In the News: C-GCC Professor Named SUNY Fellow
February 9, 2026
Columbia-Greene Community College is proud to announce that Dr. Nikki Childrose, director of the Center for Innovation, Teaching & Learning and professor of history, has been named a fellow in the State University of New York’s (SUNY) Academic Momentum Campaign. This system-wide initiative is designed to strengthen student retention and graduation rates through evidence-based strategies and targeted academic support.
Launched in fall 2025, the Academic Momentum Campaign provides campuses with technical assistance and financial resources to improve student success outcomes. The initiative focuses on proven practices such as structured advisement, degree mapping, improved course scheduling, early alert systems, first-year experience programs, and gateway course redesign. Gateway courses—introductory or prerequisite courses critical to academic progression—are being reimagined using the latest research and best practices in course design, content delivery, and student engagement.
Dr. Childrose joins a cohort of 24 fellows selected through a competitive statewide process. Fellows were chosen for their diverse expertise in areas central to student achievement and will work to implement and expand strategies that help more students persist to graduation. An additional 24 SUNY campuses will receive funding support to redesign gateway courses as part of the broader campaign.
SUNY Chancellor John King emphasized the initiative’s importance, noting that the Academic Momentum Campaign builds on SUNY’s commitment to ensuring that every student has the support necessary to reach their full potential. Columbia-Greene Community College President Dr. Victoria Walsh also expressed enthusiasm for the initiative, reaffirming the College’s commitment to advancing evidence-based student success practices and improving outcomes for all learners.
Through Dr. Childrose’s leadership and participation in the Academic Momentum Campaign, Columbia-Greene will continue strengthening academic innovation and student-centered strategies that promote persistence, completion, and long-term success.
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Gazette News Group, Inc. (2026, February 9). Columbia-Greene professor named SUNY Academic Momentum fellow.