4 SUNY Campuses Awarded Federal Funding To Support Student Success

VALHALLA, NY — More than $9 million in federal funding was awarded to SUNY campuses to support student success toward a college degree.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced Friday the United States Department of Education awarded the money to four State University of New York campuses:

SUNY Westchester Community College was awarded a $2.9 million Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program grant.

SUNY Oswego, SUNY Erie Community College and Fulton-Montgomery Community College were awarded around $2.2 million Title III Strengthening Institutions Program grants.

Hochul said access to quality, affordable public higher education has the ability to transform lives and set young New Yorkers on a path to success.

“Thanks to this important funding from the Department of Education, we continue to make transformational investments across the SUNY system that will break down barriers and increase access to higher education,” she said.

The grant that SUNY Westchester was given will expand educational opportunities for students through academic offerings, program quality and institutional stability at colleges and universities designated as Hispanic-Serving institutions. SUNY Westchester will utilize the $2.9 million in grant funding to expand enrollment in its Viking ROADS program and implement “Welcome, Continue and Complete” workshops and outreach to increase retention, completion and transfer of Hispanic and low-income students. The community college was the first SUNY institution designated as an HSI. Currently, SUNY now has eight HSI institutions.

SUNY Westchester Community College President Belinda Miles said the college is excited to be a recipient of this new grant.

“It builds on a significant body of evidence-based, high-impact work already underway on our campus and allows us to significantly expand our Viking ROADS program that has nearly tripled graduation rates for students in the program,” she said. “The grant also enables us to implement a new retention and completion initiative, as well as provide significant opportunities in professional development for faculty in addressing the needs of our diverse student body.”