What's happening
This bill establishes lifelong learning centers at SUNY schools to help adults 40+ pursue education, civic engagement, and second career skills.
Why it matters
Addresses workforce and social engagement for older adults. By focusing on people age 40 and up, the bill targets a group often navigating career changes, unemployment, or retirement, providing them with structured opportunities to reskill, stay active, and contribute to their communities.
Encourages SUNY and local partnerships. The centers must foster collaborations with local businesses, nonprofits, and government to identify workforce shortages and civic needs that older adults can fill, potentially making campuses hubs for regional economic and social revitalization.
Prioritizes underserved populations. There is a specific emphasis on reaching adults in rural and urban areas who have traditionally had less access to continuing education and workforce development, aiming to reduce regional disparities in lifelong learning opportunities.
Requires measurable outcomes and accountability. Institutions must track and report the effectiveness of their programs in linking adults to work and civic opportunities, ensuring that state resources are used to produce tangible benefits for both participants and the broader community.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Expand Adult Learning Centers
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to aging
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Lifelong Learning for Adults
In Senate Committee · Higher Education · Sponsor Kevin S. Parker
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
11208
IN ASSEMBLY
June 14, 2018
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Simon) -read once and referred to the Committee on Aging
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing life long learning centers in the state university of New York
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 355-d to read as follows:
§ 355-d. Life long learning centers. 1. There is hereby established in the state university, subject to the jurisdiction of its board of trustees, life long learning centers to be operated at community colleges and the colleges and universities of the state university to serve mid life adults forty years of age or older who are seeking to explore life options, remain civically engaged, continue their education and acquire skills for or begin to plan for a second career, including entrepreneurial instruction.
2. The board of trustees of the state university shall select the location of such centers on campuses of colleges and universities with a commitment to reinvent their credit and non-credit learning programs to target the emerging needs and demands and interests of adults age forty and older who are interested in exploring life options, civic engagement and continued learning.
3. The purpose of life long learning centers is to encourage the offering of mid life adult programs that assist eligible students in acquiring the skills and abilities necessary to plan for and carry out new careers for their next stage of life, and help universities meet the demands of this group. The following shall be the priority activities of such centers:
a. retooling career counseling and work force re-entry service that are offered on campus to attract older adults who are interested in public service careers;
b. facilitate partnerships on and off campus with interested parties;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03505-01-7
A. 11208 2
c. expanding connections with local businesses and employers to identify work force shortages that could be filled by re-trained older workers;
d. collaborate and offer trainings for not-for-profit organizations and employers to work with older adults and volunteers; and
e. working with individuals residing in rural and urban areas that are traditionally underserved.
4. The board of trustees of the state university shall, within appropriations made therefor, award grants to establish life long learning centers. Grant applications submitted by institutions of higher education shall outline plans of instruction and curriculum-related activities and services to advance the purpose of assisting mid life adults interested in exploring life options, civic engagement and continued learning. Such plans may provide for contracting by the eligible applicant with specified not-for-profit community based educational organizations for the provision of instruction, activities and services outlined in the plan. Such plans shall include quantifiable measures to assess the effectiveness of the instruction activities and services in promoting the purposes of the program. Such measures shall include, but not be limited to:
a. the rate of success of linking eligible students with work experiences that serve community needs;
b. success at adapting colleges and universities work force re-entry services, career counseling and skill development opportunities that enable older adults to have meaningful civic engagement and work force opportunities;
c. rate of establishments of external links with community, business, government and other educational institutions that may encourage entrepreneurial approaches and partnerships that may help further the goals of this program; and
d. ability of the program plan to assist in the development of initiatives designed to address the unique needs of older individuals residing in rural and urban communities that are traditionally underserved.
The board of trustees shall make grant awards based upon a review of submitted applications making selections from submitted applications that would best meet the goals and objectives of this section. Such approved plans may be amended with the approval of the board of trustees of the state university.
5. The board of trustees of the state university shall submit a report annually to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the director of the state office for the aging and the commissioner of health.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.