SUNY Plattsburgh, Clinton Community College to Highlight Impact of ACE, ASAP on North Country Students

Getting students to college is only part of the work — helping them stay, succeed and earn their degrees can require addressing challenges that extend well beyond the classroom.

SUNY Plattsburgh and Clinton Community College will highlight two SUNY programs designed to do just that during a joint event Sept. 29 at 1 p.m. in SUNY Plattsburgh’s Memorial Hall.

Advancing Success in Associate Pathways at Clinton Community College and Advancing Completion through Engagement at SUNY Plattsburgh provide students with intensive, personalized advising and academic, career and financial support designed to keep them moving toward their degrees.

The event will bring together students, campus leaders, State University of New York representatives and community leaders to highlight the growing reach of ASAP and ACE across the North Country and hear directly from students about the role these programs are playing in their college experiences.

At the Heart of Both

At the heart of both programs is a simple premise: Academic ability alone does not determine whether a student reaches graduation. The cost of textbooks, transportation, groceries, an unexpected financial hardship or the need for additional academic guidance can alter a student’s path. Both ASAP and ACE are designed to identify and address those barriers while helping students maintain momentum toward a degree.

Clinton Community College launched ASAP with 25 students in spring 2024. This fall, the program is serving 150 students across 19 academic programs and has served 353 students since its launch. Students pursuing associate degrees receive individualized advising, academic and career development and financial assistance designed to help them remain on track toward graduation.

SUNY Plattsburgh launched ACE with 33 students that same semester. Today, 347 SUNY Plattsburgh students participate in ACE, working with dedicated advisors and peer mentors while receiving academic support, career and graduate-school preparation, financial assistance and other resources designed to help them remain on track to graduate within four years.

Serving 497 Students

Together, ASAP and ACE are now serving 497 students at Clinton Community College and SUNY Plattsburgh, demonstrating the growing reach of this student-success model across the North Country.

Advancing Success in Associate Pathways and Advancing Completion through Engagement serve students on different degree pathways but share the same goal: Ensuring that access to higher education is matched by the support students need to reach graduation.

SUNY launched ASAP and ACE systemwide in spring 2024 with support from Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. Beginning this fall, the programs are serving 10,000 students across 44 SUNY campuses. An additional $8 million in the 2026-2027 enacted state budget brings New York state’s recurring annual investment in ASAP and ACE to $20 million.

Statewide Investment Personal

For students at Clinton Community College and SUNY Plattsburgh, that statewide investment becomes deeply personal: An adviser who recognizes when a student is struggling, assistance that makes an unexpected expense manageable, guidance toward a career after graduation or support that keeps one difficult semester from derailing a college education.

The Sept. 29 event will put those student experiences at the center while highlighting how ASAP and ACE are strengthening pathways to degree completion across the North Country.

Learn more about ACE at SUNY Plattsburgh here.

Learn more about ASAP at Clinton Community College here.