College Announces Significant Expansion of Highly Successful Student Retention, Graduation Support Program: ASAP

SUNY Schenectady leaders announced the expansion of Advancing Success in Associate Pathways (ASAP) during a special celebration at the College on Sept. 30. This expansion will mean that 255 students at SUNY Schenectady will receive important resources to help students gain and maintain academic momentum so they can graduate on time.

ASAP creates opportunities, breaking down barriers, and ensuring that every student has the tools they need to succeed. The program provides students with comprehensive support services, including personalized academic advising, key financial resources, career development support, and a community of fellow learners—helping students stay on track and graduate on time.

Some of the 255 students in SUNY Schenectady’s Advancing Success in Associate Pathways (ASAP) program, the largest ASAP program at a SUNY community college. They are joined by (front row): Dr. Carlos M. Cotto Jr., Superintendent of the Schenectady City School District; Dr. Jennifer Bashant, University Director for ASAP/ACE, State University of New York; Kevin Dean, ASAP Executive Director, SUNY Schenectady; Honorable Gary Hughes, Chair of the Schenectady County Legislature and SUNY Schenectady Trustee; Honorable Angelo Santabarbara, New York State Assemblymember; Ryan Stamps, Criminal Justice A.S. Degree major and ASAP Participant; and Alexa Angel, Liberal Arts: Humanities and Social Sciences A.A. Degree major and ASAP Participant.

Eligible students have access to a wide array of resources and support to help them overcome barriers that can prevent them from obtaining a degree. This includes funding to cover textbooks, groceries, transportation, and other costs of attendance, as well as comprehensive personalized advisement, academic support, and career development activities.

Students with New York State Assemblymember Angelo Santabarbara

Dr. Jennifer Bashant, University Director for ASAP/ACE, State University of New York

SUNY Schenectady launched the College’s ASAP program in Spring 2024 and began with a cohort of 52 students. This semester, there are 255 students in the SUNY Schenectady ASAP program, making it the largest ASAP program among SUNY community colleges.

Individualized supports delivered through ASAP are critical for students like Monique Stamps, who is in SUNY Schenectady’s Criminal Justice A.S. Degree program.

She shared, “Being in ASAP provides a quiet confidence in me as a student because I know that if I am facing adversity or uncertainty, I have an office that I can go to with a dedicated team of people who I know are there to support me and have my back. ASAP staff have kept me accountable, motivated, and encouraged. They have helped me strategize my way through the tail end of a semester, find a class schedule that makes sense for my current and ever shifting circumstance, and the monthly funding I receive often means the difference between missing class to hustle up gas money for the week or showing up to class and bringing my undivided attention.”

Similarly, ASAP has impacted the life of first-generation college student Alexa Angel, who is pursuing her A.A. Degree in Liberal Arts: Humanities and Social Sciences.

Alexa said, “When I first started college, I was intimidated. College felt overwhelming. But that’s when ASAP Executive Director Kevin Dean stepped in. He sat with me, listened to my fears, and guided me toward resources I didn’t even know were available. I am so grateful to Kevin, to the entire ASAP team, and to SUNY Schenectady for believing in students like me. They don’t just change lives while we’re in school, they change the course of our futures. And I am living proof of that.”

 ASAP Advisor Lakota Levandowski, Executive Director Kevin Dean, and ASAP Advisor Maura Davis

In the 2025-26 State Budget, Governor Hochul and state leaders allocated $12 million for SUNY to expand this initiative, which will help SUNY Schenectady to support more students as they pursue a degree to help them unleash their full potential. The significant investment by Governor Hochul and state leaders will help grow ASAP|ACE enrollment statewide to an anticipated 7,000 students this year, on track to enrolling 10,000 students for Fall 2026.