Cuomo on Tuesday kicked off the Excelsior Scholarship Campaign touring SUNY and CUNY campuses to make college tuition-free for middle-class families across New York. At a rally at Buffalo State College with a crowd of over 600 students and local supporters, Western New York leaders, including Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, endorsed the Governor’s plan to make college possible for New York families making under $125,000 per year.

Approximately 80 percent, or 68,712 Western New York families, would qualify to attend SUNY or CUNY tuition-free under the Governor’s bold proposal.

As part of the new campaign, the Governor is also deploying Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and cabinet members to meet with students and faculty at SUNY and CUNY campuses statewide in support of the first-ever free tuition plan at both two- and four-year colleges.

The Governor also announced New York state will host the first-ever statewide coding competition for SUNY and CUNY students at all campuses, the “Making College Possible Coding Challenge.” The challenge will encourage students to use technology to share information about the Excelsior Scholarship.

Submitted Photo. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday kicked off the Excelsior Scholarship Campaign, touring SUNY and CUNY campuses to make college tuition-free for middle-class families. Cuomo held a rally at Buffalo State College with a crowd of over 600 students and local supporters.

“In New York, education was always the great equalizer, but today far too many young people have been deprived of the advanced degree they need to get ahead, compete in the global economy and secure the jobs of tomorrow,” Gov. Cuomo said.

“The Empire State is sending a message loud and clear that under the Excelsior Scholarship program, students’ dreams of higher education will be realized no matter how much money is in their pocket or the neighborhood they come from,” he added. “We are at a time of transformation — and New York will be the first in the nation to enact free tuition for middle-class families and move our economy forward. So to the Senate and Assembly I say, pass this plan and the rest of the country will follow.”

Along with Landis, Horvath and Rosas, other local leaders that have endorsed Cuomo’s plan include:

¯ Dunkirk Councilman Don Williams Jr.

¯ Jason Perdue, president, Citizens for a Better Chautauqua County

Submitted Photo. Students and supporters of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Excelsior Scholarship Campaign applaud Cuomo during a rally at Buffalo State College Tuesday.

¯ Jamestown Community College President Cory Duckworth

¯ City of Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi

¯ Cattaraugus County Legislator Susan Labuhn

¯ City of Jamestown Council President Greg Rabb

The Excelsior Scholarship program requires participating students to be enrolled at a SUNY or CUNY two- or four-year college full-time. The initiative will cover middle-class families and individuals making up to $125,000 through a supplemental aid program.

Dunkirk Mayor Willie Rosas

Currently 80 percent of New York households statewide make $125,000 or less with an estimated 940,000 households having college-aged children that would be eligible for the program.

The new initiative will be phased in over three years, beginning for New Yorkers making up to $100,000 annually in the fall of 2017, increasing to $110,000 in 2018 and reaching $125,000 in 2019.

Horvath said, “New York is home to some of the best public institutions of higher learning in the country, and Gov. Cuomo’s new Excelsior Scholarships Program will open their doors to all New Yorkers. The Governor’s proposal represents a major development in public education and sets a precedent that other states are bound to follow. I look forward to a day when universal higher education is as normal as public high school, and New Yorkers will be able to say, ‘we were the first.'”

Rosas said, “The Governor’s Excelsior Scholarship proposal marks a milestone victory for working- and middle-class families across New York, and especially in the city of Dunkirk. By providing strivers with access to the skills they need to succeed in the global economy, we are setting generations of New Yorkers up for success. I commend the Governor on this smart, forward-thinking plan which will make a college degree tuition-free for hundreds of thousands of students, and I urge the Legislature to swiftly enact this new measure.”

Landis said, “In today’s competitive business climate, education does not stop with a high school diploma. A college education is essential to gaining the experience needed to start a career and join the ranks of the middle class. This Governor’s Excelsior Scholarship will transform the way we see college, making it more affordable and more realistic for so many New Yorkers. Some of our brightest minds have been waiting for this day for a long time, and thanks to the Governor, they now have a chance to work toward a degree and succeed.”

Fredonia Mayor Athanasia Landis

Williams said, “Gov. Cuomo’s plan to cover tuition costs at state universities is a boon for all New Yorkers. College graduates are more likely to advance innovation, conduct groundbreaking research and start companies that create jobs. So when more students go to college, everyone benefits. I have no doubt that the Excelsior Scholarships Program will help advance economic growth and attract new businesses and more jobs to New York. Thanks to Gov. Cuomo’s leadership and foresight, New York is on the right track.”

SUNY Fredonia President Virginia Horvath