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MCC Daily Tribune

Chancellor King Announces Additional Resources to Support SUNY Academic Momentum Campaign

Albany, NY — Monday, State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced additional resources to advance the Academic Momentum Campaign, which provides SUNY campuses financial support and technical assistance to strengthen student retention and completion rates. The campaign was first addressed in the 2025 State of the University Address, and was launched in Fall 2025 to advance evidence-based student retention and success initiatives to support all SUNY students. The additional resources announced by Chancellor King include an inaugural cohort of 24 faculty and staff who will serve as Academic Momentum Fellows, along with a new professional learning community that will provide technical support to 23 SUNY campuses seeking to redesign gateway courses.   

 “At SUNY, we are committed to the success of every student, and the Academic Momentum campaign will help SUNY campuses strengthen and accelerate student retention and graduation efforts,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “With the inaugural cohort of Academic Momentum Campaign fellows and support to redesign gateway courses, the Academic Momentum Campaign is off to a strong start and building on initial successes that will benefit SUNY campuses and students. Through the Academic Momentum Campaign and our ongoing student success programs, we know that our students will be better able to reach their full potential and thrive at SUNY, and after graduation.”   

SUNY Trustee Camille Joseph Varlack, Chair of the Student Success Committee, said, “Every SUNY student deserves to be empowered to make the most of their experience at the SUNY institution of their choice, and to earn a degree that prepares them for the future. The Academic Momentum Campaign is part of our commitment to realize that goal and support the students who rely on SUNY to achieve upward mobility after graduation. We will work with each of our campuses so that every SUNY student has the support and services they deserve to thrive academically and be ready to move forward after graduation.” 

SUNY Trustee and President of the University Faculty Senate Bruce Simon and SUNY Trustee and President of the Faculty Council of Community Colleges Candice Vacin said, “Advancing student success and supporting SUNY campuses to empower their students is at the very core of what faculty and staff do every day across the SUNY System. We are proud to work with our colleagues to advance SUNY’s Academic Momentum Campaign and ensure more SUNY students are able to succeed, both in earning their degrees and preparing for life after graduation. The stellar inaugural cohort of Academic Momentum fellows and the support to redesign gateway courses will benefit students throughout the SUNY system.”   

Charles L Welch, President and CEO of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) said, “AASCU continues to be very supportive of this important initiative as it expands with the announcement of the inaugural Academic Momentum Campaign fellows and support for two dozen SUNY campuses to redesign gateway courses. Data-informed, campus-centered strategies are critical to removing obstacles to student success, and several SUNY campuses selected are already participating in AASCU initiatives that support this work.”  

Kirsten E. Keefe, Senior Director for Policy and Advocacy – NY, The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) said, “Congratulations to the fellows of the inaugural cohort of SUNY’s Academic Momentum Campaign, a group that represents great regional and institutional diversity as well as a range of perspectives from every touchpoint within academia. There will be much to learn from the 24 campuses receiving support to redesign their Gateway English and Math courses. We commend Chancellor John B. King Jr. for his vision and foresight to make investments that will ultimately lead to better student outcomes.” 

Sean Miller, Northeast Regional Director at Young Invincibles, said, “Student success requires real investment. SUNY’s continued historic support for students will strengthen equity and access for our young adults and non-traditional students to earn a degree and land good-paying jobs. We salute Chancellor King, the SUNY Board of Trustees, and Governor Hochul's budget proposal to expand ACE/ASAP by an additional $8 million and launch the Inaugural Academic Momentum Campaign Cohort. This bold leadership will ensure that all SUNY students have the support they need to make it to and through college.” 

