I’m sure that by now many of you have started to digest Governor Cuomo’s 2011-2012 budget proposal. Out of all of the figures within the budget, those key to MCC for the coming year are embedded in the following excerpt: “To address the state’s fiscal challenges, the Executive Budget proposes reductions in the State University and City University systems. The Executive Budget reduces base per-student operating aid for community colleges by 10 percent and SUNY and CUNY operating aid by 10 percent, and eliminates the subsidy for SUNY’s three teaching hospitals in Syracuse, New York City and Long Island, which accounts for approximately eight percent of overall hospital revenue. The budget keeps TAP benefits at current year levels.”
This proposal reduces our FTE state aid by 10%. What does this mean? FTE aid is the amount per full-time equivalent student that New York state pays to MCC to support education. In our current budget year, we receive $2,260 per FTE from the state, which is already a 15.5% reduction from the $2,675 provided the year before. Governor Cuomo’s executive budget takes our FTE aid even further, to $2,034. My understanding is that MCC has not seen this level of state funding since 1998. Based on the proposed FTE figure, MCC would lose over $3.5 million in state money.
Without question, MCC will be advocating a restoration of state aid—in whole or part—with our legislative delegation. We are not just a community good; we are a worthwhile investment. Every taxpayer dollar invested in our college and our students returns over 9%. The added income attributable to the students educated at MCC amounts to approximately $510 million per year. Each day, we build a stronger Rochester and a stronger New York, and we need the state to be a supporting partner in this work. So, we will argue for aid restoration, but we also cannot ignore the budget realities facing New York.
For this reason, we have been planning internally over the past year for a possible reduction in state aid. Under the leadership of the vice presidents and with the invaluable assistance of the Budget Resource Committee, we have been seeking efficiencies and eliminating costs where possible—all while safeguarding our fundamental mission: providing access to a high quality learning environment for our students.
Our work over these months has positioned us both to advocate for our students in Albany and to make judicious decisions regarding budget reductions if necessary.
As we go through the upcoming legislative session, all signs are that the budget discussions will be long and difficult—which always heightens anxieties. So, I want to assure you of one thing: MCC’s commitment to you. We are not only a community college . . . we are a community with a shared goal and a shared responsibility to each other. Achieving this commitment in the current economic climate will require open communication, thoughtful discussion, and (no big surprise) change. I encourage you to discuss both the challenges and opportunities ahead within our college community. We need your participation in this dialogue at all levels.
I welcome your thoughts via the President's Wednesday Message blog.