For SUNY Old Westbury, a supersized ACE in the hole

By GREGORY ZELLER //

The State University of New York is supersizing its ambitious student-retention and degree-completion model – big news for learners at SUNY Old Westbury.

On Tuesday, SUNY leaders announced an aggressive expansion of the Advancing Completion through Engagement program, which is built to offer academic, financial and personal support to students pursuing bachelor’s degrees.

The expansion will allow SUNY Old Westbury – which hitched its wagon last Summer to the ACE program and its sister Advancing Success in Associate Pathways program, which targets students pursuing associate’s degrees – to double the number of students supported through its ACE chapter.

Starting with the upcoming Fall 2026 semester, 300 SUNY Old Westbury learners will be supported through ACE – a welcome opportunity “to deliver to even more students the important extra academic, financial and other supports that funding for ACE enables us to provide,” according to SUNY Old Westbury President Timothy Sams.

“Enrolling as a full-time student remains the fastest pathway for students to complete their studies and move on into their careers and lives,” Sams added.

State University leaders credited the system-wide ACE expansion to an $8 million bump in allocated funding included in the FY 2026-27 New York State Executive Budget, increasing Albany’s total annual investment in the successful student-retention program to $20 million.

Both ACE and ASAP give students access to a wide array of resources, intent on helping them overcome traditional socioeconomic barriers to degree completion. The programs provide funding for textbooks, groceries, transportation and other costs associated with college attendance, while offering comprehensive personalized academic and career-development support.

Restrictions do apply, but SUNY students who receive any level of Federal Pell Grant or New York State grant assistance – including NYS Tuition Assistance Program or Excelsior Scholarship aid – are “likely to be eligible,” according to the State University system.

Four SUNY campuses on Long Island – SUNY Old Westbury, Nassau Community College, Suffolk County Community College and Farmingdale State College – take part in the associate’s- and bachelor’s-level support programs, which are modeled after City University of New York programs that have assisted more than 100,000 students (and been replicated in several states) since launching a decade ago.

Expanding their reach across Long Island and at other statewide campuses spotlights the State University system’s commitment “to the success of every student,” according to SUNY Chancellor John King Jr.

“The continued expansion of ASAP/ACE will help ensure our students can complete their degree on time, achieve their dreams and move forward on a path to upward mobility,” King said Thursday. “I am thrilled that through the support of Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature … these vital programs will serve 10,000 students across the state this Fall.”