Tagged: ny suny 2020

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has called SUNY "the great equalizer for the middle class."

But now he's looking for the university system to do more than just lift up individual students: he wants SUNY to serve as a catalyst for economic growth in the communities that its schools serve.

Cuomo kicked off the process last year with promises of $35 million apiece for the state's four major research universities in Buffalo, Binghamton, Albany and Stony Brook. 

Now he's proposing another round of so-called SUNY 2020 cash, for the state's remaining 60 schools to compete for.

On the heels of the Governor's State of the State address last week, SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher delivered her own speech on the state of higher education Monday.

Zimpher repeated her calls for the SUNY system to be an economic driver for the state.

She added that SUNY will adjust its budgetary process, in order to funnel more money to top-performing schools.

"Resources are not inexhaustible," says Zimpher. "In fact, SUNY's budget has been cut by $1.4 billion over the past four years, so it is absolutely critical that we use our resources to achieve the results we want."

As part of the new NY SUNY 2020 program, meant to improve the state's higher education system, the University at Buffalo (UB) will receive $35 million to re-locate its medical school downtown and hire new faculty.

The money comes from shrunken and re-tooled version of UB 2020, which was originally a large legislative package calling for $4 billion worth of projects and programs for the school.

Last spring, that ask was modified and expanded, to include all four of SUNY's research universities: SUNY Brockport, Binghamton and Stony Brook, in addition to UB. 

"From my first days as chancellor, the advocacy for UB 2020 was undeniable, and that planted the seed that ultimately led to the scaling up of this idea in the concept of NY SUNY 2020," recalled Nancy Zimpher, SUNY chancellor.

Once envisioned as the driver of a western New York economic comeback, UB 2020 has now been prescribed a different route by Albany. As the legislative session nears an end, its future is cloudy at best. (What is UB 2020?)

Hyping the idea

UB 2020 - the legislative package that University at Buffalo officials have championed for years as the area’s best vehicle for an economic revival - is facing a tough climb.

Hopes were high this March when the legislation passed the Senate, 55 to 1. As a candidate and during his tenor as governor, Cuomo voiced support for UB 2020.

But somewhere along the way he decided it was too expensive. And now, UB’s new president Satish Tripathi agrees with him.