SUNY to Play Major Role in Governor Cuomo's Economic Development Councils

Albany – State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher today was appointed to the statewide Chairman’s Committee of the Regional Economic Development Councils recently created by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. In addition, SUNY leadership is represented on each of the 10 regional councils, making the State University the only institution – from either the academic or business community – to have full representation across the board.

“Shared visions make for fruitful partnerships, and thanks to Governor Cuomo's leadership, New York State is taking a bold step toward robust region-based economic renewal supported by SUNY’s 64 campuses,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “SUNY takes seriously its responsibility to be a catalyst for our state’s economic revitalization, and the Governor’s decision to consistently include us at the table speaks to the powerful relationship higher education can foster between business and local communities. Our students, faculty, and staff stand ready to join the Governor in uplifting New York’s citizens, harnessing our research potential, and spreading the word that New York is ‘open for business.’”

Alongside Chancellor Zimpher, council members from SUNY include:

• Capital Region: George M. Phillip, President, University at Albany
• Central New York Region: Cornelius B. "Neil" Murphy, Jr., President, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
• Finger Lakes Region: Anne M. Kress, President, Monroe Community College
• Long Island Region: Samuel L. Stanley Jr., President, Stony Brook University; and Calvin Butts, President, SUNY Old Westbury
• Mid-Hudson Region: Cliff L. Wood, President, SUNY Rockland Community College
• Mohawk Valley Region: Bjong Wolf Yeigh, President, SUNY Institute of Technology (co-chair); and Randall VanWagoner, President, Mohawk Valley Community College
• North Country Region: John Ettling, President, SUNY Plattsburgh
• Southern Tier Region: C. Peter Magrath, President, Binghamton University; Candace Vancko, President, SUNY Delhi; and Kathryn Boor, Dean of the New York State College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Cornell University
• Western New York Region: Satish K. Tripathi, President of University at Buffalo (co-chair)

This comprehensive inclusion is indicative of Governor Cuomo’s faith in higher education’s ability to move the dial on job creation and workforce development.

“Higher education will be the key economic driver,” the Governor said in January 2011 in his State of the State Address. “We look to partner with our great SUNY system, especially across upstate New York, in making this a reality.”

In May 2011, alongside Chancellor Zimpher, the Governor announced NYSUNY 2020, a competitive grant program aimed at positioning SUNY as a facilitator for job growth throughout the state and strengthening the academic programs at its four University Centers.

Later that month, SUNY launched the SUNY Report Card, a one-of-a-kind evaluation tool that will publicly track the university's systemwide work as an educator, job creator, community partner, and generator of boundary-breaking research. With the release of its report card, SUNY took an unprecedented step to measure the university system's performance against New York's greatest social and economic needs, including the alignment of SUNY's research capacity to statewide job growth and the state's ability to capture a greater share of the global green energy market, among other measures.

In June 2011, the Rockefeller Institute of Government and the University at Buffalo Regional Institute announced a joint report, the most comprehensive and detailed analysis ever undertaken of the economic impact SUNY has on New York State, entitled How SUNY Matters. According to the report, the SUNY system had a minimum economic impact of $19.8 billion in 2008-09.

And in September 2011, SUNY will host the first in an annual conference series entitled “Critical Issues in Higher Education.” Convened in Buffalo, this year’s theme will be “Universities as Economic Drivers: Measuring and Building Success.” The conference will aim to bring together key experts and leaders in highlighting and disseminating examples of what works and in helping to advance public policy as it relates to higher education’s role in economic development.

Driving New York’s economic development and enhancing quality of life for all New Yorkers is the overarching theme of SUNY's strategic plan, The Power of SUNY, which was launched in April 2010 and provides a roadmap for the system's development over the next decade.

SUNY is embedded in every community in New York State—93 percent of New Yorkers live within 15 miles of a SUNY campus, and virtually 100 percent live within 30 miles. In many communities, SUNY is also the region's largest employer.

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 465,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses with more than 3 million alumni around the globe. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu