It is with great pride and gratitude that I share the SUNY Polytechnic Institute Annual Report for 2025–2026, a year of tremendous progress and possibility as we celebrated our 60th anniversary. At SUNY Poly, our students remain our North Star. Their success and career readiness inspire our work and unite us around a shared commitment to education, research, innovation, and service.  

This year, we welcomed the largest new undergraduate class in SUNY Poly history, with 800 first-year and transfer students, while our fall-to-fall retention rate increased from 69 percent to 81 percent. We expanded opportunities for student success and hands-on learning while earning national recognition for creating access and opportunity. 

Our academic and research enterprise also reached new heights. We launched new programs, strengthened industry partnerships, and secured a landmark $60.9 million Department of Defense contract, one of the largest awards in our history. Our 14 research centers continued advancing innovation and discovery in fields critical to our future. 

Our impact also extends well beyond campus. An economic impact study completed by Lightcast found that SUNY Poly contributed $356.8 million to the Mohawk Valley and Central New York regional economy and supported 2,901 jobs. Most importantly, the study demonstrated the lasting value of a SUNY Poly education, with students receiving an estimated $6.20 in higher future earnings for every dollar invested in their education. These findings underscore our commitment to student success while driving regional growth and opportunity. 

We also launched our Office of Workforce Development, strengthening connections among education, industry, and our communities while creating new pathways from the classroom to meaningful careers. Our alumni, donors, partners, and friends continued to invest in our mission, including through a record-breaking Day of Giving that raised nearly $317,000. 

As we celebrated six decades of SUNY Poly, we were reminded that the story of this university is, above all, a story about people. Our faculty and staff inspire our students through teaching, scholarship, mentorship, and service. Our students bring energy, curiosity, and purpose to everything they do. And our alumni carry the impact of a SUNY Poly education into communities and industries around the world. 

The pages that follow celebrate these people and their accomplishments while highlighting our continued progress on our strategic plan. Together, their stories demonstrate how far SUNY Poly has come and the tremendous possibilities that lie ahead. 

As we begin our next 60 years, we do so with gratitude for all who have shaped this remarkable institution and with an unwavering commitment to our students. Together, we will continue building upon our proud legacy and shaping a future defined by opportunity, discovery, innovation, and impact. 

Sincerely,