ai\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Saint Peter\u2019s University Leads with Purpose in Launching School of Global Innovation and AI"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/","name":"News","description":"Go forth and change the world.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/3911a54e5ade77498f635cc16e6fb64e","name":"dbocchino","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/27b97d7b6ab02fac704ad7fa2b54981bdf899d5f577f4942de499573931ae1d3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/27b97d7b6ab02fac704ad7fa2b54981bdf899d5f577f4942de499573931ae1d3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"dbocchino"},"url":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/author\/dbocchino\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1293"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13483"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13497,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13483\/revisions\/13497"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}