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MCC Daily Tribune

SUNY Chancellor King Celebrates Empire State Summer Service Corps With Visit to SUNY Canton

Governor Hochul’s Initiative Connects Students with Community Service and Career Development

Nearly 225 SUNY Students are Serving This Summer in Paid Civic and Service Internships

Canton, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. visited SUNY Canton Monday and celebrated the Empire State Summer Service Corps during a meeting with SUNY Canton students who are participating. The summer corps program is part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s Empire State Service Corps initiative that connects students with community service and career development opportunities through paid civic and service internships.

Students participating in the program dedicate at least 300 hours to paid community service – and convene regularly to share and learn from each other's experiences. During its first application cycle for the 2024-2025 academic year, almost 2,000 SUNY students submitted applications for 500 spots across 45 SUNY colleges and universities. SUNY expects to announce the 2025-2026 Empire State Service Corps in the fall.

As part of Chancellor King’s goal of ensuring that every student experiences a high-quality internship or high-impact practice, SUNY expanded the program to include a summer session. A total of 224 students from 45 campuses are serving across all regions of the state this summer. Five students from SUNY Canton are participating and have already worked on coordinating the recent Green Living Fair and helped link students with SNAP benefits through the Renzi Food Pantry. During the fall semester, the college plans to place students with community agencies, including Canton’s Renewal House.

“The Governor’s Empire State Service Corps program gives SUNY students from all backgrounds the chance to help our communities thrive, while building their own skills and preparing for a range of careers,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “We need passionate leaders committed to service, and I commend all participating students, including the five students representing SUNY Canton.”

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “Part of what makes the Empire State great is our dedication to supporting our communities and New Yorkers’ devotion to service. Thanks to Governor Hochul’s support, SUNY is able to help hundreds of students participate in the Empire State Service Corps throughout the year. Through this program, students invest in our state while also investing in their future career and civic development.”

SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran said, “The Empire State Service Corps allowed our students to connect their personal values with work experience. They were able to channel their passions into action for the benefit of their peers, and the extended SUNY Canton community. We are thrilled to enhance our signature hands-on, real-world learning experiences with this valuable addition to our current internship offerings.”

In addition to meeting students in the summer program, SUNY Canton reviewed its neurodiversity initiatives with Chancellor King during his visit today. SUNY allocated funding to SUNY campuses from the 2024-2025 enacted budget to establish additional support for students with disabilities. SUNY Canton used their allocation to launch a pilot program called “P3: Parents, Peers, and Professionals,” to assist autistic and other neurodivergent students in navigating the ins and outs of college.

State Assemblymember Scott Gray said, “Experiential learning programs like the Empire State Summer Service Corps provide students with the practical skills, community insight, and civic awareness that shape future leaders. SUNY Canton’s participation reflects the value of connecting education with public service, and this initiative exemplifies how government, higher education, and local communities can work together to build a stronger New York.”

The Empire State Service Corps provides paid civic and service internships in the following areas:

  • Civic Engagement/Civil Discourse: Students will serve either on or off campus with organizations such as local nonprofits related to civic engagement and civil discourse, including nonpartisan voter outreach, voter registration and engaging campus peers in voter activity
  • Early Childhood: Students will serve at a host site dedicated to early childhood education and/or development. (For example, daycare or head start centers)
  • FAFSA: Students will serve either in local communities (local high schools) or work on campus to support students with completing the FAFSA
  • Food Insecurity & SNAP Basic Needs: Students will serve on or off campus supporting students / individuals with SNAP outreach as well as basic needs support (could include shifts at campus food pantry) or with other food insecurity aligned work
  • K-12 Education: Students will partner with local school districts for tutoring sessions on a regular basis to support recovery from pandemic era learning loss
  • Peer Mental Health: Students will be trained to serve as a peer mental health educator typically at a campus/community wellness or counseling center. Students will support peers either on or off campus in supporting strong mental health practices and overall wellness initiatives
  • Student Success Coaching: Students will work with middle and high school students to combat common challenges like addressing chronic absenteeism and access to socio-emotional learning, mentoring, and mental health support.
  • Sustainability: Students will serve in campus roles or off-campus with local nonprofits / State agencies or other organizations focused on sustainability work (such as recycling campaigns, tree planting, pollinator gardens, sustainability outreach, building sustainable civic habits, etc.)
  • Veterans Affairs Outreach: Students will serve at host sites dedicated to supporting active military or veterans' affairs for individuals, families, or affiliated groups.

Governor Hochul and the state legislature committed $2.75 million to continue to fund the Empire State Service Corps in the FY26 Enacted Budget. The Empire State Service Corps also received an AmeriCorps grant, which allows the students to earn an education award that can be used towards college expenses such as tuition or books and supplies. Empire State Service Corps is a proud AmeriCorps partner.

About The State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.16 billion in fiscal year 2024, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum.

Veronica Chiesi Brown
Community Relations
07/22/2025