SUNY Chancellor King Joins Finger Lakes Community College Community to Celebrate New State Operating Funding for Community Colleges in 2024-25 Enacted Budget
October 11, 2024
The Campus is Increasing its Investment in its Healthcare Programs by Hiring a Healthcare Sciences Instructional Designer and Dedicated Nursing Simulation Coordinator
Funding Will Also Support the Hiring of a Director of Counseling to Bolster Student Mental Health Services
Photographs from Today's Visit Are Available Here
Canandaigua, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today joined Finger Lakes Community College President Robert K. Nye, Assemblymember Brian Manktelow, and the FLCC community to celebrate the college's expanded healthcare workforce training and investments in mental health resources for students on campus made possible by $8 million in additional operating funding for community colleges included by Governor Kathy Hochul and the legislature in the 2024-25 enacted State budget.
While on campus, Chancellor King, President Nye, and Assemblymember Manktelow participated in a roundtable discussion and were provided a demonstration on one of latest medical education technologies, called an Anatomage table, which helps students in FLCC's healthcare programs visualize the body through digitized human cadavers and interactive medical learning tools. The table is part of Finger Lakes Community College's strategy to help students studying toward health care degrees engage fully in their coursework and complete their programs.
"SUNY's community colleges are a vital component in addressing New York State's healthcare workforce shortage. Thanks to the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the Legislature, these colleges have received $8 million in operating support to address the shortage and to support student mental health services," said SUNY Chancellor King. "As community colleges like Finger Lakes Community College expand their healthcare programs, staffing and the latest technology are vital to enhance student success and ensure their programs consistently meet the evolving needs of the sector. FLCC is utilizing its portion of the funding to achieve these goals, and I commend them for their efforts."
Finger Lakes Community College President Robert K. Nye said, "The new state investment in SUNY is making a real difference helping FLCC increase enrollment and student completion of health programs, as well as supporting the mental health needs of students. We're pleased to have the chancellor here to see our projects as a result of the Governor's $8 million increase to community colleges."
State Senator Pamela Helming said, "FLCC and the Sands Family Center for Allied Health are leading the way in innovative training for our healthcare workforce, serving as a model for nursing education in our state. President Nye and faculty are to be commended for their impactful work to help address the nursing shortage and meet the needs of our local healthcare systems. SUNY is a critical partner in these efforts, and I thank Chancellor King for being here as we continue to work together to support workforce development and economic growth in our region."
Assemblymember Jeff Gallahan said, "Finger Lakes Community College is the epitome of success. Under Dr. Nye's leadership they have drastically expanded their programing to ensure that students leave FLCC ready to join the workforce. They have taken on the critical shortage in nursing by developing a renowned nursing program and offering numerous certificates and career programs to directly connect students with employers. This additional funding will allow FLCC to build on their current accomplishments and continue to meet the needs of their students."
As part of New York State's 2024/25 Enacted State Budget, SUNY's 30 Community Colleges received $8 million in additional Direct State Tax Support, the first increase in such funding in almost ten years. From this funding, Finger Lakes Community College has received a $309,000 investment that will be used to hire a director of counseling to support student mental health services, a Healthcare Sciences Instructional Designer, and a dedicated Simulation Coordinator to support the community college's healthcare programs.
The Healthcare Sciences Instructional Designer will help ensure the high quality and success of FLCC's healthcare programs by enhancing course design, supporting student learning and retention, promoting innovative teaching practices, creating gateway courses, and ensuring a smooth CNA to LPN to RN pipeline. The dedicated Simulation Coordinator will facilitate the integration of simulation across different courses and levels of the nursing program.
Finger Lakes Community College will also invest in simulation equipment for its nursing labs. In May of 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation permitting nursing students to complete up to one-third of their clinical training through simulation experiences. FLCC plans to increase capacity in their healthcare degree and workforce programs by over 280 student slots over the next five years through these investments.
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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