February 12, 2021
Dear Legislators,
We thank you for your support for higher education in this year's budget, as well as all you have done in the past to support the 1.2 million college students earning their degree at a public or private institution in New York State. We now seek your support for an Executive Budget proposal (ELFA Part C) that has no fiscal impact and better serves students by giving our colleges and universities the much-needed ability to streamline the process for accredited institutions to adopt new curricula or programs of academic study, allowing us to regain competitiveness we've lost to out-of-state colleges and universities enrolling our residents.
New York's decades-old review process is lengthy and duplicative, slowing our ability to offer new academic degrees and certifications that meet emerging workforce demand. It contributes to the loss of students who select other schools in other states because the program they want is not yet available here. Today more than 50,000 New Yorkers are enrolled in an out-of-state online institution. We must curb the outflow of students and revenue—a problem which has been further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent loss of enrollment.
Each of our colleges and universities is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. When instituting new programs or changes to existing programs, our faculty and academic leadership have the expertise to lead review and approval in the same way that they can at institutions in other states. But as it stands, the process involves redundant steps, starting with an institutional and shared governance review (including external evaluation by campuses with similar programs), followed at SUNY and CUNY schools with a rigorous review by System Administration, followed by yet another layer of review at the State Education Department (SED). These redundancies add hundreds of days on average to the process. In comparison, 35 other states have no state-level approval for new programs. By comparison:
We only ask for the same opportunities as our competitors. Our schools have a strong relationship with SED and respect and appreciate the staff's work tremendously. Our concern rests solely with a process that has always been duplicative and over time has become costly and burdensome. This change does not affect the requirement that institutions submit a master plan amendment for expansion of academic mission, nor SED's role in professional licensure. It is strictly limited to the review and approval of the programs offered by our campuses that do not require a master plan amendment or lead to professional licensure.
Our institutions will lead New York State's recovery from this pandemic. To do so we need your support in modernizing a program review process that is preventing us from adapting to quickly-changing workforce needs. We would be happy to provide any additional materials and answer any questions in order to earn your support.
Sincerely,
Jim Malatras - SUNY Chancellor
Drew Bogner - CICU Interim President
Félix V. Matos Rodríguez - CUNY Chancellor
Christine Riordan
President
Adelphi University
Dennis McKenna
President & CEO
Albany Medical College
Skip Sullivan
President
Alfred State College
Mark Zupan
President
Alfred University
Gabrielle Gaustad
VP for Statutory Affairs
NYS College of Ceramics, Alfred University
Leon Botstein
President
Bard College
Sian Leah Beilock
President
Barnard College
David Wu
President
Baruch College
Harvey Stenger
President
Binghamton University
Victor Alicea
President
Boricua College
Anthony Munroe
President
Borough of Manhattan Community College
Thomas A. Isekenegbe
President
Bronx Community College
Michelle Anderson
President
Brooklyn College
Katherine Conway-Turner
President
Buffalo State College
John Hurley
President
Canisius College
Brian Durant
President
Cayuga County Community College
Ronald Chesbrough
President
Cazenovia College
Ray DiPasquale
President
Clinton Community College
Brian Casey
President
Colgate University
Susan Burns
President
College of Mount Saint Vincent
William Fritz
President
College of Staten Island
Lee Bollinger
President
Columbia University in the City of New York
Carlee Drummer
President
Columbia-Green Community College
John Arthur Nunes
President
Concordia College
Martha Pollack
President
Cornell University
Benjamin Houlton
Dean
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Cornell University
Rachel Dunifon
Dean
College of Human Ecology - Cornell University
Lorin Warnick
Dean
College of Veterinary Medicine - Cornell University
Alexander Colvin
Dean
School of Industrial and Labor Relations - Cornell University
William Mullaney
President
Corning Community College
Sarah Bartlett
Dean
Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Robin Garrell
President
CUNY Graduate Center
Gregory Mantsios
Dean
CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
Mary Lu Bilek
Dean
CUNY School of Law
John Mogulescu
Dean
CUNY School of Professional Studies
Ayman El-Mohandes
Dean
CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy
Lorrie Clemo
President
D’Youville College
Gary Olson
President
Daemen College
Mary Eileen O'Brien
President
Dominican College
Wayne Riley
President
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Ellen Gambino
President
Dutchess Community College
Nathan Gonyea
Officer in Charge
Empire State College
William Reuter
Interim President
Erie Community College
David Schejbal
President
Excelsior College
John Nader
President
Farmingdale State College
Joyce Brown
President
Fashion Institute of Technology
Robert Nye
President
Finger Lakes Community College
Joseph McShane
President
Fordham University
Gregory Truckenmiller
