As the severity of the global health crisis presented by the emergence of COVID-19 became apparent, colleges and universities across the United States began bringing students home from study abroad programs and canceling international travel for faculty and students. Wishing to honor its commitment to global learning for all, the State University of New York (SUNY), a comprehensive public higher education system comprising sixty-four institutions across New York State, began exploring alternative options for students to engage internationally. The SUNY Center for Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), convened a group of faculty and administrators from eighteen SUNY institutions and system-level offices in late March 2020 to develop a virtual experience that would provide perspectives on some of the world's most challenging problems, along with opportunities for students to address them. The brainstorming led to the development of the SUNY COIL Global Commons. The six-week pilot program, which took place July 6-August 10, 2020, enrolled fifty-eight students from eighteen SUNY institutions. The students completed projects with seven community-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Africa and the Middle East. This article discusses the pilot program and highlights student responses from its evaluation.