For Immediate Release

October 7, 2022

Today, United University Professions, the nation’s largest higher education union, held a press conference to call for more state funding for three Capital Region SUNY campuses facing projected multimillion-dollar budget deficits: the University at Albany, Empire State College and SUNY Cobleskill.

UUP President Frederick E. Kowal, Ph.D., was joined by state Assemblymember Patricia Fahy, Albany Mayor Kathy M. Sheehan, Albany Common Council Member Tom Hoey, and Jalen Miller, the University at Albany Student Association vice president.

At the late morning event, held at UAlbany, the speakers urged state lawmakers to allot more state aid to SUNY campuses to help them reverse budget shortfalls. The University at Albany faces a projected $15 million deficit. Two other Capital Region SUNY institutions, Empire State College and SUNY Cobleskill, have projected deficits of $8 million and $4 million, respectively.

"For too long, our campuses have been underfunded by the state, which has foisted the burden of funding our campuses onto the backs of students and parents through higher tuition and fees and other ever-increasing costs,” said Kowal. “Last year, students paid $2 for every $1 of direct state operating support.

"The impact of this chronic underfunding has—and will continue to have a negative effect on our communities, especially those that host SUNY campuses,” he continued. “SUNY is a powerful economic engine for these communities, providing good-paying jobs, millions in generated revenue and a well-educated workforce that helps create a stable tax base. We need to encourage this growth and one way to do that is to properly fund our campuses.”

In the Capital Region, SUNY accounts for more than 9,800 jobs and supports more than 21,400 indirect jobs (vendors, contractors, etc.). SUNY’s impact on the Capital Region economy was $3.4 billion in 2018, according to a SUNY economic impact study by the Rockefeller Institute of Government.

Statewide, SUNY’s economic impact is about $30 billion annually. Every dollar invested in SUNY by the state yields a return of $8.17. SUNY is also one of the top 10 largest employers in every region in the state except New York City.

Kowal also warned that without more state funding, campuses with acceptable student-teacher ratios could see them accelerate, especially with enrollment growth. The student/faculty ratio at the University at Albany is 19-to-1; it’s 15-to-1 at Empire State College and SUNY Cobleskill.

"After more than a decade of flat state funding, most of our campuses have long ago trimmed the fat out of their budgets and have been forced to make painful cost-cutting measures to make ends meet,” said Kowal. “Without more state funding, campuses are left to consider even more drastic measures, which could include cutting programs, overloading classes, leaving full-time vacancies unfilled and hiring more adjuncts to pick up the slack.”

Assemblymember Fahy said: “SUNY is one of the nation’s premier public higher education institutions, helping tens of thousands of students throughout New York state and beyond realize their dream of a college education. Despite legislative efforts, funding for SUNY has remained flat for several years, meaning students, families, and universities like the University at Albany are forced to pick up increased costs passed down through tuition hikes and other fees. I’m proud to stand with UUP and the University at Albany Student Association today to highlight the need to increase state funding for SUNY institutions, help tackle budget deficits and ensure our SUNY schools have the resources they need.”

Albany Mayor Sheehan said: Our SUNY Campuses like the University at Albany help train our workforce of tomorrow, offer good-paying jobs and drive economic investment across the Capital Region. These institutions are vital community partners, and I urge SUNY to ensure the University at Albany is fully funded to help avoid putting this vital institution in a position to make programming cuts or passing these fiscal pressures on to our students."

Jalen Miller, University at Albany Student Association vice president, said: “With additional funding, SUNY will be able to provide adequate mental health services for our students. Currently SUNY campuses are not meeting the appropriate counselor to student ratios to adequately assist students. As students balance their course load, family life, work and the financial burdens of being a student, they should have more health care professionals there to assist them. We need more resources to staff our SUNY campuses, in all departments. Students should not have to worry about long wait lines to speak to financial aid about tuition when we are already worried about the cost of higher education in the first place.”