New York state must reaffirm public education's role in our society by standing up for a just, inclusive and well-funded higher education system. New York's public colleges and universities provide a world-class education to students, many of whom are low-income or middle-class. For too long, these institutions have achieved their missions on austerity budgets.

We need to recenter our public colleges and universities as a public good. We need the New Deal for Public Higher Education.

We're asking leaders in our state to support the New Deal for Higher Education in New York, which is a $4.7 billion investment in our future. This funding will ensure our public institutions have the aid needed to nurture the student body physically, mentally and emotionally; and that public higher education is accessible to all.

Take action NOW at the NYSUT MAC! Urge legislators in Albany to support the New Deal for Higher Education in New York and invest $4.7 billion in SUNY (including our three critical teaching hospitals), CUNY and community colleges!

Without this critical funding, public higher education institutions in New York will have to keep plugging budget holes by reaching into the pockets of students and their families.

The education and training available to students in public higher education creates economic mobility and reverses economic disparities. If our public higher education system is affordable and accessible to all, it can be a pillar of a more just world.

In solidarity,


Andrew Pallotta
NYSUT President