Chairman H. Carl McCall Announces Record MWBE Participation in SUNY Contracts
June 22, 2016
SUNY Surpasses 30 Percent Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) For First Time in 2015-16
New York City – State University of New York Board of Trustees Chairman H. Carl McCall today announced that participation by certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) in contracts awarded by SUNY System Administration and the university system’s state-operated campuses surpassed 30 percent for the first time in Fiscal Year 2015-16.
"Governor Cuomo has set an MWBE goal for New York that is higher than any other state in the country, and SUNY is proud to lead the way," said Chairman McCall, referencing the governor’s 2016 agenda. "SUNY is New York’s greatest economic asset. We have campuses in every region that are often the area’s largest employer and contractor. So it is essential that SUNY be a leader in doing business with Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises. I could not be more proud of the progress our central office and campuses have made toward this important responsibility."
"As New York State’s public university system, SUNY is committed to widespread support of the state’s MWBEs and to ensuring that they have every opportunity to partner with our campuses," said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. "Thank you and congratulations to the MWBE program coordinators at System Administration and across our state-operated campuses on this milestone achievement of exceeding 30 percent."
Chairman McCall and the SUNY Board first set an aggressive MWBE agenda for the university system in 2012, outlining a plan to ensure that SUNY would contribute to Governor Cuomo’s goals for MWBE participation in contracts awarded by New York State.
Since that time, MWBE participation in SUNY contracts and purchase orders has grown from 5 percent in Fiscal Year 2011-12 to 31 percent in Fiscal Year 2015-16.
To accomplish this growth, SUNY’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has put in place a number of best practices, including: an improved data collection system to measure MWBE participation at the campus level; enhanced communication and training for campus procurement staff and MWBE program coordinators; and expanded participation in regional economic development conferences to increase awareness among MWBEs of opportunities available to them within SUNY.
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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