SUNY Investment Fund Allocation Supports UAlbany Advantage Program 

Chancellor Zimpher funds program to improve student enrollment and retention 

UAlbany Advantage combines data analytics and personalized support systems so that faculty and staff possess the advanced advising tools needed to conduct early outreach for students. (Photo by Mark Schmidt)

ALBANY, N.Y. (January 12, 2016) –During her annual State of the University address, State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher announced the University at Albany will receive $1.5 million in funding from the university system’s Investment and Performance Fund. The funding will support UAlbany Advantage, a powerful coupling of resources in Academic Affairs and in Student Affairs as part of its overall enrollment and retention strategy.

UAlbany Advantage combines cutting-edge data analytics and personalized support systems so that faculty and staff possess the advanced advising tools needed to conduct early outreach and intervention for students in academic distress before they reach a tipping point. It is designed to empower students to reach new levels of success by linking them with advisors who can provide the support needed to stay on track academically.

The University introduced the campus community to UAlbany Advantage on November 12 at a program kick-off session. It plans to fully launch the program in fall 2016.

As part of the overall $18 million awarded to SUNY campuses throughout New York, UAlbany will also collaborate with the system’s three other university centers, the University at Buffalo, Binghamton University and Stony Brook University, to build common student learning outcomes and assessments to increase completion in high demand/high impact gateway undergraduate courses. The project will be awarded $1 million from the Investment and Performance Fund.

"We strongly endorse Chancellor Zimpher's call to Stand with SUNY, and the University stands firmly in support of the SUNY Investment Fund," said UAlbany President Robert J. Jones. "The awards announced will greatly enhance UAlbany's student success and completion programs, and help us become an even stronger engine of opportunity for thousands of students from across New York State."

To maximize the State’s $18 million investment and extend the Fund to its community colleges, SUNY pooled existing resources – from the NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant Program, the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Open SUNY, and the Empire Innovation Program – to create a $100 million Expanded Investment and Performance Fund. In response to a Request for Proposals for the $100 million, SUNY received 211 proposals from campuses totaling more than $460 million. Awards from the remaining resources will be announced in the coming months.

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