SUNY Progress Update Shows Continued Leadership on Student Success, Upward Mobility and Fiscal Stewardship
February 21, 2025
In 2024, SUNY Achieved Back-to-Back Years of Enrollment Growth in All Sectors for the First Time in 15 years, Launched New Opportunities for Students in and out of the Classroom, and Expanded Student Success Programs
Major Improvements in Campus Finances Following Two Years of Historic State Investment and Implementation of Campus Sustainability Plans
Albany, NY – One year after issuing the SUNY Report on Long-Term Enrollment and Financial Sustainability, the State University of New York today released an update outlining the system's progress over the past year in stabilizing campus finances, expanding student access and success, and continuing to expand SUNY's leadership in areas like groundbreaking research.
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "Through bold decision-making, smart investment, and unprecedented systemwide collaboration, under Chancellor King's leadership SUNY is on the move and we are making progress strengthening SUNY's financial health, ensuring institutional resilience, and positioning the system for success."
"Over the past year, SUNY has made significant strides in advancing its commitment to student success, academic excellence, and long-term sustainability," said SUNY Chancellor King. "In close partnership with Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, we are ensuring that SUNY remains an affordable catalyst for opportunity and upward mobility for all New Yorkers."
Highlights of the report include:
Update on SUNY's Progress:
SUNY achieved back-to-back years of enrollment growth across all SUNY sectors for the first time in 15 years while maintaining affordability for New York families – with more than half of New York State resident undergraduate students attending SUNY tuition-free. The university implemented and expanded ASAP and ACE programs, the nation's leading student retention and completion initiatives; launched Governor Hochul's Empire AI research center for the public good; and adopted SUNY's first-ever Climate and Sustainability Action Plan to achieve net-zero SUNY-wide greenhouse gas emissions and zero waste.
SUNY has also established the ambitious goal that every undergraduate student will participate in an internship or other experiential learning opportunity before they graduate. To help achieve this goal, SUNY launched the Empire State Service Corps, expanded the Chancellor's Summer Research Excellence Fund, established the Veterans Enrollment and Support Internship Program, launched the SUNY Climate Corps, announced the Institute for Local News internship program, partnered with the Brooklyn Public Library to create a new internship experience for SUNY students, and established an initiative for Educational Opportunity Program participants to intern with State agencies.
Improving SUNY's Long-Term Financial Outlook:
Following back-to-back years of enrollment gains and two years of historic levels of State funding support, SUNY projects a significant decrease in the $1 billion 10-year funding gap described in the original 2024 report. Now, the projected gap would be reduced to under $50 million by 2033-34 if recent trends continue. This strengthened financial position relies on:
- Maintaining the general pace of enrollment increases as well as implementing Governor Hochul's plan for free community college for adults ages 25-55 in high-demand fields;
- Continued investment that covers State-approved collective bargaining agreements and other essential costs (as reflected in the 2023-24 enacted budget, 2024-25 enacted budget, and Governor Hochul's 2025-26 Executive Budget proposal); and
- Maintaining SUNY's commitment to fiscal discipline.
Strengthening Financial Sustainability Across the SUNY System:
The January 2024 SUNY Report spotlighted five State-operated campuses that were implementing strategies to improve their financial health and ensure their long-term sustainability. Over the last year, each campus has made significant progress towards this goal.
- SUNY Potsdam: Following a 38% loss of enrollment from Fall 2013 through Fall 2023, SUNY Potsdam has developed a comprehensive plan to sustain and grow the campus. Their deficit has been reduced by 62% and Fall 2024 enrollment increased by 2%.
- SUNY Fredonia: SUNY Fredonia had experienced a 40% reduction in total enrollment from Fall 2013 to Fall 2023. The campus's Fall 2024 enrollment increased by 7.2% for first-time undergraduate students. In addition, the campus has added two new programs: a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and an MBA in Accounting. The Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling is currently the fastest-growing program at Fredonia. Their deficit has been cut in half.
- Buffalo State University: Buffalo State University has taken important steps to address the campus's 42% enrollment decline from Fall 2013 to Fall 2023. The Buffalo State operational stability plan focuses on areas where the campus excels, including creating new teacher education pipelines, nurturing STEM programs, bolstering art and hospitality programs, strengthening the pipeline of students to Ph.D.'s at the University at Buffalo, and creating Buffalo State's first doctoral program. Their deficit has been reduced by nearly 25% and previously announced measures – including discontinuing 37 programs enrolling 34 students – should yield another projected 25% reduction this coming year.
- SUNY Delhi: Following a 10-year 14% decline in first-time undergraduate enrollment from Fall 2013 to Fall 2023, SUNY Delhi increased first-time undergraduate enrollment by 18% in Fall 2024. Delhi is projected to have eliminated its structural deficit.
- SUNY Maritime College: Following a 23% decrease in total enrollment from Fall 2013 to Fall 2023, SUNY Maritime's enrollment was up nearly 5% in Fall 2024. With federal support for the new training ship, the campus ended the 2023-24 fiscal year with an operating surplus. Through a partnership with SUNY System and creation of a "Pay It Forward" initiative, the campus is working to ensure long-term sustainability and to address a major cost barrier through scholarships for the hallmark "Summer at Sea" program – a requirement for U.S. Coast Guard licenses.
Achieving Efficiencies and Improving Service Delivery:
The SUNY Board of Trustees and Chancellor King are committed to providing campuses with the academic, financial, and operational support needed to thrive. Consistent with that vision, Chancellor King has reorganized and strengthened SUNY System Administration. Unfilled positions in crucial areas like IT have been filled and interim appointments with uncertain authority have been replaced with permanent promotions of strong internal leaders and/or talented new senior leaders. These shifts are reflected in SUNY's staffing, which has now returned to just below the overall full-time equivalent (FTE) level that existed when Chancellor Johnson announced her departure. The greatest gains in staffing since Chancellor King's appointment have been in the newly established Office for Student Success and in the expansion of SUNY's Office of General Counsel, which has been restructured to provide the highest quality centralized legal services in a manner that is more cost-effective for SUNY campuses, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars to date.
In addition, SUNY has worked over the last two years to implement strategies systemwide to enhance financial sustainability across all campuses. These include engaging in regular academic program review; a multi-year plan for technology modernization to enhance transfer pathways, smooth HR processes, optimize enrollment management, and bolster academic and non-academic student supports; and a shared services initiative designed to fully leverage economies of scale made possible by operating the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the nation.
The full report is available here.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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