Next week, Kathy Hochul will make history as the first female governor of New York following Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation amid allegations of sexual harassment. Dr. Terri Watson, a professor of Educational Leadership at the City College of New York (CUNY) is excited to see what she might bring to the New York higher education scene.
“She is a friend of higher education,” said Watson. “She understands real world problems coming from a working-class background.”
Watson believes that Hochul’s experience as a working student and young parent has had a positive influence on her policymaking.
Back in 2012, Hochul introduced the Workforce-Read Educate America Act hoping to create partnerships between local businesses and local schools. She also voted in support of the state’s Excelsior Scholarship, also known as the “Free Tuition” program. 
New York Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul
The program was created under Gov. Cuomo back in 2017, and sought to provide middle-class families that make less than $125,000 a year the opportunity to attend any CUNY, State University of New York (SUNY), or two- and four-year colleges tuition free. Watson believes that programs like this will not only benefit students and families but also the local economy.
According to a report done by labor market data company Emsi, CUNY's City College added $1.9 billion to its local economy and supported over 16,000 jobs from 2017 to 2018. The study also found that for every dollar the state invested in students, taxpayers would eventually receive $3 in return during the students’ careers after graduation.
“The Excelsior program can show other states how to do this so we can be part of the change,” said Watson. “I think we can be a national model.”
