As part of her State of the State address, Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled today a plan to transform the State University of New York system into the best statewide system of public higher education in the country by 2022. Transformational plans like this one will ensure that New York State University at Albany (SUNY) will remain a globally recognized university, expand SUNY’s international research and innovation network, support students in their pursuit of economic success, and focus on equity so that students of all backgrounds can thrive.

“My father’s ability to pay for college changed the course of our family’s existence. For the next generation of students, New York must have a world-class public university system that can transform their lives “According to Governor Hochul, For the sake of SUNY’s future, “We must seize this moment to revitalize SUNY, lifting up students from a broad and diverse range of backgrounds while at the same time transforming the institution into a global, 21st-century educational leader.”

To help New York achieve global leadership in innovation, equitable economic growth, and upward social mobility, Governor Andrew M. Hochul has called on a redesigned SUNY to step up. With the objective of being New York’s economic growth and upward mobility engine in place by 2030, SUNY must fulfill lofty goals.

A few of these objectives are: increasing enrollment by one-third to over 500,000 students, reflecting the diversity of the state, preparing countless numbers of people for in-demand jobs and upwardly mobile careers, attracting and supporting a top-notch faculty and staff, making credentials and degrees accessible to a wide range of students, and tripling the amount of sponsored research, start-ups, and patents so that SUNY can act as a catalyst for the economy. Achieving any of these goals depends on a combination of general improvement and progress in ensuring equal opportunity.

By making SUNY a worldwide and national leader in research and innovation, Governor Hochul hopes to enhance SUNY’s global and national reach.

• Stony Brook University and the University at Buffalo will be transformed into SUNY flagships and global research institutes. It is expected that these campuses will aim to get $1 billion in federal research money each by 2030. As a result, these institutions would be among the nation’s top 20 public universities in terms of research spending. There will be $102 million invested in the University at Buffalo’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and $100 million for a new engineering facility at Stony Brook, as a first step toward strengthening both schools.
• University of Albany and Binghamton University will be revitalized as national leaders in research and education, with an aim of obtaining $500 million in annual research funding for each institution. Increased economic effect of applied research and development, increased student enrollment, and improved graduation rates will result from this. Proposals by Gov. Hochul include reuniting CNSE’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering with the University at Albany to streamline management and encourage research excellence. This technology development and manufacturing center will be housed at Binghamton University. Advanced manufacture of batteries for sustainable energy technologies that will revolutionize transportation, defense, and energy sectors is the goal of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing in the Southern Tier. With the help of the Center, many industries and supply chains will benefit from a solid manufacturing infrastructure.
• Put your faith in SUNY’s strengths, which include the Doctoral-Granting Institutions, but also the community colleges, technical schools, and comprehensive schools: Investment in areas of current and potential research strength, equity grants (as described below), and a focus on faculty compensation and recruitment programs for faculty and research – with the flexibility to offer more competitive faculty packages and include a focus on the recruitment of and retention of highly qualified faculty are all part of this plan.
• Set up “Labs for the Future” in all 50 states Repair and modernization of laboratories and scientific facilities in all SUNY institutions and programs is critical to the success of the university.
• Students’ employment results will be improved by SUNY’s challenge grant program, which encourages each campus to cultivate a distinct identity.

In addition, Governor Hochul plans to make significant changes at SUNY to better serve students, ensuring that they are well-prepared for future employment and free of crippling student loan debt. The following are some of the components of this initiative:

• A new Efficient Application for SUNY Education (EASE) program will allow students to apply to all SUNY schools with a single common application procedure and will encourage and assist more students to complete their FAFSA through a new FAFSA Completion Corp. Financial assistance programs should also be overhauled and streamlined by the New York HESC in order to provide a single, easy-to-understand process for qualifying and receiving aid. SUNY will also launch a debt-forgiveness program for students who re-enroll in any SUNY college. High school graduation could be integrated with FAFSA completion.
• Facilitate cross-campus transfers by streamlining the current SUNY transfer process. This will include a clearer distinction between non-degree programs and those that give degrees. This involves expanding seamless transfer and articulation agreements to guarantee that a simple transfer strategy should apply to any SUNY course or program, no matter the principal affiliate campus. Students who transfer to a four-year institution but do not meet the prerequisites for an associate degree will be granted an associate degree retroactively through the implementation of a statewide common-course numbering for SUNY, as well as the creation of associate degree guarantees for SUNY four-year degree programs and a statewide reverse transfer.
• For SUNY to better fulfill the requirements of both employers and students, a Jobs Accelerator program should be developed to focus on New York’s fastest-growing careers in fields such as healthcare, digital technology, and green jobs. Building on SUNY’s applied learning program, this initiative will extend employer involvement to improve the amount of quality work-based learning opportunities and guarantee that curriculum is tailored to the needs of today’s workforce. Every SUNY college and university will have redefined, high-quality career services that connect with students’ objectives and employers’ needs as part of this initiative. In addition, SUNY’s excellent online offerings will be expanded, with a focus on career certification programs desired by employers.

Setting the standard for equal opportunity for all Americans. It is also a top objective for Governor Hochul to make the SUNY system more egalitarian and to help students from all walks of life succeed. That is why SUNY will:

• Resolve problems students face by removing the barriers they face: When it comes to graduation rates, SUNY’s student body is a good deal more diverse than that of the state as a whole, yet underserved kids still tend to fall behind. SUNY will create comprehensive measures to reduce recruitment, retention, completion, and job placement gaps in order to become a more fair system.
• In order to help five new campuses, including at least one four-year college, become Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) by 2025, SUNY will focus on further funding its three existing MSIs. It is imperative that schools receive funding to implement evidence-based practices in faculty and staff recruitment and educational support programs that increase socioeconomic and racial diversity among students, students who complete their degrees, and students who go on to successful careers after graduation.
• Lead the way in adult education: There are a lot of individuals who either did not go to college or did not finish it, or who have low median incomes based on their industry. SUNY will benefit from Governor Hochul’s proposals to increase TAP access for part-time students, give free workforce certifications in high-demand sectors, and award prior learning credit across SUNY and CUNY. By conducting surveys to identify impediments for adult learners, SUNY will next discover ways to remove those barriers and increase the number of adult learners in its programs.

SUNY, its individual institutions, and key stakeholders will work together over the course of 2022 to develop a detailed implementation plan to achieve these goals. At the heart of Governor Hochul’s vision is a belief that one of the system’s major strengths is its portfolio of institutions across the system, and the North Star of the implementation plan will be helping each school to become the best version of itself.

SUNY’s doctoral-granting institutions, comprehensive colleges, technological colleges, and community colleges will all play a role in this approach.