SUNY grades itself and tuition increases slow in CNY

"We are asking New Yorkers to hold us accountable," said SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, who took over in 2009. She said the annual report card, the first of which is to be released Tuesday, is unique in higher education. "It's a level of accountability that many would consider a gamble," she said. "But the risks are outweighed by the opportunity it presents for all New Yorkers to vest in -- and take ownership of -- SUNY's advancement and our impact on the economic revitalization of New York state."

The story is the same nationwide. Average tuition hikes over the past two years have been 4.3 and 4.5 percent, the smallest since the early 1970s, said Tony Pals, director of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Colleges are still setting rates for next year, but Pals said he expects a similar percentage increase for 2011-12. In the decade before 2009, Pals said, tuition increases were about 6 percent annually. Syracuse University’s tuition, which makes up three-quarters of the typical student’s education tab, will rise by 3.8 percent this year. That’s the lowest increase in 46 years, and it follows increases that were the lowest in 44 and 45 years.

"It's a big industry, a big concern for all of us," said New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. "And we like the fact that it was an idea that was developed here from Cornell University and a company that had a commitment to growing jobs here in New York State." DiNapoli took a tour of the laboratory Friday. The comptroller's office invested $9.9 million in the bioanalysis firm and DiNapoli expects it to pay off. "That's important so that the retirements are secure, the benefits are secure for the retirees. It's important for taxpayers to support those benefits as well," DiNapoli said.

Research and development funded by both public and private sources has held steady at about 2.5 percent of gross domestic product for the last three years, Bernanke said. However, government spending on research has trended down since the 1970s, he said. In addition, the share of spending on basic research, as opposed to applied activities, has also fallen, Bernanke said. "The declining emphasis on basic research is somewhat concerning because fundamental research is ultimately the source of most innovation, albeit often with long lags," he said.

Five years ago, before the $4.6 billion GlobalFoundries project was announced, Connelly would probably have had to leave the area -- and the state -- to find work in the semiconductor industry. But that was before folks in Saratoga County came up with the idea of turning a piece of logging land into what became Luther Forest Technology Campus, where Fab 8 is being built. Creating local jobs and opportunities in a growing sector is a big part of the reason the state Legislature and Gov. George Pataki approved a $1.4 billion incentive package to lure GlobalFoundries here. That is just one part of the story that has turned the Hudson Valley into Tech Valley, which today rivals tech centers such as Silicon Valley in California and Austin, Texas.

"The question to me is, 'Where are the elderly people going?'" said Wende A. Mix, an associate professor of geography and planning at Buffalo State College. That trend also matches what Mix has found. She compared population estimates from the Rochester and Buffalo regions and found that Rochester steadily gained people 65 and older during the decade of the 2000s, while the Buffalo region saw a steady decline in the number of senior citizens. "Are they just not living as long here? Are they moving to Florida or Arizona?" Mix asked. "That's the big question." Relatively speaking, the actual numbers aren't huge.

The poll found 26 percent of New York adults are planning to move, 67 percent plan to stay, and 6 percent aren't sure. For respondents under age 30, the Marist poll found 36 percent plan to move out of state, 60 percent plan to stay, and 3 percent aren't sure.

A patient portal is an electronic tool that individuals can use to keep track of their health information. For anyone who's given up check-writing, using a patient portal will be the health version of electronic banking. "When I get home and want to do all my banking online, it doesn't matter that it's 2 in the morning," said Dr. David Krusch, chief medical information officer for URMC, which includes Strong Memorial and Highland hospitals. "This does much of the same thing. We can do 99.9 percent of our banking anytime it's convenient for us. This will bring that same convenience to exchanging information with our providers." Beginning next spring, the URMC portal will be extended to all outpatient practices within its system.