Sen. Gounardes to LoHud: Helping New Yorkers Finish College is Good for Our Economy

Plenty of people who start college don't finish. Helping them wrap up their degrees would not only boost New York families, but the state too, according to a study by the Center for an Urban Future.

 

The think tank is pushing a program, called SUNY Reconnect, that would support New Yorkers who want to finish up their degrees at a State University of New York campus. And it has a successful model: CUNY Reconnect, which since 2022 has helped thousands earn enough credits to get a degree.

 

"From the Hudson Valley to Buffalo, well-paying jobs in growing industries are increasingly likely to go to New Yorkers with college degrees," said Eli Dvorkin, policy director at the Center for an Urban Future. "Helping even a fraction of the New Yorkers with some college but no credential to reach the finish line could generate a major economic mobility boost for thousands of residents statewide."

 

About 900,000 New Yorkers outside New York City have college credits but no college degree. In Rockland, 16.4% of all working-age adults have college credits but no degree. In Westchester, it's 13.1%.

 

The initiative would be funded via state legislation.

 

State Sen. Anthony Gounardes, a Brooklyn Democrat who serves on the Higher Education Committee, is looking at the concept.

 

"We know many working families are struggling to get by in New York, and we know a college degree unlocks the door to higher-paying jobs and economic stability," Gounardes said. "We also know those benefits extend way beyond the individual, to their family and community. They bolster the state's economy and our tax base."

 

"We're talking about a group of New Yorkers who have already started themselves down this path, who have the desire and determination, who maybe just need a little extra support to achieve this dream," Gounardes said. "This is the type of relatively small upfront investment that pays off for the state over generations."