MCC Daily Tribune

SUNY Chancellor Johnson Delivers 2020 State of the University System Address

In her third State of the University System Address, State University of New York Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson delivered a report on the four pillars of her vision for SUNY that provided details on the launch and expansion of key initiatives. At the same time, Chancellor Johnson offered a forecast of New York State educational needs outlining a path to "absolute inclusivity" to make higher education universal in New York State.

SUNY Chancellor Johnson said, "Because we have such an affordable and comprehensive system of public higher education, with strong support from the Governor and the legislature, New York State is ready for the revolution taking place in the world of work, offering a path to high-skilled jobs and better lives to New Yorkers of all backgrounds."

Chancellor Johnson highlighted progress toward her vision for SUNY, including her four strategic themes of Individualized Learning, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, and Partnership. Key results include:

Individualized Learning

SUNY Achieve was launched at 27 campuses. During the first four semesters 7,676 student benefitted, which will grow to 22,000 students by 2023, SUNY's 75th Anniversary.
SUNY Online was piloted in Fall 2019 with 20 new degree programs and more than 100 high-quality micro-credentials at 10 SUNY campuses.
Open Education Resources expanded and has now generated $47 million in savings to SUNY students through nearly 15,000 courses at 59 campuses.
Re-Enroll to Complete was expanded from 2018 to 2019 to include 52 campuses. From August to October 2019, 30 percent more students returned as a result of the program, for a total of 8,353 re-enrolled.
PRODiG has received 100 percent participation from SUNY's doctoral universities and comprehensive colleges. To date, 74 women in stem fields and underrepresented minority faculty were hired in the first six months.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Chancellor Johnson set a goal of doubling research.

In 2019, SUNY exceeded $1.7 billion, and sponsored research funding was up $136 million from the prior year.

SUNY announced a partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory to launch an open innovation campus at Griffiss International Airport focused on quantum computing.
The U.S. Department of Energy selected Brookhaven National Laboratory, co-managed with SUNY's Stony Brook campus, as the host of the multi-billion dollar electron-ion collider, which will accelerate work and access to nuclear physics.
During the year, 18 faculty earned the National Science Foundation Career Award.
SUNY will lead a $41 million Offshore Wind Consortium in partnership with New York State Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Sustainability

SUNY has reduced its greenhouse gases to 39 percent. By SUNY's 75th anniversary in 2023, the system will be ahead of Governor Cuomo's 2030 deadline.

SUNY is also realizing savings from strategic measures including: $1.5 million in wholesale electricity savings, cuts in managed print by $25 million, and $89 million savings from dormitory debt refinancing.

Partnerships

New York State public and private partnership has led to $5 billion investment in research and development.
SUNY and Applied Materials opened a $600 million materials engineering accelerator.
Cree Inc will invest $1 billion and build the largest silicon carbide integrated circuit fabrication plant at SUNY Nanocenter in Marcy, NY and create over 600 jobs.

The State of the University Address video and transcript is available online.

Rosanna Yule
Government and Community Relations
01/24/2020