(ALBANY, NEW YORK) - United University Professions’ (UUP) dogged advocacy for State University of New York (SUNY) Campuses and its embattled Public Teaching Hospital in Brooklyn was rewarded in the 2024-2025 enacted New York State budget.

From fighting for more than $150 million more in State aid for campuses and expanded Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) eligibility to effectively killing SUNY’s plan to close Downstate University Hospital, the efforts of UUP - the Nation’s largest Higher Education Union, can only be viewed as a success.

“This is a very good budget for SUNY, our students, our patients and for our State,” UUP President Fred Kowal said. “We thank Governor Kathy Hochul and State Legislators for hearing our message and acting on it.  Our leaders understand the necessity of supporting a world-class University System that provides an accessible, affordable education to all who seek it.”

The enacted budget contains $114 million in new operating funding to campuses, $60 million more than what Hochul set aside in her Executive Budget.

Another $53 million was also budgeted to hire more full-time Faculty.

The dollars are in addition to $163 million provided to SUNY in the 2023-2024 Budget - aid UUP strongly advocated for to eliminate multi-million-dollar deficits at nearly 20 campuses.

Decades of SUNY State aid cuts and underfunding are the main reasons for the deficits, UUP Officials said.

Pushed by SUNY Chancellor John King Jr., Administrators at SUNY Fredonia and SUNY Potsdam have announced program, Faculty and Staff cuts to reduce deficits of $17 million and $9 million, respectively.

As it did last year, UUP is again pushing for the SUNY Board of Trustees - which allocates direct State aid to campuses - to distribute the money based on campus need.

This year, 19 cash-strapped campuses have a combined deficit of $146 million.

“We will press the Trustees to do the right thing and use the direct aid increases to reduce or eliminate deficits at our financially distressed campuses,” Kowal said. “We must support all of SUNY’s Campuses, not just enrich the wealthy ones.  If we don’t, we run the very real risk of seeing more cuts to programs and faculty at more campuses.”

UUP’s relentless fight to defeat Chancellor King’s plan to close Downstate Hospital ended with approval of the 2024-2025 Budget, which scuttled his plan to shutter the hospital.

The State Budget also includes funding to keep the hospital operating through Spring 2025.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: Press Release | UUP’s Advocacy Helps SUNY Post Big Gains in New State Budget (uupinfo.org)