Nominees for SUNY Board of Trustees

[UAalum72]

Spitzer pushes Hayden, McCall for SUNY board

 

Nominees envision a better, costlier SUNY

[scrabbleship]

Spitzer pushes Hayden, McCall for SUNY board

 

Nominees envision a better, costlier SUNY

 

Outside of fixing programs and schools, I see little good in all of this. Jack up the price and the little guys get more squished out and private school people DO NOT know how to run public universities!!

[GODANESGO]

Spitzer pushes Hayden, McCall for SUNY board

 

Nominees envision a better, costlier SUNY

 

Outside of fixing programs and schools, I see little good in all of this. Jack up the price and the little guys get more squished out and private school people DO NOT know how to run public universities!!

 

As usual scrabble, be careful (think) before you post. Kermit Hall, who I think we all agree did a great job here, has masters degrees from both Syracuse and Yale. Herbst has her PhD from Southern California and her bachelors from Duke..also has advanced studies from Harvard. Yup, all privates.

 

Hayden was the Chancellor of the NYS Board of Regents and Carl McCall was until just recently the Co-Chair of the New York Public Higher Education Conference Board. Ask nearly anyone associated with SUNY and they'll confirm that McCall has been a HUGE supporter of the state university system.

 

Well all know you dislike nearly everything associated with UAlbany, SUNY, and NYS government, but you might be believable if you post some fact.

[UA_MA_2000]

I. On UAlbany's Autonomy

I don't know nearly as much about the SUNY system and structure as some others on this Board, but it seems to me that if we're responsible for a large part of the cost of, for example, a football stadium, then we should be allowed to have some autonomy on campus with respect to fixing the cost of attendance (i.e., tuition). I don't think it's really fair to bind us to all the rules of the SUNY system and a tuition amount if we then have to generate a lot of the funds for a stadium. What do others think? My view is subject to change because I don't know a lot about the SUNY system, as this comment was prefaced with.

 

II. On the Structure of the SUNY System and its Professional Schools

As to the structure of the SUNY system in general, I've posted comments in the past discussing how our SUNY campuses are too spread out and scattered. How can we have a flagship school if the Vet. school is at Cornell; the Law School is at Buffalo, our Medical Schools are in Syracuse and downstate (Upstate and Downstate Med); the SUNY College of Optometry is in Manhattan; the School of Dentistry is in Buffalo; the principal SUNY Agricultural School is at Cornell (and usually ranked #1 in the nation; I recognize that other SUNY schools, such as Cobleskill, also specialize in agriculture, etc.); and so on ... .

 

If a lot of these professional schools were on, let's say, 2 campuses --- i.e., a University of New York and New York State or New York A & M, then you'd quickly find that our SUNY system would be tier 1 and rival the top public universities in the country!

[UBBulls]

I. On UAlbany's Autonomy

I don't know nearly as much about the SUNY system and structure as some others on this Board, but it seems to me that if we're responsible for a large part of the cost of, for example, a football stadium, then we should be allowed to have some autonomy on campus with respect to fixing the cost of attendance (i.e., tuition). I don't think it's really fair to bind us to all the rules of the SUNY system and a tuition amount if we then have to generate a lot of the funds for a stadium. What do others think? My view is subject to change because I don't know a lot about the SUNY system, as this comment was prefaced with.

 

President Simpson here at UB has been in a few meetings with Spitzer and SUNY officials really pushing for allowing the research-intensive universities to set their own tuitions and receive increased state funding. He has been giving presentations to the Buffalo community explaining UB2020, and part of his schpeel concerns the money-spent-per-student differences between the Centers and other research intensive flagship universities.

 

UB Reporter 10/18 "To realize its aspirations, UB will require significant state funding, as well as changes in state policies—including those that would allow tuition among SUNY colleges and universities to differentiate, depending on their mission. It also will take widespread community support to help UB realize the increased funding and policy changes."

 

Report concerning Simpson's speach

 

UB Spectrum 10/5 (Simpson) "Our school has a paucity of resources," he said. "In comparison to Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and others, we spend about $25,000 per student. Other schools average $45,000. The student-faculty ratio at our school is 11 to one. At other schools, it is 6.5 to one. In other areas, the disparity is also just as obscene."

