SUNY Chancellor King Highlights Actions to Support Students and Address Essential Needs Across SUNY Campuses
September 18, 2025
Basic Needs Summit Convenes Campus Members and Community Leaders Dedicated to Improving Student Access to Food, Housing, Child Care and Transportation Support
Faculty and Staff from SUNY Campuses Named Basic Needs Champions; Fact Sheets Outlining SUNY's Commitment to Basic Needs Available Here and Here
Photos From Today's Summit Are Available Here
Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today celebrated SUNY campus and community members improving access to essential resources — including housing, food, transportation, and child care — at the SUNY Basic Needs Summit. The first-of-its-kind event brought together SUNY System Administration staff, representatives from SUNY campuses, and national experts to address efforts to improve student access to essential needs.
"For any student to reach their full potential, they need to know that their basic needs such as food, shelter, transportation and child care are being met," said SUNY Chancellor King. "For our students to grow academically and individually they need support both in and out of the classroom, and that is precisely what SUNY professionals throughout the state will continue to ensure is addressed. I thank all of the dedicated faculty and staff who are committed to supporting our students as we help ensure essential needs are met."
SUNY Trustee Eunice A. Lewin, Co-Chair of the Student Life Committee, said, "No student should worry about accessing essential resources while they are focused on their academic pursuit, and pursuing excellence on and off campus. That is why we have implemented programs across SUNY to ensure all students have their basic and essential needs met. We thank Governor Hochul and the State Legislature for supporting our efforts to provide the essential services that every SUNY student deserves."
At today's summit, campus representatives will hear firsthand from experts who are shaping policy, driving change, and
leading initiatives at a national level and will develop action plans for implementation of basic need supports in SUNY communities.
Every SUNY Campus has a food pantry or stigma-free food access available to all students, and SUNY continues to dedicate $1 million in ongoing operating expenses each year to support initiatives to address food insecurity on all State-operated campuses. Through the Empire State Service Corps program, eligible SUNY students also complete paid work on or off their campuses to support students or individuals through SNAP outreach or other basic needs supports, including working at their on-campus food pantry or in other food insecurity aligned work.
Additionally, forty-seven SUNY campuses have child care centers for student-parents, faculty, and staff. In the 2024-25 academic year, SUNY child care centers offer 4,115 spots for children, serving 691 student parents, as well as the children of SUNY faculty and staff.
Since 2023, every SUNY campus has been directed to appoint a homeless liaison, whose job is to ensure that students experiencing homelessness receive the academic, financial, and wraparound support they need to succeed and thrive. SUNY has supported a learning network for these campus liaisons to provide ongoing training. SUNY has continued its partnership with SchoolHouse Connection and Pearl Strategies to address housing insecurity and homelessness among college students.
The State University of New York System Administration received a $60,000 grant from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) for the Basic Needs Data Academy. The grant will be used to create a cross-agency team with Governor Kathy Hochul's office and the New York State Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance to use basic needs data to improve policy and decision making and directly support students.
Chancellor King also recognized this year's Basic Needs Champions including faculty and staff from SUNY campuses throughout the state. The champions were nominated by their campus presidents and chosen for their commitment to addressing barriers and supporting access to essential resources for students on their individual campuses.
This year's Basic Needs Champions include:
- Lorie Brewer, SUNY Broome Community College, Supplemental Support Services Coordinator
- Steven Contreras, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Director of Student Retention
- Arie Drewes, SUNY Ulster, Director of New Start
- Robin King, SUNY Schenectady County Community College, Director of Wellness & Support Services
- Sofia Pineiro, SUNY Westchester Community College, Associate Director of Student Support Services
State Senator Robert Jackson said, "Our fight for educational equity has always been about more than classrooms—it is about dignity, opportunity, and the right of every student to thrive. The SUNY Basic Needs Summit affirms what we've long known: students cannot learn on empty stomachs, while juggling housing insecurity or searching for affordable child care. These aren't peripheral concerns—they are foundational. By investing in food access, expanding child care, and building partnerships across campuses and state agencies, SUNY is turning policy into justice. As legislators, we must continue to meet this momentum with action, because investing in students' basic needs is investing in the very future of New York."
