Pictured from left to right: Dr. Rey Rivera, Sandra Watson, Dr. Steven R. Gonzales, Al Thompson, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, Susan Bitter Smith, Valerie Jones, Dr. CJ Wurster.
On January 22, 2026, Maricopa Community Colleges, Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC), and Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) leaders joined Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, Intel Corporation (Intel) Vice President of Government Relations Al Thompson, and Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) President and CEO Sandra Watson to commemorate five years of collaboration and innovation in higher education.
“Maricopa Community Colleges is a national leader in AI education,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “Their partnership with Intel serves as a model for collaboration between colleges and industry, addressing Arizona's workforce needs both now and in the future.”
Where It Began
The journey began in 2020, when Maricopa Community Colleges partnered with Intel and the ACA to launch a pioneering AI education pathway for students, beginning with the nation’s first certificate and associate degree program in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning. Just two years later, CGCC opened the first-of-its-kind AI Incubator Lab, supported by a $60,000 grant from Intel for state-of-the-art workstations and open-source Intel AI software tools. During the Spring 2022 commencement season, CGCC awarded its first Associate of Applied Science in AI and Machine Learning degrees.
“Intel’s five‑year collaboration with Maricopa Community Colleges builds on more than 45 years of Intel innovation, manufacturing leadership, and community investment in the state. As we move forward, we are scaling AI learning, empowering educators, and fostering safe, secure, and trustworthy AI experiences that benefit students, employers, and communities statewide. For decades, Intel has championed K–12 and higher‑education STEM experiences to help ensure the future is filled with innovators from every community. Since 2020, we have contributed more than $29 million to support higher education learning and training across Arizona. We appreciate Governor Hobbs’s commitment to strengthening Arizona’s talent ecosystem and look forward to continuing our work together to deliver the skills, infrastructure, and innovation that keep Arizona’s economy strong and future‑focused,” said Al Thompson, Vice President, USA Government Affairs.
Why It Matters
With the success of the AI and Machine Learning certificate and associate degree program, Maricopa Community Colleges announced that a bachelor’s degree would be available to students beginning in Fall 2025. Today, CGCC has solidified itself as a leader in AI education, becoming only the third community college in the U.S. to offer an AI bachelor’s degree program. Since launching, more than 1,000 students have applied to CGCC’s four-year program.
“Our partnership with Intel and the ACA demonstrates how community colleges, government, and private industry can collaborate to prepare students for jobs in the competitive global market,” said Dr. Steven R. Gonzales, Maricopa Community Colleges Chancellor. “Our ongoing partnership has allowed us to provide unparalleled educational experiences for our students.”
As a regional leader in workforce development, Maricopa Community Colleges joined the National Applied Artificial Intelligence Consortium in 2024 to help grow the number of technician-level AI professionals nationwide. CGCC also received the Reaching Engineering and Artificial Intelligence and Career Heights Grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to provide scholarships to students pursuing degrees in AI-related fields. In recognition of its AI work, the college hosted a Teaching and Learning Summit that drew educators from 36 schools across 20 states. Additionally, CGCC and EMCC were the first Arizona community colleges to receive the Innovator of the Year – Academia Award at the Governor’s Celebration of Innovation in 2022 for their partnership with Intel.
Maricopa Community Colleges is now advancing its partnership with Intel through more advanced AI pathways aligned with emerging industry needs, such as AI for Cybersecurity and Manufacturing, and by ensuring students gain practical, in-demand skills. Intel is also helping to develop a statewide AI Center of Excellence (CoE) to strengthen instructional capacity, modernize academic infrastructure, and deliver consistent, high-quality AI education across all colleges. This CoE will deliver hands-on, applied learning through secure, modern AI lab environments supported by AI-capable computing and AI PCs, enabling students to innovate locally and at the edge. The Intel-Maricopa collaboration will scale the AI EmpowerED initiative across Arizona’s community colleges, expanding access to modern AI infrastructure, curriculum, and educator training in partnership with local ecosystem companies such as Insight Technologies. This partnership will advance responsible AI literacy for students, educators, employers, public-sector professionals, and communities, emphasizing ethical, transparent, and trustworthy AI adoption.
What Leaders Are Saying
“Chandler-Gilbert Community College is proud of the work our faculty and staff have done with our community college partners and Intel to lead the way in AI education at both the local and national levels,” said Dr. CJ Wurster, CGCC President. “We are committed to advancing AI educational opportunities for our community so we can be a solution to the skills gap that exists in the workforce. Through our partnerships, we are able to remain at the forefront of AI innovation and provide high-quality, accessible learning opportunities.”
“Community colleges are places where our community members can access education in leading-edge industries. We're honored to be a part of this effort to bring new innovations to our communities,” said Dr. Rey Rivera, EMCC President.
Learn more at maricopa.edu.