Subject:
Support the New Deal for Higher Education
Message:
Dear Legislator:
As a constituent who cares deeply about public higher education, I urge you to advocate for the New Deal for Higher Education in New York, which will provide additional funding to support the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY).
The New Deal for Higher Education is a $4.5 billion investment in our future. It reimagines a system that helps students seamlessly transition from public K-12 classrooms to the lecture halls of New York state's world-class network of public colleges and universities.
Public higher education is under attack nationally. New York state must reaffirm the vital role of public higher education plays in our society by standing up for a just, inclusive and well-funded system. Our state should be a leader in protecting faculty, staff and students. New revenue to support the New Deal for Higher Education would establish SUNY, CUNY and New York's community colleges as leaders in protecting access to quality public higher education.
It is crucial to increase funding for New York's public colleges and universities, as they are key contributors to our communities' economic, intellectual and cultural vibrancy. The modest increases in some areas and cuts in others, as proposed in the 2025-26 executive budget, will hinder our ability to prepare students to become the future workforce.
The education and training available to students at SUNY, CUNY and community colleges create economic mobility and reverse economic disparities. Public higher education should be affordable and accessible to all. To realize these goals, I call on you to provide operating support, student support, access for all and capital funding.
Public colleges and universities in New York provide a world-class education to poor and middle-class students and allow faculty to conduct innovative research. However, these schools have long struggled to achieve their missions on austerity budgets. To enhance the quality of students' experience and increase student retention and graduation rates, the state must provide substantially more operating aid to enable these campuses to increase the number of full-time faculty and better compensate adjunct faculty. Furthermore, SUNY's three teaching hospitals at Stony Brook, Downstate and Upstate train the next generation of healthcare workers who often choose to stay and practice in New York.
Accordingly, I am asking for an investment of $1.21 billion for SUNY, CUNY and our community colleges for the following:
SUNY – $102.1 million in restricted operating aid to close the deficits at 17 SUNY campuses; $110 million to enhance student academic programs and services; a $70 million downpayment for employee fringe benefit costs for the SUNY hospitals; $68 million for hospital debt service costs; and $100 million for operating support at SUNY Downstate Hospital.
CUNY – $90 million to hire 1,000 more full-time faculty; $24.5 million for graduate education support; $11.7 million for the community college funding floor; $101.7 million to cover 33 percent of the state's 40 percent funding obligation; and $10 million to expand nursing programs and full-time faculty (on professorial lines) to teach additional nursing courses.
SUNY Community Colleges – $429 million for base aid and $95 million to cover 33 percent of the state's 40 percent funding obligation.
Our college students face stresses that make it extraordinarily difficult to stay enrolled. Our public higher education system serves a diverse population of, oftentimes, first-generation students. More than 50 percent of our students are students of color with median family incomes well under the New York state average. For many of our students, their college or university is the only place where they receive mental health counseling or academic support. Additional academic and workforce support for students is needed to keep them enrolled.
Accordingly, I am asking for an investment of $185.3 million for the following:
$30 million for the SUNY four-year campuses to support EOP, mental health EOP and pre-medical EOP; $100 million for faculty, student and programmatic support for the SUNY community colleges; and $55.3 million for CUNY to support investments in various programs and student supports, including advising and student success initiatives.
Students attend New York's public colleges and universities because they know they will receive a high-quality, education that opens doors to new opportunities. However, a continued shift of costs from the state to students has placed an additional financial burden on our students and their families and reduced access to the high-quality education every New Yorker deserves. If we continue to reach into our students' pockets, instead of investing public dollars into higher education, we will not be setting our students up for success; instead, we will be saddling them with years of student loan payments.
I applaud the governor for taking an essential first step in making public higher education a reality for more New Yorkers with her New York Opportunity Promise Scholarship initiative for public community colleges. While we support the intent of the program, it should be made available to more New Yorkers. Accordingly, I ask that it be expanded to include every SUNY and CUNY college or university that offers degrees in the identified shortage areas, covers students ages 18-55 and removes the language restricting applicants who have obtained a postsecondary degree.
Accordingly, I am asking for an investment of $3 billion to provide students with greater access to a world-class public higher education at SUNY and CUNY.
I respectfully ask that you — as an advocate for students, educators and our public institutions of higher education — bring this up with your conference. I would greatly appreciate a response to this email
Sincerely,
×
