higher education

The State University of New York (SUNY) Reconnect program supports free tuition for adults ages 25-55 who want to pursue an associate’s degree and do not already have a degree. Five thousand six hundred students are currently enrolled in the program across the state.

Some Ithaca residents say they worry about another potential spike in the county's COVID-19 positivity rate. So far, that increase hasn’t materialized.

The western university group also got a brand name this month: Pennsylvania Western University, or Penn West.

Only some of the region's private colleges have implemented vaccine requirements for both employees and students.

The system’s Board of Governors voted to proceed with those mergers in a unanimous vote last week, and plan to launch the new “integrated” western and northeast university systems next July.

“We know that significant change must occur if we are going to ensure that accessible, affordable public higher education remains available and attractive to students."

The expansion will increase enrollment in FLCC’s registered nursing program by 60% and it will also allow that college to add a licensed practical nursing program.

After June 28, only unvaccinated people will need to wear masks on Penn State’s campus.

Some community college leaders say despite New York's free tuition program, there are improvements that a federal version could make possible.

"It’s the communities and the connectedness that we have within those communities. It’s the jobs that we have access to. It's the type of income we have."