MCC Daily Tribune
SUNY Chancellor King, Assembly Higher Education Chair Hyndman Celebrate ACE Students
SUNY ASAP|ACE Expansion Continues to Proceed with Plan to Reach 10,000 Enrolled Students by Fall 2026
Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today visited SUNY New Paltz with State Assembly Higher Education Committee Chair Alicia Hyndman to celebrate the campus’ Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) students. ACE, together with Advancing Success in Associate Pathways (ASAP), is the nation’s leading college retention and completion model and helps students gain and maintain academic momentum so they can graduate on time. Chancellor King and Assemblymember Hyndman — a proud alumna of SUNY New Paltz – held a roundtable discussion with students, faculty, and staff to discuss the ACE initiative on campus as part of today’s visit and campus tour.
“At SUNY, we are committed to helping every student succeed and graduate on time, and ASAP|ACE helps advance that goal,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “Thanks to the support from leaders like Governor Hochul, Chair Hyndman, and the State Legislature, SUNY has been able to expand ASAP|ACE to serve more students at SUNY New Paltz and at other campuses throughout the state. We look forward to continuing to expand ASAP|ACE so more SUNY students benefit from this nation-leading retention and graduation support model.”
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “Through the support of Governor Hochul and state leaders like Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman, SUNY has been able to expand the successful ASAP|ACE initiative to 34 campuses, with plans to grow further in the coming year. Through ASAP|ACE, more than 7,000 SUNY students, including 285 at SUNY New Paltz have been able to take advantage of this proven support model.”
State Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman (‘93), Chair of the Higher Education Committee, said, "As a proud SUNY New Paltz alum, it was a pleasure to join Chancellor King and President Wheeler to meet with current students and tour the campus. The expansion of the success student retention and graduation ACE program at SUNY New Paltz means that more students benefit from this effort and are able to get the support they deserve throughout their academic experience on campus. I look forward to working with my colleagues in public service, and with SUNY to ensure more New York students are able to have access to the world class education they deserve at the beautiful campuses they are inspired to attend. Go Hawks!!!"
SUNY New Paltz President Darrell P. Wheeler said, “In less than two years, the ACE Program at SUNY New Paltz has expanded to serve nearly 300 students, who benefit from personalized academic advisement, career development opportunities and inclusion in a community of fellow learners. The power of the ACE model has been evident on our campus since day one, and we are grateful to Governor Hochul, Chancellor King, Assemblymember Hyndman, and other New York State leaders for their initial and continued support of SUNY New Paltz students.”
ASAP supports students pursuing associate degrees, while ACE supports baccalaureate students. Eligible students have access to a wide array of resources and support to help them overcome barriers that can prevent them from obtaining a degree. This includes funding to cover textbooks, groceries, transportation, and other costs of attendance, as well as comprehensive personalized advisement, academic support, and career development activities. See here for more information: SUNY ASAP|ACE website
SUNY brought ASAP|ACE to 25 campuses in Spring 2024 thanks to Governor Hochul’s SUNY Transformation Fund. By Fall 2024, the campuses were serving 4,270 students. In June 2025, Governor Hochul announced the expansion of SUNY ASAP|ACE to more than 7,000 students at 34 SUNY campuses in Fall 2025. Nine SUNY campuses joined ASAP|ACE at the start of the Fall 2025 semester, and 14 currently participating campuses added spots to serve more students. This expansion was made possible through $12 million in allocated funding from the FY2025-2026 State Budget. In addition to the more than 7,000 currently participating ASAP|ACE students, there is a waitlist of 500 students seeking spots in the highly successful degree completion program. With continued State support, SUNY ASAP|ACE is on track to reach 10,000 students by Fall 2026.
Early findings already show that ASAP|ACE students attempt more credits, earn more credits, and re-enroll at higher rates than matched comparison group students. ASAP students are earning up to two more credits in their first semester and have a 17 percentage-point increase in retention from their first to second term and a 15 percentage-point increase in one-year retention compared to matched comparison group students. ACE students are also showing strong outcomes. Their credit completion rates are as high as 90 percent, and they are retained at rates 6 to 8 points higher than matched comparison group students.
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. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit SUNY website.
Veronica Chiesi Brown
Community Relations
10/28/2025