 

UB president calls for tuition increases

[Classof72/74]

I. On UAlbany's Autonomy

 

UB Reporter 10/18 "To realize its aspirations, UB will require significant state funding,....Report concerning Simpson's speach

 

UB Spectrum 10/5 (Simpson) "Our school has a paucity of resources," he said

UB president calls for tuition increases

 

 

I almost choked on my morning cup of tea when I read this. It sent me scurrying back to a copy of UAlbany's dashboard from 11/05. At that time the UAlbany endowment was $16 million. UB was

$345 million

[GODANESGO]

I. On UAlbany's Autonomy

I don't know nearly as much about the SUNY system and structure as some others on this Board, but it seems to me that if we're responsible for a large part of the cost of, for example, a football stadium, then we should be allowed to have some autonomy on campus with respect to fixing the cost of attendance (i.e., tuition). I don't think it's really fair to bind us to all the rules of the SUNY system and a tuition amount if we then have to generate a lot of the funds for a stadium. What do others think? My view is subject to change because I don't know a lot about the SUNY system, as this comment was prefaced with.

 

II. On the Structure of the SUNY System and its Professional Schools

As to the structure of the SUNY system in general, I've posted comments in the past discussing how our SUNY campuses are too spread out and scattered. How can we have a flagship school if the Vet. school is at Cornell; the Law School is at Buffalo, our Medical Schools are in Syracuse and downstate (Upstate and Downstate Med); the SUNY College of Optometry is in Manhattan; the School of Dentistry is in Buffalo; the principal SUNY Agricultural School is at Cornell (and usually ranked #1 in the nation; I recognize that other SUNY schools, such as Cobleskill, also specialize in agriculture, etc.); and so on ... .

 

If a lot of these professional schools were on, let's say, 2 campuses --- i.e., a University of New York and New York State or New York A & M, then you'd quickly find that our SUNY system would be tier 1 and rival the top public universities in the country!

 

It's good to see someone ask questions instead of assuming and then making rash statments (cough cough scrabble cough cough..kidding, kind of).

 

I. A lot of the buildings that are put up on campuses do come from state (funneled through SUNY Admin) funds. Though I think it's only natural for expensive projects, like our football stadium, to use private/donation money as well because there's only so much capital funding to go around.

 

While the SUNY BOT does set tuition (though done defacto by the Legislature as they determine any budget shortfall, if there is one, like they did with the $950 increase in 2003) individual campuses have significant control over funds coming in through fees and other non-tuition costs. While some of these fees have max limits set by SUNY Admin, each campus has fees like a comprehensive fee, athletics fee, etc that are determined by the campus.

 

II. 'Differential' tuition has been discussed a lot with SUNY's Rational Tuition plan. Some aspects of it are already in place, though mainly with professional schools dealing with dental, medical, law, nursing, etc. There's been talk of fixing the price/tuition to the general cost of a program/major. A counter is how much do you do that ($50 difference between political science and history?), and does that mean one degree is 'worth more' than other? Other state systems have differences in tuition per campus (though still decided and set by the state system) but they tend to have quite a few less campuses to 'differentiate.'

[ATL_DANE]

Thanks for the update UB fans. Also, congrats on your football team's success, I hope you guys win the MAC conference. It would finally shut up the naysayers who complain that SUNY could never compete in FBS. UB's success at FBS helps Albany and Stony Brook whether they like it or not.

 

UB's president is helping all the research centers with his arguments for growth and investment. He is saying the right things. If Albany had a president, I'm sure he'd be saying the same things.

 

I see some positive signs that Spitzer and his crew understand the issues, now can he do something or will we have 3 years of scandals and gridlock?

 

We need to focus resources and energy to get the university centers to compete with other states' flagships. This means closing some campuses, reducing overlapping programs and eliminating inefficiencies. This will provide resources to build up good but not great universities. Spitzer knows government is too dysfunctional to be able to eliminate campuses, just yet, but it is clear they plan to take control of SUNY. I wouldn't be surprised if campuses are merged under larger umbrella flagship schools (keeping it as a satelite campus of a larger university). It is also clear that Spitzer wants redundant programs like criminal justice pared down and emerging areas like nano built up.

