SUNY Chancellor John B. King is embarking on a tour to drum up enthusiasm for SUNY Reconnect, the official name for Gov. Kathy Hochul’s free community college push advanced as part of this year’s state budget.

One of the governor’s proposals that got a good deal of attention following her State of the State Address in January, her pitch to provide free community college to students ages 25-55 who are entering in-demand fields will become a reality this upcoming fall semester after surviving budget negotiations. 

King made a stop at Schenectady County Community College Thursday to promote the program which will provide free tuition, fees, books, and supplies for these individuals. The "in-demand fields" include nursing, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity and IT, technology and renewable energy.

While the Schenectady campus offers multiple eligible programs, King’s tour focused on the Enhanced Air Traffic Training Initiative, with a tour of the school’s AirTraffic Control Simulator Lab. One of only two community colleges that the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized to provide the same curriculum and training technology offered at the agency’s academy in Oklahoma City, King told Spectrum News 1 the program is a perfect example of a field where getting more positions filled will have a real life impact.

“The air traffic controller sector is desperate for folks and its a real hindrance to our economy if the aviation industry isn’t able to find the people they need, so to have programs here that can be a pathway,” he said.

King said regardless of the program, the objective of Reconnect is to benefit both the workforce and individual industries, as well as students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to attend.

“They’re barely able to make ends meet, and now they can come to our community college, get a nursing degree and leave making 70 or 80 grand a year. It’s transformative for them and their families,” he said.

In addition to the funding in the state budget, SUNY will contribute $4 million for implementation and $1 million for equipment and materials.