(ALBANY, NEW YORK) – Frederick E. Kowal, the President of United University Professions (UUP) - the Nation’s largest Higher Education Union, testified this week in front of the Joint Legislative Public Hearing on Higher Education, highlighting the crucial need for the State to immediately address more than a decade of inadequate State funding for the State University of New York (SUNY).

Lack of funding and State support has significantly impacted 19 State-operated SUNY Campuses and Public Teaching Hospitals, threatening the long-term viability of the SUNY System, local communities and the State’s economy, UUP says.

Last year, Governor Kathy Hochul announced her goal to revitalize SUNY and make it the best Public Higher Education System in the Nation.

While UUP appreciates the increased funding provided in Governor Hochul’s proposed 2023-2024 Executive Budget, it falls short of the investment SUNY Campuses and Teaching Hospitals need to address their financial crises and continue to serve New Yorkers, UUP says.  

In response, UUP is requesting $160 million for the establishment of the State University Financially Distressed Campus Fund, a fund that would provide direct allocations to 19 campuses in financial jeopardy based on each campus’s structural deficit.

UUP is also calling for a $110 million increase in general SUNY operating aid to enable campuses to invest in high-demand and growing programs, increase enrollment and remain academically competitive.  

UUP President Kowal said: “Governor Hochul’s goal of revitalizing SUNY and making it the best Public Higher Education System in the Nation cannot happen when all but six of its campuses are in serious financial jeopardy.  It was counter-productive for prior administrations to financially starve these campuses, which are a proven economic engine for the State and the communities they serve.  With a surplus of ($8.6 billion), the State has the resources to stabilize SUNY’s nineteen campuses and hospitals.  We urge Governor Hochul and State Lawmakers to work together to provide the funding to stabilize our nineteen campuses and teaching hospitals in this year’s budget.” 

Currently, 1.78 million SUNY Graduates work in New York and 34% of the State’s educated workforce has a SUNY degree.

According to the 2018 Rockefeller Institute of Government report, SUNY’s annual economic impact on the State is nearly $29 billion, and every dollar invested in SUNY generates $8 in economic output.

In most cases, SUNY campuses are the biggest employers in their communities.   

Investing in SUNY is crucial for New York students, the thousands of Faculty and Staff who teach and work in these institutions, and the Upstate communities they serve, UUP says.

UUP represents more than 42,000 Academic and Professional Faculty, and Retirees, who work at 29 New York State-operated campuses, including SUNY’s Public Teaching Hospitals and Health Science Centers in Brooklyn, Syracuse, and at Stony Brook.

UUP is an affiliate of New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the National Education Association (NEA) and the AFL-CIO.