Herkimer College Highlights Participation in National Student Success Model to Improve Support, Retention, and Completion

SUNY officials today joined Herkimer College leaders, faculty, staff, and students in highlighting the benefits and expansion of the Advancing Success in Associate Pathways (ASAP) initiative, a transformative two-year model that has been widely demonstrated to increase student completion rates and narrow opportunity gaps.

ASAP|ACE (Advancing Completion through Engagement) expanded to the SUNY system in Spring 2024, supported by an historic demonstration of state-level support championed by Governor Hochul in the $75 million SUNY Transformation Fund and supplemented by private grants. ACE is the four-year college equivalent of ASAP.

Herkimer College is one of 12 SUNY community colleges participating in ASAP. Herkimer’s program launched in the spring of 2024 with 54 students, and the program has grown to 150 students this fall. 

“Herkimer College opted into the ASAP program because we believe in the power of accessible, transformative education for all,” said Herkimer College Officer-in-Charge Nicholas Laino. “The program aligns perfectly with our strategic plan to improve retention, graduation rates, and student outcomes. It is an extension of our deep commitment to fostering academic excellence, equity, and success for every student on our campus."

ASAP|ACE provides wraparound support to ensure student academic success, retention, and on-time graduation. An array of resources and supports - including funding to cover textbooks, groceries, transportation, and other costs of attendance, academic assistance, comprehensive personalized advisement, and career development activities – help Pell-eligible students overcome barriers that can prevent them from achieving their goals and obtaining a degree.

"At the heart of SUNY's mission is a deep commitment to student success, and programs like ASAP and ACE are helping us realize that commitment in life-changing ways," said SUNY Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Success Donna Linderman. "I want to give a special thanks to our students - the ones here with us in the program today, and the ones who we hope to serve tomorrow as the program expands. We're so proud to serve you and so committed to your limitless potential. You're the reason we come to work every day."

Participating students represent a wide range of backgrounds, interests, and experience, but all share a recognition in the importance of higher education and achieving a degree to achieve their personal and professional goals.

Since being initially launched at CUNY in 2007, ASAP|ACE have served more than 100,000 CUNY students and the programs have been replicated in seven states. The ASAP|ACE programs have been proven to significantly improve degree completion rates, particularly for underrepresented students. They have since been replicated at more than 20 colleges in seven states across the nation.

“Student success drives everything we do at SUNY, and we are committed to meeting students and their families where they are to ensure they thrive," said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. “SUNY takes pride in scaling ASAP and ACE as proven models for student success across our campuses and we look forward to continuing to invest in the next generation of SUNY graduates at Herkimer College and across the system.”

For more information: www.suny.edu/asap-ace/ or www.herkimer.edu/asap.