16 Colleges Unite to Lead a Bold, New Conversation About Higher Education

A coalition of leading colleges and universities across the Capital Region has formally joined together to launch the Capital Region Higher Ed Alliance, a collaborative effort designed to increase degree attainment, strengthen the regional workforce and reinforce the lasting impact of postsecondary education.

The Alliance, announced during a press event March 18 at Albany High School, brings together 16 public and private institutions, representing community colleges, four-year colleges, research universities, professional and law schools, online and in-person models, and rural and urban institutions with a mission: to increase higher education attainment across the Capital Region, elevate completion rates, and shape a confident, student-centered conversation about the value of earning a credential or degree.

Together, Alliance members offer a full continuum of opportunity, ensuring that no matter where someone is in life, the right next step is here in the Capital Region.

Grounded in the belief that College Is a Brave Choice, the Alliance affirms that choosing higher education reflects long-term thinking and belief in one’s future. Its institutions commit to matching that courage with the support, opportunity and measurable outcomes worthy of students’ ambition.

“Higher education remains one of the most reliable pathways to opportunity in the Capital Region,” said Dr. Matthew Shaftel, president of Russell Sage College and co-chair of the Alliance. “College is a brave choice. But it is not always an easy choice. Students commit time, effort and resources toward growth and opportunity, often before the return is realized. As institutions, we have a responsibility to meet that courage with transparency, accountability and meaningful outcomes. This Alliance ensures that we are backing up that conversation with results and doing that work together.”

The economic and social evidence is clear in our own region. In the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metro Area, average annual earnings rise from approximately $42,000 for someone with only a high school diploma to about $52,000 with an associate degree. Associate degrees function both as career-ready credentials and as transfer pathways to bachelor’s programs, where average earnings rise to about $78,000, and to roughly $86,500 with a graduate or professional degree.

Unemployment rates also drop significantly with higher attainment. Adults with a high school diploma are nearly twice as likely to be unemployed as those with a bachelor’s degree, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An associate degree reduces the likelihood of unemployment by more than 25% compared with a high school diploma, reinforcing its value both as a workforce credential and pathway to further education.

Higher education’s impact extends beyond wages. National research links educational attainment to improved health outcomes, including an average increase in life expectancy of nearly 11 years compared to those without a high school diploma, and nearly seven years compared to high school graduates without any college experience.

Yet the Capital Region faces an attainment gap. Roughly four in 10 adults over 25 years old in the 11-county Greater Capital Region hold a post-high school credential or degree, compared to more than half in peer metro regions, such as Boston and Washington, D.C., according to the nonprofit Lumina Foundation.

Closing that attainment gap is essential to long-term economic vitality and regional competitiveness. Community colleges play a central role in that ecosystem, offering career-ready credentials and serving as the primary entry point and transfer pathway for many students who begin locally and continue their education across the region’s four-year and graduate institutions.

New York also faces its own gap. The Lumina Foundation reports that only 45.7% of New York State’s labor force holds a college degree or credential of value, while their goal is to maintain U.S. global competitiveness by increasing postsecondary attainment to 75% nationwide by 2040.

The Alliance aims to increase attainment by amplifying the value of higher education and highlighting the region’s unique strengths: an impressive array of colleges and universities offering a wide range of programs and pathways, including vocational training, certificates, and micro-certificates; strong transfer opportunities and financial aid access; and a regional economy that continues to add jobs across professional and business services, education and health services, and government, according to the New York State Department of Labor.

The Capital Region also serves as a national hub for semiconductor research and nanotechnology, anchored by NY CREATES’ Albany NanoTech Complex.

“The Capital Region is home to world-class programs in everything from law and health sciences to technology, agriculture, the arts, and cybersecurity; every type of institution you’d find anywhere in the country exists right here,” said Dr. Marion Terenzio, president of SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech and co-chair of the Alliance. “A college education goes beyond preparing you for your career, it teaches you how to think critically, adapt to changes in your career path, and lead when no one else can. This Alliance exists to make sure every family in this region knows that door is open and that someone is ready to help them walk through it.”

The Capital Region Higher Ed Alliance will work collectively to elevate the value of higher education among students, families, employers, policymakers, and the broader community. Through shared messaging, coordinated advocacy and regional partnership, the Alliance seeks to strengthen workforce pipelines, expand opportunity and reinforce that attainment is essential to the region’s future.

“When school districts, higher education institutions, and business leaders align, we create something powerful: a visible and attainable pathway from classroom to career,” said City School District of Albany Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter. “That is what this campaign represents. It is a regional commitment to tell students the truth about opportunity. To remind them that pursuing knowledge, pursuing education and pursuing college — even in moments of uncertainty — is an act of courage. And when our region stands together, we send students an even more powerful message: That the future being built in the Capital Region is not just happening around them. It is waiting for them.”

The business community has echoed those thoughts, particularly with the aim of retaining workforce talent in the region.

“The Capital Region’s colleges and universities are among our greatest assets for building a strong workforce and a competitive regional economy,” said Mark Eagan, president and CEO of the Capital Region Chamber and the Center for Economic Growth. “By working together through the Capital Region Higher Ed Alliance, these institutions are helping ensure more residents can earn degrees and access the opportunities that keep talent and economic growth strong in our region.”

The Capital Region Higher Ed Alliance includes 16 institutions of higher education and the Capital Region Chamber:

For more information about the Capital Region Higher Ed Alliance, visit capitalregionhighered.org.

About the Capital Region Higher Ed Alliance

The Capital Region Higher Ed Alliance is a coalition of public and private colleges and universities committed to increasing degree attainment, strengthening the regional workforce, and reshaping the public conversation around higher education. Representing 16 institutions across New York’s Capital Region and workforce partners, the Alliance works collaboratively to expand access, support student success and reinforce the long-term value of earning a college credential. Through shared messaging, partnership and data-informed advocacy, the Alliance seeks to ensure that students, families, employers and communities recognize higher education as a powerful driver of economic mobility and regional prosperity. Visit capitalregionhighered.org.