MCC Daily Tribune
MCC Named a Part of Community College the Honors Transfer Pathway Program with SUNY Geneseo
Geneseo, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. joined SUNY Geneseo President Melinda Treadwell Thursday to launch a new Community College Honors Pathway program that will connect students at SUNY community colleges statewide with SUNY Geneseo's public honors college experience. Through the program, students enrolled in honors programs at SUNY community colleges will access academic enrichment, advising, and cohort-based programming at SUNY Geneseo prior to transferring, and will be guaranteed direct admission with junior standing after successfully completing their associate degree.
“Through this Honors Pathway, SUNY is making it easier for the high-achieving honors students in our community colleges to continue their success and pursue the education of their dreams at SUNY Geneseo,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “SUNY Geneseo is known for its academic excellence, and we are proud to support our students as they continue on their path to upward mobility with a liberal arts honor college experience.”
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “Empowering students to excel in their academic efforts is at the very core of what SUNY is all about. By leveraging the unique benefits that are intrinsic to SUNY's 64-campus system, we are able to support students seeking to earn their associate degree and continue their studies and academic journey. This partnership will help students unleash their full potential, and streamline the process of advancing from their participating community colleges to earn a bachelor's degree at SUNY Geneseo.”
Up to 100 community college students will be selected to participate in the Honors Pathway program per cohort. Through the program, the students will participate in monthly enrichment seminars, receive peer mentoring from current SUNY Geneseo transfer students, and visit the campus annually.
Participants in the program will also receive a stipend, as well as guaranteed admission to SUNY Geneseo with a junior standing when they complete their associate degree and meet the minimum GPA requirements. The initial launch of the program is expected to take place in Fall 2026, and will include five community college partners, Hudson Valley Community College, Monroe Community College, Onondaga Community College, Suffolk County Community College, and Westchester Community College.
SUNY Geneseo President Melinda Treadwell said, "Geneseo is proud to partner with community colleges across the state to expand access to our public honors college experience and to recognize the talent, ambition, and excellence of these distinguished students. The Honors Pathways Program reflects our deep commitment to equity, academic excellence, and seamless transfer by complementing Geneseo's broader access and student success initiatives and by creating a clear, high‑impact route to bachelor’s degree completion at New York’s public honors college. Together, these efforts advance our equity‑centered vision by removing barriers, strengthening pathways, and opening doors to transformational educational opportunity."
Hudson Valley Community College President Michael Brophy said, “Hudson Valley Community College is excited to partner with SUNY Geneseo on the Honors Pathway program, a major step in ensuring that our most driven students have a clear, supported path to continue their academic journeys. Thanks to SUNY’s dedication to seamless transfer, this partnership guarantees our students access to Geneseo’s outstanding resources, along with scholarships, mentorship and opportunities that will shape their futures. This pathway isn’t just about continuing their education—it’s about empowering them to dream bigger, achieve more and become leaders in their fields, all while remaining part of the SUNY family that helped them get here.”
Monroe Community College President DeAnna R. Burt-Nanna said, “Monroe Community College is honored to be part of this partnership and grateful to Chancellor King and SUNY Geneseo for providing a seamless transition for our students to continue their higher education journey. MCC has a robust and prestigious Honors Program, as evidenced by 15 students who were recognized earlier this month with the Distinguished Delegation Award at the annual National Model United Nations Conference in New York City. The Honors Pathways Program allows students like these to maintain the momentum of their success, leading them to bright futures.”
Onondaga Community College President Warren M. Hilton said, “We’re grateful to SUNY Geneseo President Melinda Treadwell and SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. for their vision in creating the Community College Honors Pathway. At Onondaga Community College, we’re proud to be home to one of the world’s top Phi Theta Kappa chapters, and this program opens the door for our highest-achieving students to move seamlessly toward a bachelor’s degree at a leading public institution, expanding opportunity and accelerating their success.”
Suffolk County Community College President Edward T. Bonahue said, “We are proud to partner with SUNY Geneseo to expand opportunities for Suffolk’s honors students and create a seamless pathway to continued academic excellence and bachelor’s degree completion.”
Westchester Community College President Belinda S. Miles said, “Westchester Community College is proud to partner with SUNY Geneseo on the Community College Honors Pathway, which expands opportunity for our highest-achieving students while reinforcing SUNY’s commitment to seamless transfer. This program recognizes the talent and ambition of our honors students and provides them with a clear, supported pathway to continue their academic journey at one of the nation’s premier public honors colleges. By connecting students to enrichment, mentorship, and guaranteed admission, we are not only strengthening access to a high-quality bachelor’s degree—we are helping our students realize their full potential and the promise of upward mobility.”
SUNY has worked to expand seamless transfers to help streamline the experience of students moving from community college to a bachelor's degree-granting institution. In his 2024 State of the University Policy Agenda, Chancellor King outlined steps SUNY would take to modernize seamless transfer to increase completion, which included the conclusion of the work of SUNY's Transfer Task Force in improving the transfer process. In October 2024, SUNY announced the release of the SUNY Transfer Task Force Report, and in December 2024, SUNY adopted the final Transfer Task Force, Recommendations, which provided a system-wide road map to improve transfer between SUNY campuses and directly support students at all stages of their educational journey.
At the March SUNY Board of Trustees meeting, senior leadership presented two policies designed to maximize transfer credit and degree applicability for students who move between SUNY campuses. The two new policies, developed by a cross-functional committee of faculty and staff from all SUNY sectors, propose minimum course grades and standardized exam scores accepted for transfer credit. The two policies are now open for public comment, with feedback welcome from all SUNY stakeholders before they are presented to the SUNY Board of Trustees later this spring for final approval. Draft policies and the online feedback form can be found here.
Last month, SUNY also announced a new Guaranteed Pathway Agreement between Westchester Community College and SUNY Purchase College. In March 2024, SUNY announced a dual admission partnership between Hudson Valley Community College and the State University of New York at Albany to help students earn their associate degree and bachelor's degree from the two campuses, made possible by the SUNY Transformation Fund. Earlier this month, the State University of New York at Albany also announced a dual admission agreement with Columbia-Greene Community College (C-GCC) so that students will be able to transfer into related bachelor's degree programs after completing an associate degree at C-GCC.
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 annually one in three New Yorkers who earn 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
04/24/2026