Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a plan to offer free tuition to state and city colleges for students pursuing associates degrees in certain high-demand fields.
Hochul debuted the proposal Tuesday in her State of the State speech in Albany.
“This is real savings for New Yorkers pursuing new careers and puts money back in their pockets while filling job openings in these critical industries,” Hochul said.
The program would cover New York residents between the ages of 25 and 55 who enroll in associate degree programs in nursing, teaching, technology, engineering and other fields at colleges operated by the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY).
SUNY Chancellor John King told WXXI News in a Tuesday interview that the governor’s proposal is an investment in the long term health of the state’s economy.
“For example, Micron coming to Central New York, they're going to bring 50,000 jobs between their chip fab and the supply chain companies,” King said. “This is a way to prepare people for those good jobs.”
Under Hochul’s proposal, New York state will cover the costs of tuition, books and fees for participants in this program and will increase funding for career support to connect students with job opportunities.
It’s a proposal King thinks will benefit students and businesses around the state.
“I think this free tuition for community colleges focused on the workforce will attract a set of students who maybe weren't thinking about college, and so this could help us to continue to grow enrollment and deliver for New York state and for New York employers,” he said.
King said the governor’s plan would go beyond the state and federal aid that SUNY students already receive, so that they would get money to cover things like books and fees.
The President of Monroe Community College, DeAnna Burt-Nanna, said in a statement that MCC "commends Governor Kathy Hochul for her continued commitment to and support of higher education in New York State." Burt-Nanna said that, "Like other SUNY and CUNY community colleges, we look forward to learning more about how the proposed free tuition can be leveraged to prepare even more MCC students to succeed."
This story includes reporting by the Associated Press.
