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Chancellor King Kicks Off SUNY ESF Adirondack Summer Experience for New York City High School Students
Governors Island, N.Y. – July 18, 2025 — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today kicked off what will be a summer of environmental science opportunities for New York City high school students through SUNY ESF’s Timbuctoo Climate Science and Careers Summer Institute. Funded by New York State for the last three years, the summer program created by ESF professors introduces students to environmental science throughout three two-week sessions in July and August in New York City, Syracuse, where the main ESF campus is located, and the Adirondacks. This year 144 students are participating, with 48 in the Adirondack Program, and 96 students in the Brooklyn program.
Chancellor King joined NYS Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus Chair Michaelle Solages, members of the Caucus, members of the Adirondack Council, ESF faculty and staff, and high school students on Governors Island and then on boats in New York’s waterways to conduct research today on the oyster population.
"Through the Timbuctoo Climate Science and Careers Summer Institute, SUNY ESF is putting aspiring environmentalists on a path to rewarding careers to care for and study our planet and climate," said SUNY Chancellor King. "This is a rigorous program that engages New York City’s high school students in environmental science from the neighborhoods of New York City to the vast Adirondack Parks, and I am grateful for the leadership of Governor Hochul, Senator Myrie, Assemblymember Solages, the NYS Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, and so many others for making this opportunity possible."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "SUNY ESF’s Institute is helping our youth realize the impact of climate change on all living creatures and inspire them to be part of our state’s efforts to create a sustainable future. We thank Governor Hochul and our State Legislature for making climate change a focus for New York, and for their ongoing and significant funding that allows SUNY campuses, like ESF, to provide these meaningful educational experiences for more New Yorkers."
ESF President Joanie Mahoney said, "The Timbuctoo Climate Science and Careers Summer Institute creates new opportunities for high school students. We are grateful for the support of Governor Hochul, Chancellor King, and the State Legislature. Thank you to everyone who works to make the Timbuctoo Project a reality. The power of this highly experiential program is immeasurable."
State Senator Zellnor Myrie said, "I am so proud to welcome the third cohort of Timbuctoo program participants! This exciting Science and Careers Summer Institute will expose the next generation of climate leaders to green career paths and New York's incredible Black history in the breathtaking beauty of the Adirondack Park. I expect great things from these students and this program—climate justice can't wait, and I am so grateful to the program staff and my colleagues in government for shaping the future of our state's resiliency and sustainability efforts."
Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus Chair Assemblymember Michaelle Solages said, "It’s exciting to once again join students as they take part in the Timbuctoo Climate and Science Institute. This initiative offers young New Yorkers opportunities that are often hard to come by in urban settings—like exploring career paths in environmental science and engaging directly with nature. Programs like this not only broaden students’ horizons but also deepen their understanding of conservation and the significance of the Adirondack Park. I look forward to continuing this important partnership with Chancellor John B. King Jr. and SUNY ESF for many summers to come."
This is the third annual summer program, which was championed by State Senator Zellnor Myrie, State Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, and the state's Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus – who worked closely with advocates including Aaron Mair, who leads the Adirondack Council's "Adirondack Forever" campaign. ESF received initial funding of $2.1 million in the FY2022-23 Enacted Budget to establish the Institute with the City University of New York's Medgar Evers College. The FY2025-26 Enacted Budget included $425,000 to continue the program.
The Adirondack Park is positioned to play a vital role in Governor Kathy Hochul's efforts to combat the effects of climate change, which is having a significant impact on the ecosystems of the park. The immersive Timbuctoo Institute introduces students from urban areas to climate science while addressing issues of environmental and social justice through the lens of climate change.
New York's Adirondack Park was a cradle of the early civil rights movement, dating back to the mid-1800s. Timbuctoo specifically, which sits outside of Lake Placid, was the site of an early Black suffrage settlement, one of eight known settlements in the Adirondacks that enabled 3,000 Black men to meet the property requirements granting them the right to vote in New York. This history of opportunity at Timbuctoo is honored and celebrated by creating a modern Timbuctoo pipeline to empowerment. The Timbuctoo pipeline will connect youth to opportunities at the intersection of climate science and green careers, preparing them for the threats and opportunities of the 21st century.
About SUNY ESF
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study
of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable
and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and
natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting
the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science
to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs
ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students
live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres
of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education
in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles
of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four
academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools,
a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of
optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total,
SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and
non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach
programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research
expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.16 billion in fiscal year 2024, including significant
contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni
worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn
more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.