Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences joined a coalition of leading colleges and universities across the Capital Region 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 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 under a shared 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 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 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 metro area, average annual earnings rise from approximately $31,400 for someone with only a high school diploma to about $53,000 with a bachelor’s degree, and more than double to around $67,000 with a graduate degree.
Unemployment rates also drop significantly with higher attainment. Adults with only 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.
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 7 years compared to high school graduates without any college experience.
Yet the Greater Capital Region faces an attainment gap. Just four in 10 adults over 25 years old hold an associate degree or higher, compared to more than half in peer metro regions such as Boston and Washington, D.C. Closing that gap is essential to long-term economic vitality and regional competitiveness.
New York also faces its own gap. The nonprofit 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 US 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 already has the institutions, talent and infrastructure in place,” said Dr. Marion Terenzio, President of SUNY Cobleskill and Vice Chair of the Alliance. “From workforce certificates and community college pathways to bachelor’s degrees, law degrees and advanced health sciences programs, students have access to a full range of options here. When they choose college, they are choosing opportunity. The Capital Region is already built for those who blaze their own way.”
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.
In addition to ACPHS, institutions in the Capital Region Higher Ed Alliance include:
- Albany Law School
- Columbia-Greene Community College
- Excelsior University
- Hudson Valley Community College
- Maria College
- Russell Sage College
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Siena College
- Skidmore College
- SUNY Adirondack
- SUNY Cobleskill
- SUNY Empire State University
- SUNY Schenectady County Community College
- Union College
- University at Albany
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