Chancellor King Highlights SUNY Reconnect with Visit to SUNY Niagara

September 29, 2026

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

Visit Highlight's SUNY Niagara's Early Childhood Education and Welding Technology Programs; Photos Available Here

Interested Adults Can Learn More About SUNY Reconnect Here


Sanborn, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today visited SUNY Niagara as part of the SUNY Reconnect Tour to highlight SUNY Reconnects expansion in the second year of the program. Chancellor King has been visiting SUNY campuses throughout the state to highlight Governor Kathy Hochul's SUNY Reconnect Program, which officially began at the start of Fall 2025 classes, and provides free associate degrees in high-demand fields for eligible adult learners.

During his visit, Chancellor King highlighted SUNY Niagara's early childhood education and welding technology programs, which are eligible for SUNY Reconnect. To learn more about SUNY Reconnect programs available at SUNY Niagara, visit: https://sunyniagara.edu/freecc/.

"SUNY Reconnect has changed the lives of thousands of New Yorkers by opening doors to an affordable excellent SUNY education," said SUNY Chancellor King. "Community colleges like SUNY Niagara are engines of upward mobility that empower our students to reach their full potential. I commend the campus for its support of our adult learners."

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "Through Governor Hochul's leadership, SUNY Reconnect is helping adult learners achieve their educational and personal goals through a degree in a high-demand field. We thank Governor Hochul and state leaders for their continued support and investment in SUNY Reconnect, and our adult learners."

In the 2026-27, SUNY Reconnect was expanded to include additional high-demand programs, associate programs at bachelor's granting institutions, and to make it easier for adult learners to return to college to pursue nursing if they have a prior degree in another field.

During his visit, Chancellor King also highlighted SUNY Niagara's childcare offerings, including the SUNY Niagara Child Development Center. SUNY Niagara expanded its childcare services in March to serve additional infants and toddlers through funding provided in the 2025-26 Enacted State Budget.

SUNY Niagara President Lloyd A. Holmes said, "SUNY Reconnect offers an unprecedented opportunity for adults to upskill, change their career trajectory, or complete a degree they had started. We are proud to welcome our second cohort of SUNY Reconnect students this fall and are committed to helping them succeed at SUNY Niagara."

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, "SUNY Reconnect has helped so many eligible New Yorkers take the next step in their careers by pursuing an associate's degree at no cost in high-demand fields such as health studies and welding technology. I thank Governor Hochul and the SUNY Board of Trustees for expanding this initiative that creates critical workforce development pathways and ensures that New York is an affordable place to live, work, and raise a family."

New York State Higher Education Services Corporation Acting President Doris B. González said, "SUNY Reconnect is opening doors for adult learners who are ready to build a brighter future, and programs like health studies and welding technology at SUNY Niagara are exactly the kind of high-demand pathways this initiative was designed to support. Thanks to Governor Hochul's vision and investment, New Yorkers ages 25 to 55 can earn a degree without worrying about the cost of tuition, fees, books, or supplies. We are grateful to Chancellor King for traveling across the state to shine a light on this program and the campuses making it possible. To every adult learner considering a return to college, the Reconnect program is here to help you turn your goals into a rewarding career."

New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person said, "Through SUNY Reconnect, adult learners can turn opportunity into a career, whether that means preparing to lead a classroom, caring for patients, or building the technologies and infrastructure that will power New York's future. We're excited to see this program grow in both New York City and New York state, opening the door for even more New Yorkers to earn degrees, build family-sustaining careers and help fill critical workforce needs across our state."

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 do not already have a college degree to pursue an associate degree in a high-demand field. SUNY launched a dedicated website: suny.edu/reconnect, to provide more information to prospective students and promote the launch of SUNY Reconnect. In November 2025, Governor Hochul announced that in the inaugural year of SUNY Reconnect, more than 5,600 New Yorkers took advantage of the program.

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 degree-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. SUNY Niagara is using its share of the funding, which was $100,000, to:

  • Hire a full-time SUNY Reconnect Advisor who will serve as both recruiter and success coach for Reconnect and adult learners, and
  • Expand and develop Credit for Prior Learning and career/industry readiness supports for SUNY Niagara students including professional development opportunities for faculty and staff to help serve adult learners.

Chancellor King's visit is part of his ongoing effort to visit SUNY institutions throughout the state to highlight SUNY Reconnect. Following the May 2025 launch of Governor Hochul's SUNY Reconnect program for adult learners in New York State, Chancellor King kicked off the first leg of the SUNY Reconnect Tour and visited all 29 participating community college campuses throughout 2025 and 2026.

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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