SUNY Chancellor King and SUNY Board of Trustees Statement on Governor Hochul’s State of the State Address
January 13, 2026
"SUNY is grateful for Governor Hochul's steadfast commitment to public higher education—each year taking strides to build on SUNY's success in affordable excellence, cutting-edge research, and upward mobility. In this year's State of the State address, Governor Hochul outlined further steps forward for SUNY, our students, and all New Yorkers.
"This year's State of the State agenda demonstrates Governor Hochul's focus on meeting the needs of New Yorkers and growing our economy. By maintaining SUNY's in-state undergraduate tuition freeze through providing additional State operating aid and expanding the highly successful SUNY Reconnect program for free community college for eligible adults pursuing high-demand fields, Governor Hochul is making it possible for more New Yorkers to earn a college degree and achieve economic prosperity. Likewise, additional funding for internships and doubling the size of the Empire State Service Corps will provide more students with real-world opportunities that prepare them for success in careers and strong citizenship.
"With three years of historic increases in State funding and three years of System-wide enrollment gains, SUNY is on the move. Thanks to the support of Governor Hochul, we will continue to build on our momentum and further cement SUNY's position as a world-class higher education system. We are grateful to Governor Hochul, and we applaud her leadership and dedication to public higher education in New York State."
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 suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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