Aldebol asks about SUNY and CUNY Reconnect coordination

So SUNY Reconnect and CUNY Reconnect programs provide funding to cover the full cost of tuition, fees, books, and supplies for people age 25 to 55 seeking to obtain a degree.

Is getting an expansion in 2027.

It's getting an expansion in 2027.

The Reconnect programs will now be offered to individuals who enroll for a degree in a high-demand field who already held a prior degree in a different field.

Are you in communication with the state for what career fields will be deemed high demand?

And do those career fields correspond to the agencies that have persistent vacancy or attrition issues?

So we haven't had that level of conversation with CUNY, but we have engaged with them in the past to share information with our agency personnel officer community so that these opportunities are shared broadly with city agencies.

We do plan to reach out to extend that offer for them to come and just share information in general about the program.

Do you anticipate that current city employees will enroll in both Reconnect programs and the Mayor's Graduate Scholarship Program?

And have you considered staggering the timelines for applications to allow those who were not accepted into a Reconnect program to apply for the Mayor's Scholarship Program or vice versa?

Not sure if city employees are interested.

However, we will make an effort to ensure that that information is shared broadly.

And then we can also think about the timing around the scholarship programs and deal with that on a case-by-case basis.

But I think right now we want to focus on just amplifying the message across city government to ensure employees understand that this program is available to them.