SUNY Potsdam Announces Significant Expansion of Highly Successful Student Retention, Graduation Support Program: ACE

SUNY Potsdam to Empower Students with Financial, Academic & Personal Support to Boost Graduation Rates, Close Opportunity Gaps

Potsdam, NY (09/30/2025) — SUNY Potsdam leaders announced the expansion of the campus's Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) initiative in an event held yesterday along with State Assemblymember Scott Gray. This expansion will mean that 250 students at Potsdam will receive important resources to help them gain and maintain academic momentum so they can graduate on time.

"At SUNY Potsdam, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background or circumstances. The expansion of our ACE program reflects our deep commitment to student success -- not just in the classroom, but in life. By providing holistic support that addresses financial, academic and personal needs, we're helping students stay on track, graduate on time, and build a future with less debt and more opportunity," said SUNY Potsdam President Suzanne R. Smith.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, "SUNY is committed to the success of every student, and our expansion of the proven ASAP and ACE programs across our system ensures our students are on track to complete their degree on time and pursue their aspirations. I applaud Governor Hochul and state leaders for their continued support of SUNY, and I thank the SUNY Potsdam administration, faculty and staff for their unwavering commitment to student success."

The Advancing Success in Associate Pathways (ASAP) program supports students pursuing associate degrees, while Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) supports baccalaureate students. 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. See here for more information: www.suny.edu/asap-ace.

In the 2025-26 State Budget, Governor Hochul and state leaders allocated $12 million for SUNY to expand this initiative, which will help SUNY Potsdam 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.

Assemblymember Scott Gray said, "As a strong advocate for higher education, I am thrilled by the continued success of SUNY Potsdam's ACE program, which is providing crucial support and resources for our students. I commend the leadership of Chancellor King and President Smith for investing in these initiatives, recognizing they are an investment in both our students' future success and our communities' future."

SUNY Potsdam launched its ACE program in Spring 2024, and this year will provide 250 students with a supportive safety net that has proven highly impactful.

"ACE is about connection -- and connection is what drives student success. From the moment students join the program, they're supported by a network that sees them, hears them, and walks with them every step of the way. When students know someone is in their corner, they're more likely to persist, succeed and graduate," said SUNY Potsdam ACE Director Sean Partridge.

Individualized supports delivered through ACE are critical for students like Manny Coleman '26 of Fayetteville, N.Y., who said the program has helped him juggle his music education studies at The Crane School of Music with his activities organizing the student music theatre showcase and serving as president of the Potsdam Pointercounts a cappella group.

"I can't say enough about how this helps me. It has allowed me to be more organized and to do more of the things that I love. It is really just awesome to have the amount of support from these other people, and not just academically, but socially as well," Coleman said. "ACE is preparing us for the professional world, building the foundation. We had workshops on writing an email and public speaking, or my personal favorite, resume writing For me, along with everything else, it is also giving me networking. When we get into the professional world in our respective fields, I want to know as many people as I can, not only in my field, but outside of it, because you never know how you can collaborate."

Nalani Lopez '28, an earth science secondary education major from Haverstraw, N.Y., shared that she "would have been completely lost" coming to college as a first generation student without the support ACE provides.

"Just knowing that I have such a good support system when I come up here is very welcoming. It's very warm. Taking this jump from high school to a college that's about six hours away, it's really scary, especially for people who are just transitioning into adulthood," Lopez said. "I believe that opportunity and support is one of the most important things at this stage in everyone's life."

"Those of us in ACE are all eligible for Pell and TAP. I truly believe that ACE kind of adds the value to that, to make sure that students who are taking that grant and loan money can utilize it to its fullest aspect," said Sean Henley '26 of Palmyra, N.Y., who is completing the 3+2 degree program in chemistry and engineering in partnership with Clarkson University.

Jacob LaSalle '28, a secondary social studies education major who commutes to campus from North Bangor, N.Y., shared that the life skills he learned in ACE have already made a huge difference -- on everything from effective notetaking, to how to tie a tie.

"In high school, I had a lot of teachers who went to SUNY Potsdam, so when I realized I wanted to be a teacher, they told me about a lot of great people here, and I felt like that definitely checked out," LaSalle said. "I really appreciate ACE, because I can go in their office at any time and talk about anything."

To learn more about ACE at SUNY Potsdam, visit www.potsdam.edu/ace or contact ACE Director Sean Partridge at ace@potsdam.edu or (315) 267-2520.

About The State University of New York:

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY's 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country's oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit www.suny.edu.

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