C-GCC Awarded $50K State Grant to Support Adult Learners

By Liz Montgomery, Porcupine Soup

HUDSON―Columbia-Greene Community College has been awarded a $50,000 state grant to support adult learners.

A total of $1.1 million in grants was announced Monday for 22 community colleges across New York for implementation of action plans designed to help more adult learners access transformational educational opportunities that lead to upward mobility.

Governor Kathy Hochul has already proposed offering free community college tuition, fees, books, and supplies for adults ages 25 to 55 who pursue degrees in fields like health care, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, and green jobs.

“SUNY's community colleges are engines of upward mobility, and Governor Hochul’s proposal for a free community college degree in high-demand fields will help connect more working-age New Yorkers to economic opportunity,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr.

More than one in four SUNY community college students are age 25 or older, with nearly two-thirds of them attending college part-time, according to the governor's office. An estimated 1.5 million working-age New Yorkers have completed some college but have not yet obtained a degree.

“Our campuses are ready to step up to help more adult learners earn a community college associate degree and advance in their careers,” added King.

Columbia-Greene Community College’s grant will specifically go toward marketing and recruitment targeted to specific adult learner populations; expanded use of credit for prior learning; availability of academic offerings and non-academic support in-person on weekends/evenings; and creating a sense of belonging for adult learners, according to the governor’s office.

Community college campuses will utilize the grants to build out their strategies to support adult learners through July before beginning implementation no later than the fall 2025 semester.