The inaugural cohort of SUNY’s Academic Momentum Campaign fellows includes 24 faculty and staff who will provide support to campuses implementing evidence-based strategies to increase college persistence and completion. The competitive application process resulted in the selection of these outstanding individuals who represent all regions of the state and bring significant experience and expertise in the areas of structured advisement, degree mapping, course scheduling, early alerts, first-year experience, gateway course completion, teaching and learning, and other strategies to improve outcomes for students. The 24 inaugural SUNY Academic Momentum Campaign fellows are:  

  • Yaseen Al-Wesabi, Business Intelligence Analyst, State University of New York at Binghamton. 
  • Heidi Baez, Assistant Professor of Sociology, SUNY Westchester. 
  • Sarah Bray, Associate Professor and Chair of Business and Administrative Professional Services, Jamestown Community College. 
  • Sabrina Caine, Professor of English, Erie Community College. 
  • Elizabeth Carris, Associate Professor of Mathematics, SUNY Orange. 
  • Nikki Childrose, Director of the Center for Innovation, Teaching & Learning, and Professor of History, Columbia-Greene Community College. 
  • Casey Cowburn, Assistant Director of Student Success, Alfred State College. 
  • Jacqueline Emery, Associate Professor and Department Chair of English, SUNY Old Westbury. 
  • Christian Heisler, Professor of English and Creative Writing, Onondaga Community College. 
  • Andrea Hemmerich, Director of Student Success & Advising, SUNY Polytechnic Institute. 
  • Daniel Holz, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, SUNY Schenectady. 
  • Roberta Hurtado, Director of Latino and Latin American Studies and Associate Professor of Latina/o Literature and Culture, SUNY Oswego. 
  • Nadine Hylton, Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning, Nassau Community College. 
  • Jennifer Kurtz, Director of the Math & Science Center, Dutchess Community College. 
  • Rachel Mead, Dean of Career and Workforce Innovation, Rockland Community College. 
  • Cirita Moffett, Academic Advisor, Empire State University. 
  • David Rubenstein, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, State University of New York at Stony Brook. 
  • Iwan Sianturi, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education, SUNY Oswego. 
  • Nicole Simon, Professor of Engineering/Physics/Technology, Nassau Community College. 
  • Rebecca Smith, Professor of Mathematics, SUNY Brockport. 
  • Erin Tochelli, Associate Director of Academic Administration, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. 
  • Carol Van Der Karr, Vice President of Academic Affairs & Institutional Effectiveness, SUNY Cortland. 
  • Ben West, Professor of English, SUNY Delhi.  
  • Eunice Williams, Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer, Onondaga Community College.  

In addition to the inaugural cohort of 24 fellows, Chancellor King announced efforts to support 23 SUNY campuses to redesign gateway courses. Gateway courses are the initial college courses that students take in the English and Math sequence during their first year. These courses are a crucial “gateway” for students to develop and strengthen knowledge and skills in core content areas for subsequent coursework throughout their college careers. This effort to redesign gateway courses will incorporate the latest research and best practices into course content, design, and delivery. The campuses that will receive technical support to redesign gateway courses include: 

  • SUNY Adirondack Community College 
  • Alfred State 
  • SUNY Brockport 
  • State University of New York at Buffalo 
  • Buffalo State University 
  • SUNY Cobleskill 
  • SUNY Cortland 
  • SUNY Delhi 
  • Dutchess Community College 
  • SUNY Erie Community College 
  • SUNY Fredonia 
  • SUNY Geneseo 
  • Hudson Valley Community College  
  • Jamestown Community College 
  • SUNY Jefferson Community College 
  • SUNY Morrisville 
  • SUNY Niagara Community College 
  • North Country Community College 
  • SUNY Old Westbury 
  • SUNY Oneonta 
  • Onondaga Community College 
  • SUNY Oswego 
  • Suffolk County Community College  

The additional resources invested as part of the Academic Momentum Campaign are part of SUNY’s strong commitment to supporting students and advancing student success efforts on campuses throughout New York State. In November 2025, Chancellor King announced the Academic Momentum Campaign to support increased retention and completion rates at SUNY campuses. The Academic Momentum Campaign announcement drew strong support from SUNY campus leaders and from national student success and advocacy organizations. In October 2025, Chancellor King announced that the nation's leading student support and retention initiative, ASAP|ACE, had successfully expanded to support more than 7,000 SUNY students across 34 campuses. Last week, Chancellor King and the SUNY Board of Trustees lauded Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2026-2027 Executive Budget commitment to build on SUNY’s student success efforts by investing an additional $8 million in ASAP|ACE to support a total of 10,000 SUNY students by Fall 2026. 

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, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its 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 $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, 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. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit the SUNY website (suny.edu). 

Veronica Chiesi Brown
Community Relations
02/10/2026