Chancellor King Celebrates Student Success Through the Launch of SUNY Adirondack’s ASAP Program
September 23, 2026
Nationally Proven ASAP|ACE College Completion Program Includes 44 SUNY Campuses to Support 10,000 Students in Fall 2026
The ASAP|ACE National Model Helps Students Gain and Maintain Academic Momentum So They Can Graduate on Time
Queensbury, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today celebrated the launch of SUNY Adirondack's Advancing Success in Associate Pathways (ASAP) program. SUNY Adirondack's newly launched ASAP program is part of SUNY's ASAP|ACE expansion to help 10,000 students across 44 campuses gain and maintain academic momentum so they can graduate on time.
"Across the SUNY System, campuses are strengthening student success and upward mobility with initiatives like ASAP|ACE to ensure students graduate on time with a college degree," said SUNY Chancellor King. "SUNY Adirondack has a longstanding history of offering support services and transformative initiatives that help students thrive, and ASAP is a proven national model that will build on their work. Through steadfast support from Governor Hochul and the State Legislature, we are ensuring our students have the support and resources they need to reach their full potential."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "SUNY's campuses across New York State are bolstering support services that advance degree completion and academic excellence. With strong leadership from Governor Hochul, the ASAP|ACE programs are removing barriers to higher education and helping students successfully complete their degree and achieve their dreams."
SUNY Adirondack President Anastasia L. Urtz said, "At SUNY Adirondack, we know students are more likely to reach their goals when they have the right support at the right time. ASAP gives us another powerful way to help students stay on track, overcome barriers and keep moving toward graduation. We are excited to bring this proven model to our campus and to provide students with the personalized guidance and resources they need to succeed, in the classroom and beyond."
SUNY Adirondack's ASAP program will include 150 students in its first year. Chancellor King met with students and staff during his visit today on campus. ASAP|ACE provides students access to a wide variety of resources and support to help them overcome barriers that can prevent them from obtaining a degree, including comprehensive personalized advisement, academic support, career development activities, as well as funding to cover textbooks, groceries, transportation, and other costs of attendance. Governor Hochul's 2026-27 Enacted Budget invested an additional $8 million in funding for the expansion of ASAP (for students pursuing an associate degree) and ACE (for students pursuing a Bachelor's degree), bringing the total state investment in this successful program to $20 million annually.
State Senator Daniel Stec said, "Ensuring students have the necessary resources to maintain academic momentum and graduate on time is of paramount importance. SUNY Adirondack's ASAP program is a crucial resource in that effort and ensure more area students are able to receive a degree and attend classes without having to struggle with social and economic barriers."
State Assemblymember Matthew Simpson said, "The launch of SUNY Adirondack's ASAP program is a meaningful investment in student success, opportunity, and educational attainment across our region. I commend Chancellor John B. King Jr. for advancing this proven statewide initiative to ensure SUNY Adirondack students have the resources and support they need to succeed. I'd also like to acknowledge President Anastasia Urtz and her team for their leadership and dedication to the SUNY Adirondack student body as we strive to provide our region's students with opportunities to achieve the best possible outcomes of their academic journey."
Compared to similar students, ASAP|ACE participants are attempting and earning more credits and are more likely to remain enrolled or complete a degree in the semesters following their entry into the program. ASAP students are earning up to 1.4 more credits than matched comparison students in their first semester, with retention rates increasing over time and reaching 12.3 percentage points higher than matched comparison students by the fourth semester. ACE students are earning up to 1.7 more credits than matched comparison students by their third semester, with retention rates reaching 8.6 percentage points higher than matched comparison students by the fourth semester. These positive outcomes are consistent across semesters and student groups, underscoring the program's early impact on academic momentum and timely degree completion.
The expansion of ASAP|ACE also advances SUNY's Academic Momentum Campaign, which provides SUNY campuses with financial support and technical assistance to strengthen student retention and completion rates. While SUNY's current completion rates exceed the national averages for public institutions awarding on time bachelor's and associate degrees, SUNY seeks to help all students who start their degrees have the supports they need to finish. Chancellor King's 2026 State of the University Agenda includes additional initiatives to continue strengthening academic momentum, so more students make it to, and through, the SUNY campus of their choice.
In addition to participating in ASAP to advance degree completion and student success, SUNY Adirondack also offers SUNY Reconnect, support services for adult learners, microcredentials, and internship opportunities for all majors. As part of its SUNY Reconnect eligible degree programs, the college is offering a first of its kind Allied Health class that incorporates PCA and HHA certifications, as well as a newly eligible Applied Business Information and Analytics major. SUNY Adirondack also offers 20 microcredentials, including a Healthcare Assistant microcredential, and has hired a full-time adult learner coordinator, provides laptops to Reconnect students, and provides staff professional development around supporting 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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Holly Liapis
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