ALBANY – Every student has a place at a State University of New York school, Gov. Kathy Hochul and SUNY Chancellor John King Jr. said in speeches at the annual SUNY address Wednesday at the Albany Capital Center.
“We will take care of our own,” Hochul said, adding, “So it has to be affordable.”
She and King did not address in their speeches how they would make it affordable. The University at Albany costs around $20,000 a year for someone residing on campus even for a freshman who qualifies for the state’s full Excelsior Scholarship, which was designed to help the middle class afford college but does not include housing, meals, books or fees. Fees alone are more than $3,500 a year for a freshman.
But getting students to college is a priority, Hochul and King said.
Hochul acknowledged that enrollment must increase across the system. It’s been on the decline for a decade.
King called for “missionary” efforts to persuade students to enroll. In the next few weeks, the SUNY system will send out individualized letters to every 2023 high school graduate who lives near a SUNY community college, telling them they have been admitted there. Those who apply to a competitive SUNY college but don’t get in will get an offer of admittance to another SUNY.
“So everyone knows they have a place,” King said.
He focused part of his address on improving the four-year completion rate for college students.
“Too many students still don’t make it across the graduation stage,” he said. “There is mental health counseling, but often too little.”
This fall, SUNY will use increased state funding to help with housing, food, transportation and mental health services, he said. He did not offer details on the program.
In 2024, every SUNY program will also include curriculum on racial equity, King noted. Students…
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