SUNY Geneseo's first group in a student-support program includes 150 students across 31 majors, with more than 90% of them the first in their families to attend college. The Advancing Completion through Engagement program, known as ACE, combines advising, financial help and career preparation to help students stay on track to graduate.
Students described their experiences at a recent luncheon in Milne Library with state Assemblymember Andrea Bailey, the Geneseo College Council and campus and SUNY leaders, according to SUNY Geneseo's account of the gathering. The college did not identify the students or provide details of their individual remarks.
Help with costs and coursework
ACE is intended to address financial and academic problems that can interrupt progress toward a degree. At Geneseo, the program offers assistance with textbooks, groceries, transportation and other attendance costs, along with academic support, personalized advising and career-development activities.
The college described the cohort as its first but did not give a per-student assistance amount or detailed eligibility rules in its announcement. It said the combination of services is designed to give students a consistent contact on campus as they work toward graduation.
Cori Quinn, Geneseo's acting ACE program director, and Casey O'Brien, SUNY's associate vice chancellor for student success and transformational initiatives, gave council members an overview of the program. Council members also spoke with participating students about their college experiences and goals, the college said.
Bailey said the state investment is meant to provide practical support, including help with everyday expenses and individualized advising. SUNY Geneseo President Melinda Treadwell said the college must support students from their arrival through graduation and listen to the inaugural cohort as the program develops.
Statewide expansion
SUNY began its Advancing Success in Associate Pathways program, or ASAP, and ACE in 2024. ASAP serves students pursuing associate degrees, while ACE serves students pursuing bachelor's degrees. Both coordinate academic and financial support.
An additional $8 million in the state's 2026-27 budget brings annual state investment in the two programs to $20 million across 44 SUNY campuses, according to the college. That is a statewide total, not an award solely to Geneseo.
SUNY Chancellor John King Jr. has said the system expects the programs to serve 10,000 students statewide. The college also cited early SUNY results showing participants attempted and earned more credits and returned for subsequent semesters at higher rates than comparable students outside the programs; its announcement did not provide the underlying figures or a Geneseo-specific outcome measure.
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