SUNY: The Smart Investment

“The Commission believes that outstanding research universities are key to the State’s future, and that while New York’s private research universities are widely recognized as world-class institutions, SUNY and CUNY need significant investment to become competitive with other states’ top public research universities.”

- New York State Commission on Higher Education (2008)

A 2008 report from the New York State Commission on Higher Education found “troubling evidence that the State has slipped in stature over the last twenty years.” It uncovered that New York State has received a decreasing percentage of the nation’s academic research and development dollars that has cost the state more than $2.2 billion in lost economic activity in 2005 and over 27,000 potential jobs.

Now more than ever the State of New York must stay focused on its historical commitment to providing high-quality, accessible, and affordable public higher education. Especially at a time when our state and nation are challenged by dire economic conditions, SUNY is the smart investment to fuel economic development. SUNY produces leading-edge research that will advance the state’s economy and it produces students for the demanding 21st century workforce in critical fields such as health care, high technology, and education.

Preparing More Students for the 21st Century
This fall, SUNY enrollment again reached a record-breaking level, with over 439,000 students now enrolled on 64 campuses across New York. This is the 13th consecutive year that SUNY has seen an increase in enrollment. The demographic diversity of our students also is on the rise. In fact, the SUNY student population is more diverse now than ever before.

To best serve our students, SUNY also must support diversity by addressing the myriad needs of students and expanding the programs and initiatives that are attracting new students to the system, such as Empire Innovation, Centers for Excellence, local community and international collaboration, and innovative research.

Impact In Every Corner of New York
SUNY campuses are located in nearly every community in New York state, making it the largest employer in the state, as well as the primary developer of the state's human, or intellectual, capital. Our colleges and universities provide much of the research and development necessary to keep New York competitive in an increasingly knowledge-based and global economy, and the return the state receives on its investment in SUNY is among the economy’s most favorable and most valuable.

Now is Not the Time to Pullback from our Investment in Higher Education
State funding for this year’s SUNY budget was impacted by four rounds of cuts, leaving the university system bracing for the impact of a more than $210 million decrease in state funding. This is a substantial hit to the system and it comes at a time when SUNY admissions are increasing and we should be expanding and growing into one of the most formidable systems in the country.

We must secure the future of SUNY now so that we can continue to serve the students who want to attend the University and help New York move toward economic recovery and revitalization. It’s time New York State recognizes SUNY as one of its greatest resources. And it’s time the state end the cycle of over-regulating and underfunding SUNY and allows this university system to reach its full potential.

With additional financial resources and administrative flexibility, SUNY can continue to be the primary portal of opportunity for thousands of individuals and a powerful engine for economic growth and development through education, research, and targeted initiatives designed to benefit all New Yorkers.

Strategic investment in SUNY together with the regulatory freedom that the university system needs to grow is a strong investment in the future of New York.