John King Jr., the 15th chancellor of the State University of New York system, visited SUNY Plattsburgh as part of his 64-campus whistle-stop tour, highlighting the importance of increasing enrollment and outreach efforts regarding SUNY opportunities. King discussed initiatives to open admissions to other SUNY campuses and emphasized the need to reach out to students who didn’t get into their preferred school. King’s visit to SUNY Plattsburgh was part of his tour to visit all 64 SUNY campuses, with the aim of spreading the message that SUNY is the best higher education system in the country. King has had a long and successful career in education, starting as a high school social studies teacher and middle school principal, and later serving as New York’s first African American and Puerto Rican education commissioner and the U.S. Secretary of Education under the Obama administration.
SUNY Plattsburgh Part of New Chancellor’s Tour
John King Jr., the 15th chancellor of the State University of New York system, visited SUNY Plattsburgh on March 24 as part of his 64-campus whistle-stop tour. During his half-day visit, he met with several campus and community members from different constituencies, discussing increasing enrollment and outreach regarding SUNY opportunities.
Meeting with Campus Members
King started his day meeting members of the Plattsburgh College Council, students, and staff at the Center for Cybersecurity and Technology in Au Sable Hall. He also visited the newly refurbished Damianos Nursing Skills Lab in Hawkins Hall, emphasizing the importance of ensuring every high school senior knows they have a place within the SUNY system.
At the Center for Earth and Environmental Science, King met with faculty and students, where they shared their experiences, with several students saying they ended up at Plattsburgh generally and CEES specifically after going through community college.
Insight from Faculty and Staff Leadership
King also had the opportunity to visit with Educational Opportunity Program students, tour the Student Health and Counseling Center, and meet with members of the faculty and staff leadership. In the Kyla Relaford Room in Macomb Hall, faculty and staff shared their insights and concerns, including adequate funding and resources, the deactivation of Online SUNY, and the struggles felt by humanities programs.
King shared his own experience as a former U.S. Secretary of Education in the Obama administration, saying that “school saved me” and “teachers in the New York City public school system saved me.”
Affordability of SUNY Plattsburgh
Several SUNY Plattsburgh students shared their experiences with affordability. Environmental science major Devin DeSantis said he initially “hated” the community college route before finding his passion in environmental science after coming to SUNY Plattsburgh. Parker LeClair, a native of Elizabethtown, N.Y., said he crisscrossed the country before enrolling in environmental science at SUNY Plattsburgh, calling it the “best thing” to have happened to him.
Overall, King’s visit to SUNY Plattsburgh highlights the importance of increasing enrollment and outreach efforts regarding SUNY opportunities, particularly for high school seniors.
John King Jr.’s Life and Career as an Educator
John King Jr., the 15th chancellor of the State University of New York system, has had a long and successful career in education. His parents passed away when he was young, but teachers at P.S. 276 and Mark Twain Junior High School gave him hope for the future, inspiring him to become an educator who could make a similar impact on students’ lives.
King’s Career in Education
King’s career in education began as a high school social studies teacher and middle school principal. He later served as New York’s first African American and Puerto Rican education commissioner, overseeing all levels of education across the state. He also served as the U.S. Secretary of Education under the Obama administration.
Before becoming chancellor, King served as the president of The Education Trust, a national nonprofit that seeks to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps for students from preschool through college.
King’s Visit to SUNY Plattsburgh
During his visit to SUNY Plattsburgh, King discussed the importance of increasing enrollment and outreach efforts regarding SUNY opportunities. One initiative he discussed was opening admissions to other SUNY campuses if a student didn’t get into a specific school, such as the University of Buffalo or Stony Brook. King emphasized the importance of reaching out to these students and letting them know there is a place for them within the SUNY system.
King’s visit to SUNY Plattsburgh was part of his 64-campus whistle-stop tour. He aims to visit all 64 campuses by May 1st, believing that SUNY is the best higher education system in the country and seeking to spread that message.
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