Overview: SUNY’s Budget Crisis and the Impact on Stony Brook, 2008-09 and 2009-10
As the nation, the State of New York, and SUNY attempt to manage their way through the most challenging fiscal climate since the Great Depression, the resulting impact on Stony Brook’s budget has been considerable. The Advocacy Toolkit has been created to provide a forum for keeping the campus community informed about our challenges, the actions we have taken to respond and the trials that confront us. We hope faculty, staff, students, and concerned community members will use this information to advocate for Stony Brook as an entity that must be supported both financially and with greater flexibility to unleash the potential of our great institution to stimulate economic growth and move our region and State toward better economic times. We also urge you to take action by writing to New York State decision makers, and to review highlights of former President Kenny's recent public interventions in the current debate over higher ed funding.
First, some recent history: The state fiscal year began April 1, 2008 with a legislatively approved budget for all of SUNY that would be considered “status quo.” There was virtually no new money to grow programs on campus, but there were no cuts either. Governor Paterson, having very recently taken the reins following Elliot Spitzer’s resignation, soon discovered revenue projections used in the state’s budget development process had been too optimistic. Problems on Wall Street were already having an effect on projected income to the State. The Governor responded with a mid-year cut (although SUNY’s fiscal year beginning July 1st had not yet begun) that assessed SUNY $50 million. Stony Brook’s share of that cut was $7.3 million. In July, as fiscal conditions continued to deteriorate, a second round of cuts were made. SUNY was reduced by $96.3 million. Because the System had some one-time funds to offset a portion of this loss, $71 million was distributed to campuses and $9.2 million was cut from Stony Brook’s budget in fiscal 2008-09. This will increase to $12.5 million for the year to begin July 1, 2009 when the entire $96.3 million is assessed.
Former President Kenny responded in August with a centrally imposed hiring freeze kept in place until we understood what our share of the $96.3 million reduction would be. Unfortunately, that period of uncertainty continued until early December. Shortly thereafter, following a thorough consultative analysis of campus operating budgets, specific cuts were distributed to the Provost, Vice Presidents and other senior managers to address the first two rounds of cuts described above.
On December 16th, Governor Paterson issued his Executive Budget for 2009-10. That document also included a Budget Reduction Plan (BRP) to address yet another fiscal 2008-09 deficit. His plan, recently approved by the Legislature, included endorsement of a large tuition rate increase for SUNY. The new rates are estimated to generate $9.3 million for Stony Brook in the current fiscal year and $19.5 million in 2009-10. Unfortunately, the BRP also includes the removal of 90% of the $9.3 million this year (in effect, a third mid-year cut) and 80% of the $19.5 million in 2009-10. As a result, relief to Stony Brook, when compared to the multiple cuts sustained this year, is relatively small.
The Executive Budget for 2009-10 also contains more bad news for Stony Brook. There are two state tax dollar reductions proposed with language that strongly suggests we should use other campus cash balances, positive Income Fund Reimbursable accounts and Research Indirect Cost balances, to fill the gap. The cuts are estimated at $6 million and $2.7 million respectively. There are also proposed mandatory reductions to a number of University-wide program accounts that supplement Stony Brook’s base budget, totaling another $3.6 million in cuts to Stony Brook’s operating funds.
The material available on this site provides narrative describing the importance of several of the specific programs reduced in the Executive Budget as well as other information that can be used in advocacy efforts. Please take the time to read this material and use it in your conversations with colleagues on campus, with members of the broader community, legislators, business leaders and anyone who could promote our cause. This is a critical time in the budget process when the State Legislature will be making decisions on resource allocations directly affecting our future.
Take Action
Speak out against proposed budget cuts that imperil the future of higher education in New York State. Please download, edit, and mail the attached sample letter to the Governor, your state legislators, and other decision makers. Contact information for legislators is available online as follows:
New York State Assembly
New York State Senate
New York State Governor David A. Patterson
Former President Kenny Speaks Out
In recent weeks Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny has issued a public call for renewed investment in higher education via op-eds, blog posts, and interviews in various media. The links below lead to highlights of Dr. Kenny's campaign.
Radio Interview with WNYC's Brian Lehrer (April 21, 2009)
CUNY and SUNY students are facing a taxing education issue, (New York Daily News op-ed, April 11, 2009)
Invest in Higher Ed (letter to the editor of USA Today, April 3, 2009)
Don't Foreclose On Our Future: Invest In Public Higher Education, (Huffington Post, March 26, 2009)
Advocacy Toolkit
The documents below, downloadable in Adobe PDF format, are supporting data related to Stony Brook University's 2009 legislative priorities.
Stony Brook 2009 Legislative Priorities
Budget Cuts and Tuition Increases
Stony Brook University Hospital:
Issues of Concern in the Executive Budget
2009-10
Graduate Scholarships:
Impact of Proposed Executive Budget Reductions
2009-10
Empire Innovation Program (EIP):
Impact of Proposed Executive Budget Reductions
2009-10
Strategic Partnership for Industrial Resurgence
(SPIR) Center for Advanced Technical Assistance
Student Computing Access:
Impact of Proposed Executive Budget Reductions
2009-10
Academic Equipment Replacement:
Impact of Proposed Executive Budget Reductions
2009-10
Executive Budget Recommendation: Proposed University-Wide Program Reductions
