State Program Aims to Advance Success, Remove Financial Barriers at SUNY Plattsburgh

SUNY Plattsburgh hosted a gathering Thursday in the new lobby of Memorial Hall to highlight the benefits and expansion of a program that aims to increase graduation rates and reduce financial barriers for first-year and transfer students.

The Advancing Completion through Engagement program was created from a $75 million state SUNY Transformation Fund championed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature. In July 2023, SUNY Plattsburgh received a three-year, $900,000 grant to plan and execute its own ACE program.

As a result, SUNY Plattsburgh launched its pilot program last semester with the first 33-student cohort. This fall, the program was able to offer space to 177 additional students, thanks in part to additional funds from the Robin Hood Foundation and others.

“(Through ACE), students receive comprehensive, personalized supports and resources to help them gain and maintain academic momentum, increase their sense of belonging and integration and graduation on time,” said Karen McGrath, vice president for enrollment and student success.

“We know that students who receive support are more likely to graduate on time and obtain a degree, which, ample data has demonstrated, is one of the best vehicles for upward mobility as well as long-term professional and personal success,” she said.

SUNY Plattsburgh President Alexander Enyedi applauded the program’s success after just one semester, saying, “Our university is deeply committed to ensuring students succeed both academically and personally.”

“We partner to offer a comprehensive network of services and opportunities to foster student success,” he said.

Meeting with the ACE leadership team and students enrolled in the program, Enyedi said he “was moved by their stories and the program’s immediate impact on their lives.”

He said that students shared with him how the program is enhancing their experiences, the importance of mentorship in their personal growth, how it is helping them find purpose and how it’s addressing financial barriers to their education.

In addition to academic support, ACE participants receive $600 per semester to help offset the cost of textbooks, attendance and living expenses.

‘Powerful Initiative’

“Our participation is a powerful initiative that directly supports student success and persistence is incredibly important to me,” Enyedi said. “Our students’ resilience and determination inspire me every day, and I am so proud to host the ACE program here at SUNY Plattsburgh.”

Sara Munson serves as the program’s director on campus and told the crowd of 50 campus constituents including vice presidents, deans and University Council members, that she is “honored to be part of (something) that widens the net of student support and helps to eliminate barriers, provide students with resources and support, and increase their sense of belonging in our community while helping them earn their bachelor’s degree in four years.

“Our incoming students responded so overwhelmingly positively to the ACE program that we had an extensive waiting list,” Munson said. It was with the support of Donna Linderman, SUNY senior vice chancellor for student success, the university received the additional funding.

Shatawndra Lister, director of access and opportunity programs, led the planning and implementation team for the new initiative and now directs the strategy and program assessment, McGrath said.

“The ACE program’s focus on providing financial assistance is vital to reducing the economic barriers that students often face,” Lister said. “By covering essential costs such as textbooks, groceries, transportation, ACE ensures that students can focus on their academics without the constant worry of financial strain.”

Invited guest State Assemblyman Billy Jones remarked on how students may be doing well academically but have financial hurdles to jump, which ultimately interferes with their ability to do well academically.

“To have a program that helps with this is truly amazing,” he said. As a long supporter of higher education in New York, Jones said, “We never want to see students unable to go to school and be successful because of a financial barrier.”

Two of those students, sophomore Joshua Severino and freshman Kaelyn Morgan, both said how much they appreciated the ACE program for helping them navigate the complications of college.

“It’s made my experience ten times easier,” Severino said.

“I didn’t know the ins and outs of college,” Morgan said. “Just having that backup — even just someone to talk to — is something I enjoy.”

In a statement, SUNY Chancellor John King said that student success “drives everything we do at SUNY, and we are committed to meeting students and their families where they are to ensure the thrive.

“SUNY takes pride in scaling ACE as a proven model for student success across our campuses, and we look forward to continuing to invest in the next generation of SUNY graduates at SUNY Plattsburgh and across the system.”

“Removing financial barriers, providing structured pathways for success and creating connected communities through support and engagement activities,” McGrath said. “That is what the Advancing Completion through Engagement program is all. We are proud to be an ACE institution and even more proud of our students for being committed to academic excellence, personal development and an on-time graduation.”

— Story by Associate Director of Communications Gerianne Downs

— Photos by Multimedia Coordinator Hunter Mossey