SUNY Board Adopts Rational Tuition Policy - Seeks Additional Operational and Management Flexibility to Generate Revenue

Albany - The State University of New York Board of Trustees approved the SUNY 2009-10 State Budget Request at its Nov. 18 meeting. 

 

The budget request is based on four “pillars”:

• appropriate state support for SUNY;
• rational tuition policy;
• expanding entrepreneurial activity and public-private partnerships (including land use flexibility); and
• management and operational reforms and efficiencies (MORE).

 

“The university’s budget request reflects the current fiscal crisis, ensures access for current and future students, maintains academic quality, and supports research and economic development,” said Board Chairman Carl T. Hayden. “SUNY’s rational tuition plan will help students and their families better plan for future college costs, and provide them and the campuses the ability to invest in academic quality initiatives, such as attracting more full-time faculty. All of this assumes, of course, that there are no additional reductions to SUNY operating support."

 

“Additional management and operational flexibility combined with the ability to form public-private partnerships would provide campuses with much-needed additional revenues and would not cost the state a dime.”

 

Appropriate State Support for SUNY

For state-operated universities and colleges, the request called for an investment by the state to meet base-level needs, including negotiated collective bargaining agreements, enrollment growth and energy costs.

 

For community colleges, the request called for an investment in full funding of enrollment as well as a $100 investment per full-time equivalent student.

 

For SUNY hospitals, the request called for an increase in the state subsidy to fund collectively bargained salaries and employee benefits.

 

SUNY seeks support to attract world-class research faculty, to help drive discovery, innovation and economic development. 

 

In addition, the university’s budget request includes resources to expand high-need programs, such as nursing.

 

Rational Tuition Policy

The Board adopted a rational tuition policy that would implement modest, annual and predictable increases based on the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI). 

 

The Board also amended the current tuition policy and adopted a tuition increase for in-state undergraduate students at two ‘units’ of HEPI, which totals $310,  effective in the spring 2009 semester, and with that rate annualized to $620 for the fall 2009 semester. 

 

The final annual tuition rate as of fall 2009 will be $4,970. The years following would be based on HEPI. 

 

Out-of-state tuition will increase $1,130 for the spring 2009, annualized to $2,260 in the fall 2009, with the effective rate as of fall 2009 of $12,870. 

 

Public-Private Partnerships

In order to generate additional revenue to meet the university’s research, public service and educational missions during the current fiscal crisis, SUNY request the authority to expand entrepreneurial activity and public-private partnerships.

 

The Board approved a new policy to maximize the use of capital assets, and attendant rights and interests, including air, water and mineral rights, under its jurisdiction to support the SUNY mission, as well as proposed flexibility legislation to enact such authority within the Board of Trustees. 

 

Accordingly, the Board supports the development and use of such assets by public, not-for-profit and for-profit entities and the financing thereof by public and private means. In order to  help manage asset development and use in the spirit of past legislative land lease bills, this policy sets forth a model lease or agreement under the auspices of the Board of Trustees.

 

Management and Operational Reforms and Efficiencies (MORE)

MORE would result in fewer state regulations and administrative burdens placed upon SUNY. The Board approved an omnibus legislative proposal to implement administrative and procurement flexibility for the University areas as follows:

• allow SUNY to control accounts with revenue from tuition, fees, and other university revenue,
• implement post-audit accounting practices instead of pre- and post-audit procedures,
• ease the bureaucratic red tape in procurements and contracts,
• allow SUNY to make decisions on the creation and categorization of personnel positions; and
• provide for current delivery methods in capital construction projects.

 

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 427,000 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu 

 

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