State University of New York

Agency Web Site: https://www.suny.edu/

Mission

Created in 1948, the State University of New York (SUNY) is the largest public university system in the nation with 64 campuses offering a complete range of academic, professional, and vocational programs. The State University system is uniquely positioned to provide New Yorkers with access to quality postsecondary educational programs in all regions of the State.

Organization and Staffing

SUNY is governed by an 18-member Board of Trustees consisting of 15 members appointed by the Governor, by and with consent of the New York State Senate, the President of the Student Assembly, the Presidents of the University Faculty Senate and Faculty Council of Community Colleges as ex-officio members. Aside from the Board, SUNY's leadership structure also consists of a Chancellor, individual college Presidents and centralized staff. Additionally, each of the 30 community colleges have their own campus presidents and Board of Trustees. The State University includes 29 State-operated campuses, five statutory colleges, and 30 community colleges, located across New York and employing thousands of academic, administrative, and facility personnel.

Budget Highlights

The FY 2023 Executive Budget recommends $12.5 billion for SUNY and projects a workforce of 46,771, which is a 340 increase from the FY 2022 workforce level.

FY 2023 funding levels represent an overall $656 million increase to appropriated levels compared to the prior year. The increases include: $364 million in funding for capital projects, $283 million for the operations of SUNY's four-year campuses and hospitals, and $9 million in local assistance funding for SUNY community colleges.

For more information on this agency's budget recommendations located in the Executive Budget Briefing Book, click on the following link:

Briefing Book – Higher Education (PDF)

Program Highlights

SUNY is one of the nation's largest comprehensive public universities, offering over 7,000 degree and certificate programs at the research universities, community colleges, medical schools, and colleges of technology that comprise its 64 campuses. More than 385,000 full- and part-time students – 211,000 at State-operated campuses and 174,000 at community colleges – are pursuing studies ranging from one-year certificate programs to doctorates.

Responding to the Pandemic

COVID-19 confronted New York’s public university systems with unprecedented challenges that threatened their progress in providing New Yorkers with access to a college education. Both systems rose to the challenge in maintaining course offerings and helping to support the State's COVID response. SUNY and the City University of New York (CUNY) offered in-person learning at all 84 campuses, providing approximately 610,000 students the opportunity to continue their education uninterrupted in the Fall 2021 semester.

During the pandemic, SUNY and CUNY oversaw the timely distribution of a combined $1.4 billion of emergency grants to students from three federal stimulus bills, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.

Following months of aggressive student-driven awareness campaigns, SUNY students met the call to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their campus communities, reaching a COVID vaccination mandate compliance rate of 99.5 percent across all 64 campuses in the Fall 2021 semester.

Transform SUNY into a Nation-Leading Public Higher Education System

Governor Hochul will partner over the next year with SUNY, its individual institutions, and key stakeholders to develop a plan to implement her vision to transform SUNY into the top statewide system of public higher education in the country. The Executive Budget will help start this transformation with funding for new engineering buildings to help the University at Buffalo and Stony Brook University become SUNY's flagship institutions.

Provide a 10 Percent Increase in Support for Our Neediest Students

The Executive Budget includes a $10 million (10 percent) increase in funding for educationally disadvantaged students through higher education opportunity programs and training centers administered by SUNY. Funding for these programs has doubled since 2012 and now totals $115 million.

Increase SUNY Operating Support by $64 Million

The Executive Budget will increase operating support to SUNY State-operated campuses by fully reimbursing colleges for the cost of "TAP Gap" tuition credits, providing additional State support of $48.8 million to SUNY. SUNY will also receive additional operating revenue from Executive Budget legislation to raise the amount of State support that campuses receive for Excelsior Scholarship recipients, increasing operating support by $13.7 million to SUNY State-operated campuses and $2.1 million to SUNY community colleges.

Invest $53 Million in Full-Time Faculty

The Executive Budget provides SUNY $53 million to hire additional full-time faculty at both four-year colleges and community colleges. This investment will fund an estimated 340 additional full-time faculty at SUNY.

Raise the Community College Funding Floor

The Executive Budget will maintain a funding floor for community colleges at 100 percent of prior year funding, up from the 98 percent floor enacted in FY 2022. Without a funding floor, SUNY community colleges would face a $45 million (11 percent) loss in formula aid due to enrollment declines.

Expand Childcare to All SUNY Campuses

The Executive Budget includes $10.8 million in start-up funds for SUNY to establish childcare centers at all SUNY campuses, including $5.4 million for SUNY State-operated campuses and $5.4 million for SUNY community colleges.

Capital Plan

The FY 2023 Executive Budget advances a $3.2 billion five-year capital plan to support infrastructure improvements at SUNY. For FY 2023, the Executive Budget provides: $975 million in new capital appropriations for State-operated campuses (a $325 million increase), $57 million in new capital appropriations for community college projects (a $42 million increase); $150 million for capital projects at SUNY hospitals; and $75 million for dormitory related projects.

Note: Most recent estimates as of 05/11/2020