Remarks As Prepared: SUNY Chancellor King Delivers Speech During Herkimer County Community College Commencement at Mohawk Correctional Facility
June 25, 2026
Rome, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today delivered remarks to Herkimer County Community College's Class of 2026 at Mohawk Correctional Facility. SUNY's Higher Education in Prison program provides incarcerated individuals with higher education opportunities and is the largest provider in New York State. The commencement ceremony was the first one held at Mohawk Correctional Facility.
Below are Chancellor King's remarks as prepared:
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Hello everyone! My name is John B. King Jr. and I'm the Chancellor of the State University of New York. It's wonderful to be here to celebrate with you all!
I want to take this opportunity to thank Assemblymember Marianne Buttenschon, Herkimer College President Terri Grates Day, SUNY Poly President Wole Sobojeyo, Herkimer Dean Robin Riecker, Karen Scott, and their teams for their dedication to higher education in prison. I also want to say a special thank you to SUNY's Office of Higher Education in Prison Executive Director, Rachel Sander, and her team.
I truly appreciate our educators, legislators, and leaders for not only being here today but for their unwavering commitment to advancing life-changing higher education opportunities. And thank you to Facility Superintendent Bishop and DOCCS Commissioner Martuscello for your partnership in this crucial work.
SUNY's mission is to ensure all New Yorkers have the broadest access to a high-quality education, and that would not be possible without incredible partners like DOCCS. I always tell folks that graduations in prisons are some of my favorite events to attend. I've been to tons of commencements in my life. I've spoken at lots of them. They're all great. But each commencement in a prison is an extraordinary experience. Each a reminder of the capacity of the human spirit and of the power of education to uplift those who choose it.
It's also something that many of you didn't do alone. So, I also want to congratulate all of the families and friends – as well as the program faculty – whose support continues to inspire our students to persevere, work hard, and achieve their dreams. This is your moment, too!
To our students: What you all have achieved today is not an easy feat. Your journeys are inspiring and encourage others to push past seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve their goals. Like the Commissioner says, college programs can have an extraordinary impact on the prison environment for all that live and work here. It creates a ray of hope for stronger communities and connections both inside and outside of prisons. Choosing education – and completing education – in these circumstances is an act of profound hope. It can also be an act of profound transformation.
I believe education saved my own life. I believe educators are the reason I'm standing on this side of the podium today. Growing up in Brooklyn in New York City as an Afro-Latino kid, I lost both my parents by the age of 12. After my mom passed when I was 8, I lived with my dad who was struggling with Alzheimer's. I didn't know what he would be like from one night to the next—some nights he would speak to me, some nights he wouldn't say a word; some nights he was sad, other nights angry, even violent. After he passed, I moved around between different family members and schools.
Like many young adults – especially young men of color who have experienced trauma at an early age – I was angry and lost. I resisted adult authority, and when I got kicked out of high school, it would have been easy for educators and others to give up on me. Instead, they invested their energy in me and took the time to help a broken and struggling kid find his path.
Without them, I really do not think I would be alive today. Without them, I would not have been given a second chance. That second chance changed my life trajectory and got me where I am today. So, I decided to devote my professional life to education, as a teacher and principal, as New York's education commissioner, as the United States Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama, as the head of Education Trust, a civil-rights advocacy organization focused on educational equity, and now as chancellor of the State University of New York.
One of the things I remain most proud of during my career happened during my time in Washington, when President Obama and I fought to increase educational opportunities in prison with a pilot program called “second-chance Pell” to make grants available for incarcerated individuals to pursue higher education. And all these years later, Pell grants are now broadly available for incarcerated individuals. It's going to be some time before the structure is in place to help as many students across the country as we'd like, and as many as would like the help. But that's one of many fights worth fighting in our long quest toward justice. It's also why I'm honored to continue the work here at SUNY, where we created the Office of Higher Education in Prison to support programs inside prisons and connect students to opportunities in re-entry.
The foundation of this work lies in people who see untapped purpose, passion, and potential in every situation. So, I want to thank the staff and leadership at Mohawk Correctional Facility who understand the importance of the success of this program. It's a true testimony to what collaboration with a common goal can achieve. And thank you to the faculty who work tirelessly to create a nurturing environment and provide opportunities in prison. Today would not be possible without you.
When we say, “There is a place at SUNY for every New Yorker,” we truly mean every New Yorker. I want to remind you all that while this may be the start of your relationship with SUNY, it is only the beginning.
All of you and your accomplishments are a testament to our commitment to educational access and opportunity. All of you believed in yourselves and that more was possible for you. Carry that belief and the accomplishment that you feel today with you as you make a difference, pursue your passions, and help others.
To the class of 2026: congratulations, I can't wait to see what you achieve in your next chapter!
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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