SUNY Empire President highlights university’s bright future in State of the University

(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — AUGUST 28, 2024) Empire State University held its annual State of the University Town Hall on Aug. 26, 2024. President Lisa Vollendorf detailed the university’s progress with the Elevate ’28 strategic plan and how the university is continuing to improve its enrollment, retention, program offerings, and increase awareness of these efforts on public platforms.

“Students are our north star. Nothing is more important to us than serving our students well and finding ways to always be better,” Empire State University President Lisa Vollendorf said. “Elevate ’28 creates the opportunity for us to have intentional, meaningful growth. It will help us grow with integrity and it pulls on some ambitious and important goals for Empire State University in the coming years.”

Enrollment at Empire State University is increasing each academic year. President Vollendorf noted an 8 percent total increase in enrollment from 2021-2022 with 15,263 students to 2023-2024 with 16,454 students. Retention rates at the university are improving, now at 79 percent. President Vollendorf said the university will continue to increase retention efforts and boost student support as we move toward achieving the goals laid out in Elevate ’28.

Empire State University offered 2,485 degrees in the 2023-24 academic year, including 1,639 bachelor’s degrees and 407 master’s degrees. The university launched six new programs in the 2023-24 academic year to address market demand, including digital media arts, cybersecurity, public health, and advanced certificates in teaching English to speakers of other languages.

As part of the Elevate ’28 strategic plan and the university’s commitment to student success, Empire State University created the Presidential Scholars and Military and Veteran Opportunity Programs. Vollendorf said over 1,000 students are enrolled in the university’s opportunity programs. Partnership-driven undergraduate enrollment increased by 30 percent and graduate enrollment increased by 11 percent. The university also launched first-term advisors to increase retention and assigned student success coordinators to all undergraduate students.

Additionally, Empire State University is working to continuously hire new faculty and staff to support the growing student population and expand program offerings. These efforts were made possible with support from alumni, faculty, staff, and students during the university’s Day of Giving on March 21, 2024. The university raised $121,586 with student support being a driving force for donations.

The full 2024 strategic plan report can be found on sunyempire.edu. Watch the full Town Hall recording here.