Chancellor King Announces Release of SUNY Transfer Task Force Report and Encourages Comments
October 23, 2024
Strategic Plan Aims to Boost System-Wide Support of Transfer Students—Particularly Those Transferring from Associate to Baccalaureate Programs
Public Comment Period is Open Through November 25, 2024; Full Report is Available Here
Albany, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced the release of a report from the SUNY Transfer Task Force, which brought together campus leaders, faculty, and other stakeholders to develop system-wide recommendations to improve transfer for students who move between SUNY campuses—particularly those transferring from community colleges to baccalaureate-granting campuses. The full report and intake for public comments is available here. Following a comment period, which will be open through November 25, 2024, recommendations will be brought to the SUNY Board of Trustees for final approval.
"SUNY's commitment to student success is rooted in supporting timely degree completion and seamless transfer experiences," said SUNY Chancellor King. "There's a place at SUNY for every student, and through the leadership and vision of our Transfer Task Force, we are committed to dramatically improving all aspects of the transfer experience within our university system. We encourage our community to provide feedback that will help mold a plan that will impact students from every corner of the state."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "SUNY has a long history of seeking better transfer processes, through policy and through articulation agreements between campuses. The draft report presented to our Board highlights the extraordinary work of Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Success Donna Linderman, and provides a comprehensive strategy to expand our efforts and ensure New York's students have every opportunity to not only find their place at SUNY, but to easily transition to new SUNY places and spaces as they grow educationally. We encourage comments from the public, which we will take under consideration as we move forward."
SUNY's work to facilitate transfer dates back decades, and the SUNY Board of Trustees has consistently worked to improve transfer within the System. For example, SUNY Transfer Paths in similar associate/baccalaureate disciplines launched in 2015 demonstrates SUNY's commitment to reducing time to degree and guaranteeing general education and major course credit applicability. And the SUNY General Education Transfer Guarantee launched in 2023 ensures students receive credit for general education courses taken at any SUNY campus.
The Transfer Task Force report builds on this long history and includes a set of comprehensive recommendations across four key objectives designed to dramatically improve all aspects of transfer across SUNY:
- Maximize credit acceptances and major applicability
- Provide clarity, transparency, and consistency in transfer process and policy
- Provide additional system-wide resources
- Foster system-wide transfer partnerships
SUNY New Paltz President Darrell P. Wheeler said, "Transfer students are a vital part of our community here at New Paltz and across SUNY, which is why we work diligently on campus and with our community college partners to ensure their success, from the early stages of application through to degree completion and beyond. We are grateful for Chancellor King's leadership and the system-wide commitment to enhancing the transfer experience and making sure that life-changing educational opportunities are available to each and every New Yorker."
Onondaga Community College President Warren M. Hilton said, "Community colleges are proud to play a vital role in the SUNY ecosystem, providing students an invaluable opportunity to find their passion in a high-quality, low-cost setting. For those who decide to transfer to a four-year school, we are committed to supporting them as they take the next step in their academic journey. I appreciate Chancellor King for bringing SUNY leaders together as we focus on improving our students' pathways."
The SUNY Transfer Task Force launched in Fall 2023, with five working groups focused on every aspect of the transfer process—advisement and transfer services; financial aid and student accounts; enrollment management; curriculum and transfer pathways; and student records and student data. The task force was led by a steering committee, which consisted of leaders across the state from various professional and academic backgrounds. A presidents' advisory committee also provided feedback on emergent work of the task force at all junctures. Over 100 individuals from all SUNY campus sectors and the System office, representing every region of New York State served on Task Force working groups or subgroups, and many additional faculty, staff and students were engaged in surveys, campus visits, ad hoc groups, and listening sessions to inform recommendations advanced in the report.
According to a recent Community College Research Center (CCRC) report, 80% of students across the country who entered a community college in 2015 indicate they intend to complete a baccalaureate degree. Roughly 33% transfer to a baccalaureate institution (the transfer-out rate), with only 48% of those students earning a bachelor's degree, resulting in only 16% of students across the country who begin their studies at a community college earning a baccalaureate degree within a six-year timeframe (CCRC, 2024).
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 $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, 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.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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