SUNY Chancellor King Completes SUNY Reconnect Campus Tour Meeting Students, Faculty, and Staff During First Year

July 14, 2026

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

Photos Available Here

Albany, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today celebrated the first year of SUNY Reconnect following a tour of all participating community colleges. Chancellor King was joined by Governor Kathy Hochul, State and local officials, members of the SUNY Board of Trustees, and partners from the labor and business communities during the tour to promote the program and campus offerings where they heard directly from students, faculty, and staff. Photos from Chancellor King's tour of all 29 participating community colleges in the SUNY Reconnect program are available here.

"Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of visiting every SUNY community college participating in the first year of the successful SUNY Reconnect program, and my biggest takeaway from the experience is that this initiative by Governor Hochul is an absolute game changer," said SUNY Chancellor King. "During my tours and campus visits, I was able to hear about the meaningful impact that SUNY Reconnect has had on our students and discuss ways to continue to strengthen the supports SUNY provides to adult learners so they can succeed at school and after graduation. I am immensely proud of the success of this program and grateful to Governor Hochul, the State Legislature, the SUNY Board of Trustees, and partners in state government, and the labor and business communities for joining me on this tour and supporting SUNY Reconnect."

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "Since its inception, Governor Hochul's successful SUNY Reconnect program has helped increase access to higher education and has also created a pipeline for skilled workers to fulfill some of New York State's most pressing workforce needs. We are proud to invest in SUNY community colleges throughout New York State and ensure the students who rely on these institutions have access to the supports and services they need to thrive on campus and succeed after graduation. We thank Governor Hochul and the State Legislature for investing in this program and our students."

Launched in Fall 2025, Governor Hochul's SUNY Reconnect initiative provides free tuition, fees, books, and supplies for New York State resident adults ages 25-55 who don't already have a college degree to pursue an associate degree in a high-demand field, after all applicable financial aid. SUNY launched a dedicated website: https://www.suny.edu/reconnect/ to provide information to prospective students and promote the launch of SUNY Reconnect. In November 2025, Governor Hochul announced that in just the inaugural year of SUNY Reconnect, more than 5,600 New Yorkers took advantage of the program.

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, "In its first year, SUNY Reconnect provided thousands of eligible adults the opportunity to expand and strengthen their skills for career advancement. With a variety of programs in many high-demand fields—including new options this year in logistics, aviation, and emergency management—New Yorkers are more prepared than ever for the jobs of today and tomorrow. I thank Governor Hochul, the Legislature, and the SUNY Board of Trustees for championing this transformative workforce development initiative that helps to make New York an affordable place to live, work, and raise a family."

New York State Higher Education Services Corporation Acting President Doris B. González said, "Chancellor King's visit to every participating community college shows a remarkable commitment to putting SUNY Reconnect within reach for adult learners across our state. By spreading the word on each campus, he helped thousands of New Yorkers see that a college degree is possible and affordable. We are grateful to Governor Hochul for launching this game-changing program, and to the SUNY Board of Trustees for their steadfast support in making it a success. At HESC, we are proud to help students access the financial aid and resources they need, and we look forward to helping even more New Yorkers reconnect with their higher education goals."

New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person said, "Over the past year, SUNY Reconnect has shown what's possible when New York invests in people. Across the state, adult learners have opened doors to new careers and taken meaningful steps toward more secure futures for themselves and their families. With the expansion of this program in this year's enacted budget, even more New Yorkers will have access to these life-changing opportunities. NYSUT is proud to stand alongside our partners in government, higher education, labor and business to support stronger communities, a stronger workforce, and a stronger New York."

New York Community College Trustees Chair George Cushman said, "New York Community College Trustees is grateful to Governor Hochul and the State Legislature for championing SUNY Reconnect, and to Chancellor King and the SUNY Board of Trustees for the partnership that has made its rollout possible on our campuses. Trustees at community colleges across the state understand that our institutions exist to serve the workforce needs of our regions, and we are proud to support programs that give adult learners a direct path into high-demand careers. Community colleges are, by design, the most nimble and responsive part of New York's higher education system — and SUNY Reconnect puts that strength to work for New Yorkers."

