Senate Bill S9595

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9595
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 26, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COONEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to designating the  state
   university  of New York college at Geneseo as New York's public honors
   college
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Legislative findings and declaration. The legislature here-
 by  finds  and declares that the state university college at Geneseo has
 earned national distinction as a premier public  liberal  arts  institu-
 tion.    For decades, it has served an award-winning liberal arts educa-
 tion with proved outcomes of academic rigor and development of  critical
 thinking  and  leadership skills. The legislature further finds that the
 state's member of the Council  of  Public  Liberal  Arts  Colleges,  has
 formally  adopted a mission to be "New York's Public Honors College." It
 is therefore the intent of this act to codify this mission  in  statute,
 ensuring  that  the  college remains a dedicated center for high-ability
 students and maintains its commitment to academic rigor and  an  equity-
 centered honors experience.
   §  2. The education law is amended by adding new section 352-b to read
 as follows:
   § 352-B. NEW YORK'S PUBLIC HONORS COLLEGE. THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW
 YORK COLLEGE AT GENESEO SHALL BE DESIGNATED AND  KNOWN  AS  "NEW  YORK'S
 PUBLIC  HONORS  COLLEGE."  THE  PRIMARY  MISSION  OF  SUCH PUBLIC HONORS
 COLLEGE SHALL BE TO PROVIDE  A  DISTINCTIVE  AND  ACADEMICALLY  RIGOROUS
 PUBLIC  LIBERAL  ARTS  HONORS  EDUCATION.  AS  NEW  YORK'S PUBLIC HONORS
 COLLEGE, THE INSTITUTION SHALL PRIORITIZE PRACTICES THAT ADVANCE  EXCEL-
 LENCE, SUCCESS, AND ACCESS.
   §  3. Subdivision 3 of section 352 of the education law, as amended by
 chapter 13 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
   3. The state university shall consist of the four  university  centers
 at  Albany,  Binghamton,  Buffalo  and  Stony  Brook, THE DESIGNATED NEW
 YORK'S PUBLIC HONORS COLLEGE AT GENESEO, the designated colleges of arts
 and sciences at Brockport, Buffalo,  Cortland,  Fredonia,  Geneseo,  New
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD15152-01-6
 S. 9595                             2
 
 Paltz, Old Westbury, Oneonta, Oswego, Plattsburgh, Potsdam and Purchase,
 empire state college, the agricultural and technical colleges at Alfred,
 Canton,   Cobleskill,  Delhi,  Farmingdale  and  Morrisville,  downstate
 medical  center,  upstate  medical center, the college of optometry, the
 college of environmental science and  forestry,  maritime  college,  the
 college  of technology at Utica/Rome, the statutory or contract colleges
 at Cornell university and Alfred university, and such additional univer-
 sities, colleges and other institutions, facilities and research centers
 as have been or hereafter may  be  acquired,  established,  operated  or
 contracted  to  be  operated for the state by the state university trus-
 tees.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.