UUPdate

January 10 , 2007

UUP presses for budget relief, more full-time faculty

UUP President William Scheuerman makes the case for more funding for full time faculty, in testimony before state lawmakers.  Joining Scheuerman in testifying on behalf of public higher education is NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin.

While thanking state lawmakers for boosting state funding to SUNY in the current state budget, Scheuerman also asked for additional funds in the 2007-08 budget to cover continued enrollment growth and more full-time faculty.

Testifying before a hearing of the Assembly Standing Committee on Higher Education on January 10, Scheuerman said while lawmakers have increased the state’s portion of funding for SUNY, that trend must continue to address problems caused by underfunding in the past.

“As a result of your leadership, the 2006-07 State Budget took critical steps to avert a further deterioration in the University’s educational infrastructure,” Scheuerman told the committee members. “We believe you have set the stage for subsequent actions that would counter, over time, the impacts of historically unfunded enrollment growth and structural deficits caused by inadequate funding of mandatory costs and inflationary increases.”

Scheuerman urged the committee to not only maintain the current level of state funding for SUNY in the 2007-08 budget, but also provide new state support to compensate for additional mandatory expenditures and enrollment growth.

Scheuerman also took the opportunity to reiterate the union’s critical concerns over proposals to merge or privatize the three SUNY-operated public hospitals as outlined in the Berger Commission report that became law on Jan. 1.

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