Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the inaugural class of Empire State Service Corps members, with 515 students selected from State University of New York campuses across the state to participate in paid public service opportunities. During its first application cycle, nearly 2,000 SUNY students applied to the program, which offers assignments in high-need areas such as K-12 tutoring, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and basic needs outreach, peer mental health, sustainability, hate and bias prevention, nonpartisan civic engagement, and completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
“Working in state government as a young man was a formative experience that catalyzed my interest in public service and serving the people of New York,” he said. Governor Hochul“By expanding our initiatives to engage more young people with the Empire State Service Corps, we are making a long-term commitment to their well-being and to the betterment of our state as a whole. I am proud to welcome the inaugural class of the Empire State Service Corps, which includes 515 students from New York State’s own SUNY schools. Congratulations and thank you for your public service.”
The SUNY Oneonta team, the largest Empire State Service Corps class with 48 student participants, met with Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado and SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. as the program kicks off this month. They were joined by New York State Service Director Matt Schaffer, SUNY Oneonta President Alberto Cardelle, student participants and campus coordinators.
“National and community service has the power to unite New Yorkers, address pressing social issues and improve the lives of those who participate in it,” he said. Vice Governor Delgado“Today we celebrate the launch of the Empire State Service Corps, which in its first year will create 500 new meaningful, paid service opportunities for SUNY students while addressing critical community needs. I am grateful for Governor Hochul’s leadership in establishing the new Office of Service and Civic Engagement, which will expand and enhance service opportunities across New York State, making service more accessible, inclusive, and widespread. The Empire State Service Corps is a wonderful first step toward expanding service opportunities and creating a stronger, more unified, and resilient state.”
Empire State Service Corps connects participating SUNY students with impactful public service opportunities for more than 300 paid public service hours over the course of a year. New York State’s Fiscal Year 2025 approved budget allocated $2.75 million to launch the program. Currently, more than 45 SUNY campuses have signed up to host Empire State Service Corps members.
Additionally, the Empire State Service Corps received $2.5 million as an AmeriCorps program from the New York State Commission on National and Community Service. These federal funds will support the administration of specific service projects, and at the end of the AmeriCorps service period, eligible students will receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, which can be used to repay qualified loans and to pay current educational expenses at eligible institutions of higher education and training programs.
SUNY Chancellor John King said, “Civics and service are integral to the mission of public higher education and the work of SUNY. SUNY is proud of the students selected for the Empire State’s first Service Corps, who will answer the call to serve and improve their communities. I am especially grateful to Governor Hochul, Lt. Governor Delgado, and the Legislature’s leadership in creating a service program that will expand opportunities for practical experiences while meeting the needs of New Yorkers across the state.”
SUNY Oneonta President Alberto Cardelle “Making a difference by serving others is at the heart of our mission at SUNY Oneonta. We appreciate the paid public service opportunities made possible through this effort, championed by the Governor’s Office and SUNY. I am proud that our students answered this call to serve Oneonta and the surrounding region with such enthusiasm.”
State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky “The Empire State Service Corps provides valuable hands-on experience for our SUNY students while also helping the people who benefit from their work. This program is another example of SUNY’s extensive and robust menu of educational opportunities for our students,” said Sue.
Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy said, “Through the Empire State Service Corps, New York students engage in meaningful public service opportunities that connect them to their communities and neighbors. Experiential learning opportunities like this help expand a student’s skill set and employability upon graduation, while also solidifying a commitment to serving the community and others through meaningful public service. I was proud to partner with Chancellor King and Governor Hochul to fund the Empire State Service Corps in this year’s final Budget, and congratulations to the inaugural class on their accomplishment!”
AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith SUNY has innovatively integrated national service into its operations by initiating the FAFSA Completion Corps and offering benefits to AmeriCorps alumni through the Schools of National Service Initiative. The Empire State Service Corps initiative continues this work by allowing hundreds of students to serve their communities as AmeriCorps members, where they gain valuable professional and personal skills while earning educational funding. AmeriCorps looks forward to learning from SUNY’s efforts and hopes that other higher education systems will follow in its footsteps.”
Bobbie Laur, president of Campus Compactsaid, “The Empire State Service Corps showcases the transformative potential of civic engagement in higher education. The hundreds of SUNY students who will participate in this program will gain valuable skills and practical experiences and will be instilled with a lasting commitment to civic engagement. As they make a positive difference in the lives of New Yorkers and their communities, this groundbreaking initiative inspires us all to explore new and impactful ways to serve.”
Linda Cohen, Executive Director of the New York State Commission on National and Community Service, “The Commission is excited to partner with SUNY and the Office of Service and Civic Engagement on this bold new AmeriCorps initiative. A network of hundreds of SUNY students across the state will provide services and support to New Yorkers and their communities on a scale that will surpass our previous efforts. The Empire State Service Corps is a fitting successor to the thousands of New Yorkers who have served in AmeriCorps over the past thirty years and an inspiring beginning to the next thirty and beyond,” said AmeriCorps CEO and CEO, SUNY.
Partners for Campus-Community Engagement Executive Director Dr. David Harker, said, “Partners for Campus-Community Engagement (PCCE) applauds this commitment by the SUNY system and the Lieutenant Governor’s Office to deepen high-quality community engagement across our state. The Service Corps program recognizes the importance of financially supporting engaged students, ensuring equitable access to mutually beneficial experiential education opportunities. These Corps members will have a tremendous impact on their communities, while developing crucial skills and experiences that will greatly benefit them. This is another major step forward in New York State and SUNY’s commitment to higher education as a public good.”
Carol Geary Schneider, senior advisor to the Multistate Collaborative for College Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement, She added: “Education has always had a public good mission, but today New York is reinvigorating that mission to make community engagement and service central. At the Multi-State Collaborative for College Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement, we are thrilled to see that New York is breaking new ground in preparing students to act with others to improve the quality of life for all.”
El autor de Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens, Richard Haass, He said, “Public service can foster community, develop skills, address real needs, and build bridges between citizens and their government. All of which is to say that I am pleased to see my own State of New York and the State University of New York teaming up to launch the Empire State Service Corps. Public service programs of this kind transcend politics and deserve broad support.”
The Empire State Service Corps was launched as part of Governor Hochul and Chancellor King’s commitment to increasing service opportunities for students across the state. In addition to the Empire State Service Corps, the university system has launched additional programs for civic education, civic discourse, and civic awareness across all campuses. This spring, Chancellor King announced that 10 faculty members would become the first-ever Civic Education and Engagement and Civic Discourse Fellows. The fellowship aims to promote civic discourse among students, faculty, and staff across all SUNY campuses. More information about the program and SUNY’s work to expand civic engagement opportunities is available here. here.
In addition to the 500 state-funded Empire State Service Corps members, the philanthropic group Ibis Group is supporting 15 additional Corps members to serve in civic engagement and nonpartisan voter outreach roles.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, 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 of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Systemwide, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the nation’s oldest maritime school, the state’s only school of optometry, and operates a U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves approximately 1.4 million students across its portfolio of credit-bearing and noncredit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly one-quarter of the academic research in New York. Systemwide research expenditures total nearly $1.1 billion in Fiscal Year 2022, 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 alumnus. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit www.suny.edu.