NYCCAP President Joe Keegan, who is president at North Country Community College, said, "We share Chancellor King's enthusiasm about SUNY Reconnect and his gratitude to Governor Hochul, the State Legislature, and the SUNY Board of Trustees for supporting SUNY Reconnect. This program has directly impacted the lives of adult learners across the state, opening up personal and professional opportunities for advancement through higher education into valued and meaningful career paths that these students may have been heretofore unable to afford or access."

The Business Council of New York State President & CEO Heather Mulligan said, "Governor Hochul's SUNY Reconnect program is a powerful step forward for workforce development. Providing adult learners the opportunity to pursue degrees in high-demand fields, with tuition, fees, books, and supplies fully covered, helps New Yorkers gain the skills needed to secure good, high-paying jobs. We commend Chancellor John B. King Jr. and the SUNY Board of Trustees for their strong leadership and partnership in making this program a success. This targeted investment is exactly what our businesses need to build a stronger, more prepared workforce."

State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie said, "The SUNY Reconnect Program seeks to support New Yorkers during a time where substantial increases in the cost of education is an unsettling reality. By offering free tuition, fees, books, and other essential resources, in-demand fields will be able to fulfill their mission of attracting talented individuals, many of who have not had an opportunity in the past, to careers that require them the most. This is a win for the working families of New York. Thank you to Governor Kathy Hochul and my colleagues in the state legislature for their dedication to the students of the vast SUNY network."

State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Chair of the Higher Education Committee, said, "Returning to college as an adult is one of the hardest decisions a person can make. The jobs, the families, and the bills do not pause while you study. This program has been doing a phenomenal job supporting and preparing adult learners for the careers where New York needs them most. I thank Chancellor King and the Board of Regents for their continued work to keep an excellent, affordable degree within reach for every New Yorker."

State Assemblymember Alicia L. Hyndman, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, said, "Congratulations to State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. on a successful tour that showcased the 30 community colleges participating in the SUNY Reconnect program. This unique program helps residents ages 25 to 55 pursue a free associate degree in a high-demand field while also providing books and supplies to these adult scholars. SUNY Reconnect is a thriving program, which had more than 5,600 New Yorkers taking advantage of it after its launch in November 2025. The program will help more people as it expands thanks to additional funding from Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, my fellow colleagues in the State Legislature, and Gov. Kathy Hochul. I look forward to the program's growth for years to come."

Governor Hochul's 2026-27 Enacted Budget expanded SUNY Reconnect to include associate degrees in supply chain/logistics, air traffic control and aviation management, and emergency management. The Enacted State Budget also made it easier for adult learners to return to college to pursue nursing if they have a prior degree in a different field, to further strengthen New York State's nursing workforce and support Governor Hochul's goal to grow the healthcare workforce by 20 percent.

The 2026-27 Enacted Budget also expands SUNY Reconnect to include eligible associate degree programs at bachelor's-granting institutions including Alfred State, SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech, SUNY Canton, SUNY Delhi, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF), SUNY Farmingdale State College, SUNY Maritime College, and SUNY Morrisville.

SUNY Reconnect funds degrees in high-demand fields including:

Advanced Manufacturing
Air Traffic Control and Aviation Management* (newly added for 2026-27 Academic Year)
Artificial Intelligence
Cybersecurity
Engineering
Emergency Management* (newly added for 2026-27 Academic Year)
Supply Chain/Logistics* (newly added for 2026-27 Academic Year)
Technology
Nursing and Allied Health Fields
Green and Renewable Energy
Pathways to Teaching in Shortage Areas

To bolster the success of students participating in SUNY Reconnect, SUNY has allocated $4.6 million to support SUNY Reconnect programmatic implementation through advising, enrollment, outreach, award of credit for prior learning, and other student services, supports, and campus operations.

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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SUNY Chancellor King Completes SUNY Reconnect Campus Tour Meeting Students, Faculty, and Staff During First Year

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