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MCC Daily Tribune

Statement from Chancellor King, Jr. and SUNY Board of Trustees on Gov. Hochul's State of the State Address

On Jan. 10, 2023, SUNY issued the following statement from Chancellor John B. King, Jr. and SUNY Board of Trustees following Gov. Kathy Hochul's State of the State Address (transcript available online):

"We applaud Governor Hochul for the strategic vision she has outlined to use public higher education to help all New Yorkers thrive. SUNY is poised to play a vital role in a wide range of the initiatives announced today, from improving mental health and wellness, to ramping up economic development opportunities, and combatting climate change. We will contribute to these efforts through our groundbreaking research, innovative workforce development and business partnerships, and by fulfilling our core mission to provide high-quality, affordable, and equitable educational opportunities for every student.

"One year ago, the Governor laid out a transformational plan for SUNY to secure its place as a world-class higher education institution, while simultaneously cementing its status as a system where students can get one of the highest quality and most affordable educations in the nation. At that time, Governor Hochul and the Legislature helped some of our most economically-disadvantaged fellow New Yorkers and created upward social mobility by ending child care deserts across the SUNY system and enacting the most significant expansion of the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) in recent history to cover part-time students and students earning workforce development micro-credentials.

"In her 2023 State of the State, Governor Hochul has provided a blueprint for building on that historic plan with an innovation endowment fund unlike anything our state has seen, which will empower faculty and students to pursue groundbreaking and life-changing research. Her proposal will create unprecedented accessibility for every New Yorker with direct enrollment opportunities at SUNY campuses. In addition, she has called for investments that will improve retention, completion, and student accessibility to services from mental health care to transfer and re-enrollment. 

"Her vision also provides much-needed financial certainty for students, families, and our campus communities. Today, about 53 percent of full-time four-year SUNY students, after financial aid, attend tuition-free. Together, we are committed to raising that figure even more.

"On behalf of our students, faculty, staff, and campus leaders, we thank the Governor for taking these significant steps forward in her ongoing transformative plan for SUNY. We look forward to release of the Executive Budget proposal, and working alongside the Governor and our many champions like Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, Higher Education Chairs Stavisky and Fahy, and all legislators as we work to ensure SUNY continues its path towards being not only the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the country, but the best."

Hency Yuen-Eng
Community Relations
01/11/2023