SUNY News

--Over $1 Billion in Energy Costs Saved by the University since 1976--

Albany -- State University of New York Acting Chancellor John R. Ryan today issued “Achieving Efficiency at The State University of New York,” the first in a series of reports on SUNY’s performance and the challenges facing the University.

“A significant part of being an efficient organization is figuring out how to better spend time and money, and how to increase the return on our stakeholders investment in SUNY,” said Ryan.  “Operating efficiently is a critical part of taking our very good university and making it great.” 

The report on efficiency at SUNY highlights practices system wide, including the implementation of more than 50 percent of recommendations made by the 2004 Task Force on Efficiency and Effectiveness.  Highlights include:

System Efficiencies

• 36 percent reduction in energy use, saving more than $1 billion since 1976
• $2.3 million saved through the successful execution of a new procurement process that reduces the volume of accounts payable transactions and the associated administrative costs
• From 1994-2003, a reduction in SUNY System Administration staff by 17 percent

In addition, through SUNY’s award-winning Mission Review process, academic initiatives have resulted in improved instructional and institutional efficiency and effectiveness.

Campus Efficiencies

• SUNY’s University of Buffalo saved $30,000 via web-based parking registration
• SUNY Delhi saved $411,000 per year by converting from electric to steam heat
• SUNY Brockport saved $150,000 by partnering with the Department of Transportation on road paving

Student and Faculty Efficiencies

• SUNY’s six year graduation rate is 13% above the national average graduation rate for publicly funded universities (and is also above the rate for national private universities)
• SUNY faculty exceeds the national averages for published academic articles at all four-year campuses, and far exceed the averages for doctoral and health science centers. 

View the entire report.

These reports are part of the acting chancellor’s ongoing efforts to encourage transparency and achieve excellence at SUNY.

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 412,000 students in 6,688 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses.