On March 2 at MCC, President Kress, The College at Brockport President John R. Halstead, Ph.D., SUNY Geneseo Interim President Carol S. Long, Ph.D., Finger Lakes Community College President Barbara Risser, Ed.D., and Genesee Community College President James Sunser, Ed.D., called on local elected officials to continue their bold leadership in supporting public higher education by creating a new investment fund and extending NYSUNY 2020, including the successful rational tuition policy, in the 2015-16 New York State Budget. A video of the press conference is online courtesy of MCC's Instructional Technologies Department.
“We are at a critical juncture where higher education and New York’s economic development efforts are hand in glove,” said Kress. “Access to affordable, high-quality higher education is a key reason why 15,000 students attend Monroe Community College. Fifty percent of our students graduate without student loan debt. That won’t continue without additional state aid for SUNY community colleges.”
“SUNY has proven time and again that given the resources, our institutions do a tremendous job of preparing our students for their careers, the workforce, and to be productive members of society,” said Halstead. “It’s time for New York state to invest in SUNY."
“The SUNY campuses in the Finger Lakes region contribute significantly to the well-being of our local communities and to the success of our students as global citizens,” said Long. “We hope that state leaders will recognize the importance of our contributions through enhanced support to the State University of New York as a powerful force for the public good.”
“The public expects a great deal from SUNY institutions, and we have shown the ability to change lives, particularly with first-generation, low-income students,” said Risser. “Continued investment in SUNY at all levels is critical to our ability to provide the neediest students with quality teaching, advising and academic support services. For community colleges in particular, these core services can be best supported with an increase in base aid.”
“Community colleges have become key economic drivers within our local communities,” said Sunser. “The academic programs and workforce training we offer brings competitive salaries and wages to our graduates, and increased productivity and profitability to our business community. Community colleges produce a very positive net economic return to our communities, and without question, increased New York state investment in our 30 community colleges goes hand in hand with economic growth.”
Since NYSUNY 2020 was first enacted, SUNY campuses have used additional revenue generated by rational tuition to grow and expand student services, including the hiring of 520 instructional staff, 270 of whom are full-time faculty, and the implementation of 100 new degree programs reflecting high-demand areas in New York’s workforce. Additionally, SUNY continues to be a huge economic driver for the state, serving 3 million New Yorkers every year — including students, faculty, staff, and others — and an economic powerhouse that generates $21 billion annually for New York.
The key component of SUNY’s budget request is an investment fund that will enable SUNY to graduate 150,000 students annually by 2020 through the system-wide scale up of evidence-based programs known to support student success, including Finish in Four completion promises, applied learning, Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP), and expanded advisement services. SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher outlined this objective in her recent HYPERLINK "https://www.suny.edu/sou/"State of the University Address.
“We cannot plan the future of our State University on yesterday’s dollars, which is why extending this legislation until 2020 is essential. NYSUNY 2020 is perhaps the smartest, most impactful legislation to support SUNY in history,” said Zimpher. “Governor Cuomo and state leaders showed excellent foresight when this bill was enacted, positioning our campuses to drive regional economic development for New York while protecting our students’ investment, taking tuition roulette off the table so that they are able to plan for the full cost of college without the possibility of unexpected tuition spikes.”
Rosanna Yule
Marketing and Community Relations
03/03/2015 |