SUNY Chancellor King Celebrates Funding for Healthcare Workforce and Efforts to Attract Adult Learners During Fulton-Montgomery Community College Visit
April 16, 2025
Highlights the Impact of Last Year's Operating Aid Increase for Community Colleges and Governor Hochul's Free Community College Program in the FY2026 Executive Budget
Photos from Chancellor's Visit Available Here
Johnstown, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today joined SUNY Trustee Giovanni Harvey and Fulton-Montgomery Community College President Greg Truckenmiller, students, faculty, and staff to highlight the campus' efforts towards preparing the healthcare workforce and securing mental health support for students with funding in the FY2025 enacted budget. During the visit, Chancellor King emphasized the fundamental role Governor Kathy Hochul's free community college proposal – which offers free community college tuition, fees, books, and supplies for adults ages 25 to 55 who pursue degrees in high-demand fields such as nursing – would play in bridging the skill gap needed to fill New York's healthcare staffing shortage.
"SUNY community colleges, such as Fulton-Montgomery, have the power to transform New York State and regional economies by ensuring that adult learners have the resources they need to enter high-demand fields like the healthcare sector," said Chancellor King. "I was thrilled to visit with members of the Fulton-Montgomery community as we continue to expand the campus' efforts to address workforce needs by providing students of all ages with high quality and affordable education programs."
SUNY Board Trustee Giovanni Harvey added, "SUNY is proud of our exceptional 30 community college campuses, including my alma mater Fulton-Montgomery Community College, who thanks to Governor Hochul's free community college proposal, will be able to support adult learners to increase their income potential while shrinking the workforce shortage for highly specialized industries. We look forward to our continuous support of Fulton-Montgomery's expansion of programs targeting adult learners."
The campus was awarded $202,000 to expand healthcare workforce programs and increase mental health resources. Funds have been used to invest in simulation equipment and training, hire a new faculty member for the school's health programs, and expand mental health and tele-health counseling services. The funding is made possible through $8 million in additional Direct State Tax Support, the first increase in such funding in almost ten years, allocated by Governor Hochul and the State Legislature in the enacted 2024-25 State budget.
In addition, earlier this year, Governor Hochul announced $1.1 million in grant funding for the SUNY Adult Learner Leadership Initiative to help community colleges such as Fulton-Montgomery increase access for adult learners and ensure degree completion. The campus received $50,000 for recruitment and retention efforts targeting adult learners to join in-demand programs. Through this additional funding, the campus also aims to address gaps in academic preparation, and increase the availability of academic offerings as well as non-academic support.
Fulton-Montgomery Community College President Greg Truckenmiller said, "We are grateful to Chancellor King, Governor Hochul, and the SUNY Board of Trustees for recognizing the vital role that community colleges like FMCC play in strengthening New York's healthcare workforce and supporting adult learners as well as the mental health of all of our students. This investment empowers us to expand access, enhance training, and remove barriers for students who are ready to make a meaningful impact in their communities."
Assemblyman Robert Smullen said, "The governor's community college proposal would play a vital role in creating more opportunities for those interested in healthcare-related fields statewide and filling severe staffing shortages in New York's healthcare industry. It is great to see funding for programs like this being directed to places like Fulton-Montgomery Community College to help students get a head start in essential fields and provide assistance to students in need."
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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