(FREDONIA, NEW YORK) – United University Professions (UUP) President Fred Kowal and Statewide UUP Vice President for Academics Alissa Karl visited SUNY Fredonia to deliver that straightforward message to Members at the Western New York campus: UUP insists the State University of New York (SUNY) has funding to support cash-strapped campuses across the State - and must make it available to campuses in need.

No cuts to programs or Staff have been announced, but UUP is very concerned that plans may be in the works to slash Degree Programs at SUNY Fredonia and other campuses facing projected multi-million-dollar deficits.

In September, SUNY Potsdam announced plans to cut 14 Degree Programs - and associated Faculty and Staff - to reduce a projected $9 million deficit.  And the SUNY Potsdam Administration has announced it will keep four of those programs.

“We are here to tell our Members at Fredonia, as well as students and the community, that UUP will fight any and all attempts by SUNY and administration to cut programs at this college,” Kowal said. “We will fight this every step of the way because what’s at stake is so important - our Members, our students and our communities.”

Added Kowal: “($163 million) in new SUNY State funding is available in the enacted budget to erase deficits at Fredonia, Potsdam and seventeen other financially troubled campuses, but the SUNY Board of Trustees chose not to distribute the funds based on campus need.  This is a manufactured crisis and we’re concerned that Potsdam will become the template for similar cuts at financially troubled campuses like Fredonia or Buffalo State University to lower enrollments and ultimately close campuses.  We will not let this happen.”

SUNY Fredonia’s deficit was about $16 million as of December 2022.

UUP strongly advocated for the $163 million, which UUP maintains is enough to close multimillion-dollar deficits at Potsdam, Fredonia, Buffalo State and 16 other campuses, mostly located Upstate.

Yet, the Trustees apportioned the money in a way that left many of these campuses in the red, UUP Officials said.

“The Board of Trustees’ decision was destructive - and I believe intentional, to create vulnerability with SUNY’s financially troubled campuses,” Kowal said.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Press Release | UUP: No need for cuts at SUNY Fredonia (uupinfo.org)

Photo Courtesy Of UUP’s Fredonia Chapter Via Its Facebook Page.