Officials from Nassau Community College are excited about the potential increase in enrollment due to a newly proposed state education intiative.
The county’s only two-year college provides education to over 17,000 people. That number may expand under Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan for free community college for individuals in high-demand fields.
Nassau Community has an IT program, a cybersecurity program and a nursing program that would all likely fall under the state’s proposal.
The school’s Vice President for Community and Governmental Relations, Jerry Kornbluth, says that if Hochul’s proposal is passed, enrollment is likely to increase, and it could benefit everyone.
“We’re going to be able to target a different population of 25 to 55,” Kornbluth said. “There are people that are in jobs that may be at a dead end, and this will give them an opportunity to get into a high-demand career. I think it would really be a win-win, not just for Nassau, but for the residents of Nassau County.”
Hochul’s office sent out a press release following her Tuesday, Jan. 14 State of the State address, which proposed making community college free for students ages 25-55 who are studying for an associate degree in high-demand jobs.
“Associate degrees facilitate entry into the workforce, increasing both likelihood of having a job and earnings,” the governor’s office said.
The state will cover the costs of tuition, books and fees for participants in the proposed program and will also increase funding for career support infrastructure to connect students with job opportunities, according to the governor’s office. The program is based on the framework of Massachusetts’ MassEducate and MassReconnect programs, as well as the SUNY and CUNY Excelsior Scholarship Program.
Kornbluth said the restrictions on the proposed policy have yet to be released. He mentioned that when the Excelsior Scholarship was put into effect in 2018, it too had several restrictions that schools had to work around.
There is no current timeline for the program.