 

There was an article where Spitzer argued for the need to bring SUNY back into urban areas where they can do the most good. This is positive sign for Buffalo and Albany. Add to that, his desire help upstate New York and Albany and Buffalo are major candidates for growth. He also had an off-hand positive remark about the importance of athletics to a university's national profile. I haven't heard one piece of negative news for the university centers. So far it's all talk but these are points taken from articles I've read that make me optimistic:

• Wanting nationally competitive universities
  
• Bringing SUNY back to urban areas
  
• Reducing the number of masters that SUNY reports to
  
• Needing to help upstate NY
  
• Seeing universities as economic engines (e.g. nano)
  
• Neutral to positive on athletics (No noticeable hostility)
  

[UA_MA_2000]

I. On UAlbany's Autonomy

 

UB Reporter 10/18 "To realize its aspirations, UB will require significant state funding,....Report concerning Simpson's speach

 

UB Spectrum 10/5 (Simpson) "Our school has a paucity of resources," he said

UB president calls for tuition increases

 

 

I almost choked on my morning cup of tea when I read this. It sent me scurrying back to a copy of UAlbany's dashboard from 11/05. At that time the UAlbany endowment was $16 million. UB was

$345 million

 

 

 

I guess my next question is how Buffalo got such a large endowment, or, in the alternative, why ours is so relatively low? Were there a couple large donations to Buffalo, or has Buffalo actively sought out donations for a longer period of time than UAlbany?

 

No wonder Buffalo has money to pursue it's "Division I-A" football program ... .

[GODANESGO]

Buffalo was a private school before turning into the UB we now know and joining the SUNY system. Former US President Millard Fillmore was actually their first Chancellor.

[UAalum72]

Buffalo was a private university until about 1960, I'd assume most of its endowment base grew from then.

 

Binghamton's was $57million in 2006, when they said only 15% of colleges were over $50M

[UA_MA_2000]

Buffalo was a private university until about 1960, I'd assume most of its endowment base grew from then.

 

Binghamton's was $57million in 2006, when they said only 15% of colleges were over $50M

 

I believe Binghamton was also a private school at one point -- the "Triple Cities College" of Syracuse University. Then it became Harpur College and part of SUNY around 1950.

 

Buffalo was apparently quite a good school back in its private-school days (not to say that it isn't now of course).

 

I didn't know that only 15% of colleges had over $50 million for endowment; interesting statistic.

[UBBulls]

Syracuse set up both "Triple Cities" and Utica College of Syracuse University, now just Utica college. I think UC undergrads have a strong connection with Syracuse programs. I'm not sure if there were any additional SU branches before SUNY existed.

[GODANESGO]

I didn't know that only 15% of colleges had over $50 million for endowment; interesting statistic.

 

As with all stats, I'm sure that can be convientently misleading. Without specific knowledge, I would assume it's 15% of all the nation's colleges and universities..including tiny 100s and low 1000s enrollment colleges which would tend not to have large research university type endowments.

[ATL_DANE]

Thanks for the update UB fans. Also, congrats on your football team's success, I hope you guys win the MAC conference. It would finally shut up the naysayers who complain that SUNY could never compete in FBS. UB's success at FBS helps Albany and Stony Brook whether they like it or not.

 

UB's president is helping all the research centers with his arguments for growth and investment. He is saying the right things. If Albany had a president, I'm sure he'd be saying the same things.

 

I see some positive signs that Spitzer and his crew understand the issues, now can he do something or will we have 3 years of scandals and gridlock?

 

We need to focus resources and energy to get the university centers to compete with other states' flagships. This means closing some campuses, reducing overlapping programs and eliminating inefficiencies. This will provide resources to build up good but not great universities. Spitzer knows government is too dysfunctional to be able to eliminate campuses, just yet, but it is clear they plan to take control of SUNY. I wouldn't be surprised if campuses are merged under larger umbrella flagship schools (keeping it as a satelite campus of a larger university). It is also clear that Spitzer wants redundant programs like criminal justice pared down and emerging areas like nano built up.

 

There was an article where Spitzer argued for the need to bring SUNY back into urban areas where they can do the most good. This is positive sign for Buffalo and Albany. Add to that, his desire help upstate New York and Albany and Buffalo are major candidates for growth. He also had an off-hand positive remark about the importance of athletics to a university's national profile. I haven't heard one piece of negative news for the university centers. So far it's all talk but these are points taken from articles I've read that make me optimistic:

• Wanting nationally competitive universities
  
• Bringing SUNY back to urban areas
  
• Reducing the number of masters that SUNY reports to
  
• Needing to help upstate NY
  
• Seeing universities as economic engines (e.g. nano)
  
• Neutral to positive on athletics (No noticeable hostility)
  

 

 

Quote from Plattsburgh Press Republican Today.

 

Could that include establishing a flagship university center, as most states have, or closing some campuses and having fewer but bigger colleges?

 

"We could have one, two, three or four flagships," he said. " (Gov Spitzer)

 

Source

http://www.pressrepublican.com/0201_editor..._295221506.html