State Senator Lea Webb said, "The SUNY Basic Needs Summit highlights the critical work being done across New York to ensure students have access to the essential resources they need to thrive, including food, housing, child care and transportation. I'm especially proud to congratulate Lorie Brewer of SUNY Broome Community College, a dedicated advocate from my district, on being named a Basic Needs Champion. Her tireless work supporting students through Supplemental Support Services is truly making a difference. I thank Chancellor King, and all involved for continuing to prioritize student success across the SUNY system."
State Senator Patricia Fahy said, "SUNY's dedication to supporting student access to essential needs shows the value New York places on housing, food, transportation, and child care. As the federal government goes after SNAP to fund their tax cuts, SUNY continues to step up for their students, faculty, and staff by supporting programs to supplement basic needs and giving eligible students the chance to complete paid work supporting individuals through SNAP outreach. Affording basic needs is the topic on everyone's mind right now, and this Summit will provide students and the SUNY community with the information they need to take advantage of the access they have to these programs. I commend SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. and SUNY administration for recognizing the need for this and reacting with direct help for their community."
State Assemblymember Sarah Clark said, "The SUNY Basic Needs Summit highlights the vital work being done to ensure students across the state have access to all the resources they need to thrive. We know everything from reliable housing, food security, transportation, and child care can be crucial to a student's success in college. Improving access to these resources will break down barriers and strengthen opportunity, equity, and student achievement. Thank you to Chancellor King, our community partners, and SUNY campuses for your unwavering commitment to creating opportunities for all students."
State Assemblymember Gabriella Romero said, "SUNY has long been a national model for public higher education, providing students from every corner of New York with access to world-class learning and life-changing opportunities. At the same time, we know that many students continue to face challenges meeting basic needs like food, housing, and child care, which directly impact their success. It is so great to see SUNY and New York State taking these important and substantial steps forward with the creation of the Basic Needs Data Academy and now it's on all of us: state leaders, campus communities, and partners alike, to build on that progress and support SUNY to ensure every student has the resources they need to thrive."
State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal said, "Students cannot be set up for success if they lack stable housing, nutritious food, reliable transportation and other basic needs. I thank SUNY Chancellor King for leading today's Basic Needs Summit and applaud the faculty and staff on campuses around the state who are working hard to fulfill students' basic needs. As the sponsor of the Hunger-Free Campus Act, I look forward to continued collaboration with higher education leaders to ensure that every campus has the resources it needs to maintain a well-stocked, accessible and stigma-free food pantry so students do not have to choose between buying books or groceries."
Rachel Sabella, Director of No Kid Hungry New York, said, "SUNY is already making critical investments to help meet the basic needs of student-parents, and this new SHEEO grant will lay the groundwork for them to support even more students and their families. Through the Basic Needs Data Academy, SUNY will gain a better understanding of what's working in their fight against food insecurity on campus and where gaps remain. We are grateful to Governor Hochul and SUNY Chancellor John King for their leadership in ensuring every student has the foundation they need to succeed."
SchoolHouse Connection Executive Director Barbara Duffield said, "We applaud SUNY for recognizing that homelessness among college students is a hidden but urgent crisis — one that requires focused attention alongside food, transportation, and child care. By supporting homeless liaisons on every campus and providing individualized technical assistance, SUNY is ensuring that students experiencing homelessness are not overlooked in broader basic needs initiatives. This leadership sends a powerful message: homelessness is a barrier to opportunity that must be addressed in order for all students to thrive."
Christina Whitfield, Senior Vice President & Chief of Staff at SHEEO, said, "SHEEO believes that good data is foundational to good policy, practice, and outcomes. Accordingly, we are pleased to provide this grant and technical assistance to SUNY and other state participants through our Basic Needs Data Academy, as they work to better integrate basic needs data into their state data systems and improve the lives of postsecondary students experiencing basic needs insecurities."
Sean Miller, Northeast Regional Director at Young Invincibles said, "For all students to thrive, their basic needs must be met. The high cost of living, especially rent, food, housing, transportation, and health care, puts immense pressure on students and families. SUNY's investment in basic needs, from food security to child care, mental health, and housing services, shows what it means to put students first. We're grateful to Chancellor King and the SUNY team for prioritizing student basic needs, and congratulate them on convening the first-ever SUNY Basic Needs Summit! Together, we'll help ensure that every student has the support they need to graduate and build brighter futures."
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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