(ALBANY, NEW YORK) - More than 300 students, Faculty and Staff from the City University of New York (CUNY), the State University of New York (SUNY) and Independent Colleges rallied with Legislators inside the State Capitol in Albany to support a platform of increased funding for New York’s Public University Systems, broader access to free tuition, more financial aid and higher taxes on corporations and the rich to help sustain those investments.

A coalition of student organizations, Academic Unions and community groups kicked off their Higher Education Action Day before meeting with 100 Legislators.

Participants bused and carpooled from as far away as Buffalo, Plattsburgh, New York City and Stony Brook to join the action. 

While Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed modest increases in funding for CUNY and SUNY, her Executive Budget falls short of the reinvestment needed to make up for years of disinvestment and mounting Federal cuts.

New funding is also needed to support program enhancements and to cover the costs of enrollment growth, those at the rally said.

The groups are calling for: Increases over the Executive Budget of more than $250 million for CUNY and SUNY Senior Colleges and Community Colleges; $108 million for CUNY to hire Full-Time Faculty, Advisors and Mental Health Counselors; $100 million across the SUNY system to support program enhancements and cover the costs of recent enrollment growth, plus $41.8 million to close budget deficits at the SUNY Colleges.

Most State-operated Colleges in the sprawling SUNY System are still facing budget shortfalls due to SUNY’s inequitable allocation of State funds and four campuses are in full-on crisis: SUNY’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry ($8.3 million deficit); Buffalo State University ($16 million deficit); SUNY Fredonia ($11 million deficit); and SUNY Potsdam ($6.5 million deficit).

At CUNY’s 25 Colleges and Schools, the staffing gains from prior budget cycles have been eroded by Faculty attrition, leaving the system vastly understaffed, those at the rally said.

Hochul is also seeking to expand SUNY and CUNY Reconnect, the rebranded program of free Community College for students ages 25-55 in high-demand fields that was called the Opportunity Promise Scholarship in last year’s budget.

The Coalition supports Reconnect as a step toward universally-free Higher Education.

Still, it is urging the state to fund thousands of new Full-Time Faculty and Staff to accommodate the new students - more than 5,600 at the SUNY Community Colleges and almost 5,900 at the CUNY Community Colleges.

United University Professions (UUP) President Fred Kowal (Pictured Above/Photo Courtesy Of UUP), said: “We thank the Governor and the Legislature for their ongoing commitment to Public Higher Education. Over the last three years, they have provided significant increases to SUNY and CUNY. Unfortunately, Public Higher Education has been under attack from the Federal Government. We need to push back on these attacks and protect the incredible work that happens every day at our Colleges, our Universities and our Public Teaching Hospitals. Now more than ever, we need to continue the progress we have made to ensure that campuses have the resources they need to provide the highest quality of academic programs and services that students need and deserve.”

To Read This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: Press Release | Students, Faculty and Staff Rally with Legislators for Increased Funding for SUNY, CUNY, Financial Aid