Acting President
Fulton-Montgomery Community College
James Sunser
President
Genesee Community College
Doris Cintrón
Interim President
Guttman Community College
David Wippman
President
Hamilton College
Joyce Griffin-Sobel
President and CEO
Helene Fuld College of Nursing
Cathleen McColgin
President
Herkimer Community College
Michael Brophy
President
Hilbert College
Joyce Jacobsen
President
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Stuart Rabinowitz
President
Hofstra University
Daisy Cocco De Filippis
Interim President
Hostos Community College
Shirley Mullen
President
Houghton College
Roger Ramsammy
President
Hudson Valley Community College
Jennifer Raab
President
Hunter College
Shirley Collado
President
Ithaca College
Daniel DeMarte
President
Jamestown Community College
Ty Stone
President
Jefferson Community College
Shuly Rubin Schwartz
Chancellor
Jewish Theological Seminary
Karol Mason
President
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Amy Storey
President
Keuka College
Claudia Schrader
President
Kingsborough Community College
Kenneth Adams
President
LaGuardia Community College
Linda LeMura
President
Le Moyne College
Daniel Lemons
Interim President
Lehman College
Kimberly Cline
President
Long Island University
Brennan O'Donnell
President
Manhattan College
James Gandre
President
Manhattan School of Music
Michael Geisler
President
Manhattanville College
Thomas Gamble
President
Maria College
Dennis Murray
President
Marist College
Kerry Walk
President
Marymount Manhattan College
Kenneth Macur
President
Medaille College
Rudolph Crew
President
Medgar Evers College
Tim Hall
President
Mercy College
Joanne Passaro
President
Metropolitan College of New York
Randall VanWagoner
President
Mohawk Valley Community College
James Lentini
President
Molloy College
Katherine Douglas
Interim President
Monroe Community College
Jason Adsit
President
Mount Saint Mary College
Jermaine Williams
President
Nassau Community College
Elizabeth Paul
President
Nazareth College
Michael Mestan
President
New York Chiropractic College
Russell Hotzler
President
New York City College of Technology
Louis Levine
President & Chief Executive Officer
New York College of Podiatric Medicine
Henry Foley
President & Chief Executive Officer
New York Institute of Technology
David Sprouls
President
New York School of Interior Design
Andrew Hamilton
President
New York University
William Murabito
President
Niagara County Community College
Joseph Keegan
President
North Country Community College
Casey Crabill
President
Onondaga Community College
Kristine Young
President
Orange County Community College
Marvin Krislov
President
Pace University
Frances Bronet
President
Pratt Institute
Milagros Peña
President
Purchase College
Frank Wu
President
Queens College
Christine Mangino
President
Queensborough Community College
Deana Porterfield
President
Roberts Wesleyan College
David Munson
President
Rochester Institute of Technology
Michael Baston
President
Rockland Community College
Christopher Ames
President
Russell Sage College
Cristle Collins Judd
President
Sarah Lawrence College
Steady Moono
President
Schenectady County Community College
Marc Conner
President
Skidmore College
Joseph Zimmer
Acting President
St. Bonaventure University
Varinya Sheppard
President
St. Elizabeth College of Nursing
Miguel Martinez-Saenz
President
St. Francis College
Brian Shanley
President
Saint John's University
Donald Boomgaarden
President
St. Joseph's College of New York
William Fox
President
St. Lawrence University
Kenneth Daly
President
St. Thomas Aquinas College
Maurie McInnis
President
Stony Brook University
Louis Petrizzo
Interim President
Suffolk County Community College
Jay Quaintance
President
Sullivan County Community College
Kristine Duffy
President
SUNY Adirondack
Heidi Macpherson
President
SUNY Brockport
Kevin Drumm
President
SUNY Broome
Zvi Szafran
President
SUNY Canton
Marion Terenzio
President
SUNY Cobleskill
Joanie Mahoney
President
SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry
David Heath
President
SUNY College of Optometry
Erik Bitterbaum
President
SUNY Cortland
Michael LaLiberte
President
SUNY Delhi
Stephen Kolison
President
SUNY Fredonia
Denise Battles
President
SUNY Geneseo
Michael Alfultis
President
SUNY Maritime
David Rogers
President
SUNY Morrisville
Donald Christian
President
SUNY New Paltz
Timothy Sams
President
SUNY Old Westbury
Dennis Craig
Acting President
SUNY Oneonta
Deborah Stanley
President
SUNY Oswego
Alexander Enyedi
President
SUNY Plattsburgh
Tod Laursen
Acting President
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Kristin Esterberg
President
SUNY Potsdam
Thomas R. Bailey
President Teachers College
Columbia University
Vincent Boudreau
President
The City College of New York
Laura Sparks
President
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Tim Gibson
President
The King’s College
Dwight McBride
President
The New School
Orinthia Montague
President
Thompkins Cortland Community College
Alan Kadish
President
Touro College
Bassam Deeb
President
Trocaire College
Alan Roberts
President
Ulster County Community College
David Harris
President
Union College
Havidán Rodríguez
President
University at Albany
Satish Tripathi
President
University at Buffalo
Mantosh Dewan
President
Upstate Medical University
Laura Casamento
President
Utica College
Elizabeth Bradley
President
Vassar College
Sharon DeVivo
President
Vaughn College
Matthew Giordano
President
Villa Maria College
Joel Martin
President
Wagner College
Jonathan Gibralter
President
Wells College
Belinda Miles
President
Westchester Community College
Mary Pearl
Dean
William E. Macaulay Honors College
Ari Berman
President
Yeshiva University
Berenecea Eanes
President
York College
