Statement from SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher on SUNY’s Western New York Storm Response

November 24, 2014

“SUNY’s resources and those of our Western New York campuses continue to support the Buffalo community in response to the massive lake effect snow storm the region experienced last week, the potential threat of flooding, and the difficult recovery that so many of our neighbors now face.

“SUNY campuses in Western New York including the University at Buffalo, SUNY Buffalo State College, and Erie County Community College, have been made available to provide shelter if needed and ECC will continue to provide food and space for members of the National Guard and other first responders.

“SUNY will continue to support Governor Cuomo’s response efforts with a 24/7 university representative on site at the State Emergency Management Office bunker. In addition, engineers from the State University Construction Fund and Cornell University are helping assess the structural damage of government buildings, schools, and other critical infrastructure such as sewage and power plants and providing estimated costs for repairs.

“Governor Cuomo’s swift and capable abilities in responding to natural disasters have prepared New York State to handle storms like this, and SUNY is pleased to be able to once again support the state-wide effort in significant and meaningful ways.”

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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