SUNY Chancellor King Celebrates Success of ASAP|ACE During Student Success Summit
June 18, 2025
100 Attendees from 34 Participating Campuses Convened to Discuss Evidence-Based Practices that Enhance Student Retention and College Completion
Summit Photos Are Available Here
Utica, NY – The State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today celebrated the success of ASAP|ACE completion models during the annual Student Success Summit hosted at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. The summit convened 100 stakeholders from 34 SUNY ASAP|ACE partner campuses, including senior leaders and staff, as well as national guest speakers to discuss the success of the models in enhancing student retention, completion, and academic momentum.
"ASAP|ACE's evidence-based practices are working on our campuses to ensure students from all backgrounds are able to thrive, complete their degree, and pursue their dreams," said Chancellor King. "My thanks to Governor Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature for investing in a completion model that works, and to leaders from across SUNY campuses and the country for coming together to discuss ways we can do even more to advance the success of our students."
SUNY Board Trustee Eunice A. Lewin, who attended the summit, said, "SUNY provides an affordable, world-class excellent education, and the support provided through ASAP|ACE will help many more students successfully complete their degree. I am thrilled to join our SUNY and campus leaders today and hear firsthand about their work to champion this program."
SUNY Polytechnic Institute President Dr. Winston Soboyejo said, "It was a pleasure to welcome colleagues and partners to SUNY Polytechnic Institute for this year's Student Success Summit, where we celebrated the transformative impact of the ASAP|ACE initiative across the SUNY system. At SUNY Poly, our ACE program reflects our core belief that when we remove barriers and provide holistic support, we don't just increase retention—we create lasting opportunities for success. This approach aligns deeply with our strategic plan, which fosters student belonging, engagement, and achievement as foundational elements of a thriving academic community. We are proud to be part of this student-centered movement and remain committed to expanding equity and opportunity across New York State."
Earlier this month, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the expansion of SUNY ASAP|ACE, the nation's leading evidence-based retention and completion model, from 4,270 students at 25 SUNY campuses in Fall 2024 to more than 7,000 students at 34 SUNY campuses in Fall 2025. Nine SUNY campuses will join ASAP|ACE this school year, and 14 current partner campuses will add spots to serve more students. This expansion is made possible using $12 million in allocated funding from the FY26 State Budget that places SUNY ASAP|ACE on the path to reach 10,000 students by Fall 2026.
Advancing Success in Associate Pathways (ASAP) targets associate students and Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) targets baccalaureate students, both providing financial resources and wraparound supports to remove barriers to full-time study, help students gain and maintain academic momentum, and create a connected community among students, all in service of increasing timely degree completion.
Preliminary outcomes data across current ASAP|ACE partner campuses demonstrate that participating students have higher credit completion and persistence rates than similar non-ASAP|ACE students. ASAP students pursuing associate degrees have a 20 percent higher credit completion rate than non-ASAP students (73 percent versus 61 percent). ASAP students also have a higher spring-fall persistence rate: 80 percent for ASAP versus 72 percent for non-ASAP students. Additionally, ACE students pursuing bachelor's degrees at a SUNY State operated campuses have a nine percent higher credit completion rate than similar non-ACE students (89 percent versus 82 percent). ACE students also have higher spring-fall persistence rates: 88 percent for ACE versus 85 percent for non-ACE students.
The nationally recognized guest speakers, who were identified with the support of Complete College America, include Tristan Denley, Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs and Innovation at the Louisiana Board of Regents; Vistasp Karbhari, Professor of Civil Engineering, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and former President at University of Texas at Arlington; and Christine Brongniart, University Executive Director for ASAP|ACE at CUNY. The event was made possible by grant funding from the Lumina Foundation.
State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee, said, "I want to congratulate the participants at the student success summit. As additional students are added to the ASAP|ACE programs, the success rate increases because students stay in college and graduate in a timely fashion. I am proud that the legislature, working with the Governor and SUNY provided funding."
State Senator Joseph Griffo said, "SUNY ASAP|ACE provides support and resources to those seeking two or four-year college degrees. These comprehensive programs help students to stay on track academically, graduate, find careers, and live successful lives."
State Assembly Higher Education Chair Alicia Hyndman said, "The expansion of SUNY's ASAP|ACE programs reflects our shared vision—across the Legislature, the Governor's office, and SUNY leadership—of what true educational equity looks like. This $12 million investment will extend life-changing opportunities to more students, especially first-generation scholars and those on regional campuses who often face the greatest obstacles to completion. ASAP|ACE isn't just moving the needle on retention and graduation rates—it's changing lives by meeting students where they are, surrounding them with support, and helping them reach their full potential. I'm proud to stand behind programs that lift up our students and keep our public higher education system a national model of access and success."
State Assemblymember Marianne Buttenschon said, "Higher Education takes on many forms. The ASAP|ACE Summit provided the opportunity to discuss how to ensure student success. As a former educator and dean at a community college, I had the opportunity to educate and advise many students on how to be successful. Many of them were the first in the family to attend college and we need to employ many different possible modes of success and that is what this summit accomplished."
For a list and map of all current and new ASAP|ACE partner campuses, go to the SUNY website on the ASAP|ACE page.
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 $1.16 billion in fiscal year 2024, 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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