Christian greeted Zimpher on what may be her last appearance at SUNY New Paltz
before her retirement
NEW PALTZ – SUNY New Paltz President Donald Christian was joined
by his boss, Chancellor Nancy Zimpher on Monday, for a public info session
on the Excelsior Scholarship program, which kicks in next semester. The
program offers free tuition to most New Yorkers, for full-time students
at SUNY schools.
Zimpher explained that the Excelsior Scholarship is designed to piggyback
onto existing financial aid programs, including TAP and PELL grants. “The
first real difference is, we’re raising the threshold for eligibility.
It starts at [families earning less than] $100,000 the first year,”
the chancellor said. Cutoff income is raised to $110,000 next year, followed
by $125,000 afterward.
Zimpher called the move a major step, adding that Excelsior Scholarships will be offered to students attending either two- or four-year institutions, the first of its kind nationwide.
“This is a very big deal,” she said. “This notion of free college and tuition assistance has been around for a while, I am here to tell you New York has taken a major step by raising the threshold and so many, what we would call middle class families, are just a little over the TAP eligibility, but not above but with an income that they can really afford college. So, this is a very big deal and is a huge deal that is available to two- and four-year campuses.”
A last minute compromise for the 15-credit minimum per semester loosened the requirement to 30 credits per year, allowing for summer session safety valve for matriculated undergraduates. Zimpher indicated much discussion took place in Albany, hammering out the final definition of full time.
PELL and TAP both combine to offer $5,500 assistance per year. Excelsior picks up the remaining tuition, allowing New Yorkers to enjoy tuition free college education, currently $6,400 per year at SUNY. “It’s a pretty cool idea, all the way around,” Zimpher maintained.
She said the remaining challenge is now reaching out to high school juniors and seniors to prepare them for the transition. “You can’t go to the prom until you fill out the forms,” she joked. Zimpher compared the primary and secondary education systems as a seamless pipeline leading to college, with financial aid sealing leaks in the system.
“The Excelsior Scholarship program has a clear goal of expanding college affordability and completion,” Dr. Christian agreed, calling both important components for student success, and a laudable goal which all should embrace. Christian acknowledged Chancellor Zimpher, noting her retirement from SUNY next month.
