2009 Budget Proposal

These are difficult times and this budget request contains a comprehensive package of initiatives that must be considered together as they are the only way the University can effectively respond to this financial crisis. The tuition increase by itself is not enough; the University needs the administrative flexibility to be able to help itself through the use and development of its assets.

The 2009-10 State Budget Request is based on four pillars: (1) Appropriate State Support for SUNY (2) Rational Tuition Policy (3) Land Use Flexibility (4) Management and Operational Reforms and Efficiencies (MORE)

Sufficient State Support for the SUNY System

Budget request for SUNY’s State-Operated Universities and Colleges:

• Appropriate 100% of the tution adopted by the SUNY Board of Trustees. This includes the 90% sweep of tuition revenue in the Deficit Reduction Plan ($68 million) and the 80% in the FY09-10 budget ($54 million).
• Adopt the rational tuition policy implemented by the SUNY Board of Trustees to allow for transparent, small increases in tuition to allow students and parents to plan for their educational costs and to allow the University to invest in academic quality initiatives.
• Oppose the $40 million sweep of campus-based (IFR) revenues. Such revenues include student and user fees for technology and campus services, faculty rentals, and entrepreneurial partnerships. These are paid for specific campus services and should not be diverted.
• Oppose the 10% tithe (tax) on the indirect cost recoveries of federal contracts obtained by SUNY researchers. This $7.9 million is necessary to cover cost to support research at SUNY campuses. The National Science Foundation estimates that for every $1 million invested in SUNY, 29 jobs are created.
• Oppose the elimination and reduction of University-wide programs, such as student child care, Small Business Development Centers and faculty diversity intiatives. The $22.7 million supports hundreds of employees, attracts graduate students and provide services to local communities and business.

Budget Request for SUNY’s Community Colleges :
Restore the reduction in base-aid of $270 per FTE beginning with the 2008-09 fiscal year ($11 million) and carrying over to the 2009-10 fiscal year ($14.1 million) and reject the "sliding scale" that apportions this decrease.

Budget Request for State Support Hospitals

Restore the $25.4 million decrease in the state subsidy to fund operating cost differentials such as hospital staff salaries and benefits.

Fund $38.3 million in negotiated contractual agreements negotiated by the state government.

Rational Tuition Policy
Appropriate 100% of the tuition adopted by the SUNY Board of Trustees. This includes the 90% sweep of tuition revenue in the Defecit Reduction Plan ($68 million) and 80% in the 09-10 budget ($54 million).

Adopt the rational tuition policy implemented by the SUNY Board of Trustees to allow for transparent, small increases in tuition to allow students and parents to plan for their educational costs and to allow the University to invest in academic quality initiatives.

(Read More Rational Tuition)

In addition to ensuring that SUNY keeps 100% of its tuition revenue. The State University of New York desires to set tuition levels in accordance with a rational tuition policy. SUNY's rational tuition is a system of modest, annual and predictable increases based an influation index such as HEPI (Higher Education Price Index).

SUNY’s tuition is among the nation’s lowest. In addition, there has been only one in-state undergraduate tuition increase during the past 13 years, a 29%, $950 increase in 2003, which was implemented to offset a major reduction in state support.

A rational tuition policy is necessary for SUNY to sustain its ability to properly serve the 439,000 students with which we have a contract for higher education; and for them and their parents to plan for their educational costs.

Rational tuition allows:

• Students and parents to more effectively plan for the cost of higher education; and it allows
• SUNY and its campuses to invest in academic quality initiatives such as full-time faculty, student scholarships, and student services
• Under SUNY’s rational tuition plan – SUNY annual tuition rate beginning Fall 2009 will be $4,970

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Enhanced Flexibility Proposals
Support the proposed Article VII bills that contain administrative flexibility items such as: post-audit of expenditures; access to OGS centralized contracts for affilitaed campus organizations, health care facilities ability to enter into manage care networks, construction funds delivery methods and bond threshold increases.

Provide SUNY with land use flexibility and private-public partnership authority, as recommended by the Governor's State Asset Management Commission, to allow for the maximization of University assets to pursue entreprenurial activities such as:

• Expand public/private parnterships to promote commercial and community based activities such as retirement communities, student housing, health care facilities, incubators, food service, telecommunications and retail facilities,
• Maximize utilization of natural resources including gas, timber, minerals, and water,
• Pursue using SUNY land in creative ways such as producing biopmass fuels, co-generation facilities, or developing solar and wind farms, and
• Maximize rental income by making facilities available for comminty events or conferences.

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