Chancellor King Visits SUNY Ulster as Part of the SUNY Reconnect Tour

November 3, 2025

Governor Hochul's SUNY Reconnect Provides Free Community College Tuition, Fees, Books, and Supplies for Eligible Adult Learners in High-Demand Fields

Visit Highlights SUNY Ulster's Advanced Manufacturing Program

Kingston, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today visited SUNY Ulster as part of the SUNY Reconnect Tour. Chancellor King has been visiting SUNY community colleges throughout the state to promote New York's free community college program for adult learners, which officially began at the start of the Fall 2025 semester. Under Governor Kathy Hochul's SUNY Reconnect initiative, New York State is providing free tuition, fees, books, and supplies for adults ages 25-55 who don't already have a college degree to pursue an associate degree in a high-demand field.

During his visit at the campus' Kingston location, Chancellor King emphasized SUNY Ulster's Advanced Manufacturing program. The program, which is eligible for SUNY Reconnect, provides students with the opportunity to develop a career in high-tech manufacturing, so they can enter the workforce or advance in their existing manufacturing career. To learn more about the SUNY Reconnect degree programs available at SUNY Ulster and apply for the Spring 2026 semester visit https://www.sunyulster.edu/apply-aid/tuition-fees/reconnect.php.

"Governor Hochul's SUNY Reconnect program is proving to be life-changing for adult learners pursuing degrees in high-demand fields," said SUNY Chancellor King. "I commend SUNY Ulster for offering its students a high-quality, engaging education, so students can advance their careers and unleash their full potential. For New York's economy to grow and thrive going forward, we need to invest in students today, and that is exactly what SUNY community colleges do throughout our state."

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "SUNY's community colleges are engines of upward mobility, and thanks to the support of Governor Hochul and the State Legislature, community colleges like SUNY Ulster are ensuring that eligible adult learners can access the education of their dreams. We thank Governor Hochul for her leadership and support of SUNY Reconnect, and investment into our students."

SUNY Ulster President Alison Buckley said, "Access to higher education is a core mission of community colleges.  Governor Hochul and Chancellor's King's steadfast advocacy and support of adult learners and SUNY Reconnect, free community college, directly aligns with our work at SUNY Ulster to educate the individual and elevate the community. We are proud to ensure our students succeed and qualify upon graduation to begin their careers and earn family-sustaining wages."

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, "With new advanced manufacturing jobs coming to New York, free community college for adult learners ensures we will have the skilled workforce necessary for the jobs of today and tomorrow. I thank Governor Hochul for prioritizing this initiative that opens doors for New Yorkers and puts them on the path to well-paying careers."

New York State Higher Education Services Corporation President Dr. Guillermo Linares said, "Governor Hochul's SUNY Reconnect initiative is opening doors for adult learners across New York, empowering them to pursue life-changing opportunities in high-demand fields like SUNY Ulster's Advanced Manufacturing program. This investment in education is not only transforming individual lives but also strengthening our communities and driving economic growth throughout the state."

NYSUT President Melinda Person said, "At SUNY Ulster, the Advanced Manufacturing program is proof that education and innovation go hand in hand. Students are mastering the precision skills that drive our state's economy, from clean-energy technology to modern production. SUNY Reconnect opens the door for more working adults to gain these in-demand credentials, boosting New York's workforce and building a stronger future for our communities."

Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger said, "SUNY Reconnect is about giving adults a real second chance at college by eliminating financial barriers, and I want to thank Governor Hochul and SUNY Chancellor John King for creating this important pathway to a community college degree and a meaningful, family-sustaining career in one of the many high-demand fields in our region. Whether you're looking to start a new career in such rewarding fields as nursing, teaching, green careers, cybersecurity, or advanced manufacturing — or finishing a degree you once started — SUNY Ulster can help you take that next step. The Opportunity Promise Scholarship through SUNY Reconnect is an investment in our people, our local economy, and our future — and I encourage our eligible residents to take advantage of this incredible opportunity at SUNY Ulster."

SUNY Reconnect funds degrees in high-demand fields including:

  • Advanced Manufacturing
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Engineering
  • Technology
  • Nursing and Allied Health Fields
  • Green and Renewable Energy
  • Pathways to Teaching in Shortage Areas

To support the launch of SUNY Reconnect, SUNY has: 

  • Allocated $4 million to community colleges to support SUNY Reconnect programmatic implementation through advising, enrollment, outreach, award of credit for prior learning, and other student services, supports, and campus operations. SUNY Ulster received $100,000 to hire a new full-time student success counselor for adult learner advisement, as well as allocating funding to extend the availability of student services during non-traditional hours.
  • Provided an additional $1 million to cover equipment, materials, supplies, and other one-time needs to increase student enrollment capacity in high-demand programs that are part of SUNY Reconnect. SUNY Ulster received $35,000, which the campus is using to update and expand the equipment for the Network Administrator program, including PCs, printers, monitors, and projectors for classrooms, faculty laptops, and wireless access and controllers.
  • Announced $1.1 million in grant funding for the SUNY Adult Learner Leadership Initiative to help community colleges increase access and ensure degree completion for adult learners. SUNY Ulster was awarded a $50,000 grant which it will use to invest in key strategies to support adult learners including: producing new marketing and targeting advertising and outreach to support adult learners; join the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) for 30 faculty and staff members to access resources for adult learner support, and provide professional development and training for Enrollment and Success Training staff; and expand child care services to the Kingston Center location to include days, evenings, and weekends when classes are being held.

In addition to SUNY Reconnect, the FY25-26 Enacted State Budget provides $8 million in increased operating aid to community colleges – the first back-to-back operating aid increases in decades for these institutions – and maintains the 100 percent community college funding floor, which protects community colleges from $75 million in lost direct state tax support.

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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