SUNY Chancellor King to Visit Western New York Campuses to Showcase SUNY’s Affordability and Excellence Ahead of Fall Semester

August 12, 2025

Between August 13 and August 15 Chancellor Will Visit Alfred State, University at Buffalo, Buffalo State,  Fredonia, Erie, Jamestown, and Niagara Campuses

Chancellor's Visit Highlights Governor Hochul's SUNY Reconnect Initiative to Provide Free Community College to Adult Learners in High-Demand Fields, and Follows More Than $400 Million Increased Operating Support for State-Operated Campuses and Community Colleges Over the Last Three Years

Albany, NY — As SUNY campuses prepare for the fall semester, State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. will be visiting Western New York campuses between August 13 and August 15. This is part of Chancellor King's SUNY Reconnect Tour, as well as an opportunity to speak with students, faculty, and staff before the Fall 2025 semester begins later this month. Chancellor King will use each campus visit to highlight SUNY's affordability, excellence, and alignment with regional economic and workforce needs.

"SUNY is on the move and our Western New York campuses are helping to lead the way with great programs, exciting courses, and cutting-edge research and technology," said SUNY Chancellor King. "Thanks to the support from Governor Hochul and state leaders, SUNY is in an even stronger position as we are getting ready to go into the 2025-2026 academic year. This is an exciting moment in SUNY's history, and I am pleased to join campus leadership and our students, faculty, and staff ahead of the start of the fall semester."

SUNY Trustee Eunice A. Lewin, Co-Chair of the Student Life Committee, said, "SUNY is heading into the fall semester with strong support from Governor Hochul and our state leaders so campuses may do what they do best in giving our students a well-rounded education and resources to succeed. Western New York SUNY campuses, and schools throughout our comprehensive statewide public higher education system, offer New Yorkers a world-class education and help prepare them, and our entire state, for a brighter future. I look forward to joining Chancellor King as we visit SUNY campuses throughout Western New York."

Increased State Investment: As part of Chancellor King's visits throughout the region, the Chancellor is highlighting the strong financial support Governor Hochul and state leaders provide to Western New York's SUNY institutions. Over the last three years, SUNY's state-operated campuses in the region – Alfred State, University at Buffalo, Buffalo State, and SUNY Fredonia – have received a combined increase of nearly $80 million, with each campus benefiting from at least a 45 percent increase in Direct State Tax Support. These investments address the increased costs of recent collective bargaining agreements for faculty and staff, support student and faculty research at SUNY's most research-intensive campuses, and provide dedicated funding for internships, mental health support, programming for students with disabilities, and assistance to address food insecurity.

In addition, the FY25-26 Enacted State Budget provides $8 million in increased operating aid to community colleges – the first back-to-back operating aid increase 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.

The budget also provides significant funding toward New York's long-standing Educational Opportunity Program, which has served more than 85,000 students, and increased support for ASAP|ACE, which will make these proven retention and completion programs permanent at SUNY and allow for a significant expansion. In Western New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo State, and SUNY Erie campuses participate in ASAP and ACE.

Governor Hochul's SUNY Reconnect Initiative: Chancellor King will visit the region's community colleges as part of the SUNY Reconnect Tour to promote New York's free community college program for adult learners. Chancellor King will visit SUNY Erie, SUNY Niagara, and Jamestown Community College and highlight the unique programs that each school offers that will qualify as high-demand fields for SUNY Reconnect students starting in Fall 2025. Under Governor Kathy Hochul's SUNY Reconnect initiative, New York State will provide free tuition, fees, books, and supplies, after applicable financial aid, for adults ages 25-55 who don't already have a college degree and pursue an associate degree in a high-demand field.

SUNY Reconnect will fund 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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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