Stadium Funding and UAlbany Flagship

[purplehaze]

It is true the political Axis in this state leans towards the lower geographic portion.

[danefan]

I think the "fingers" are being pointed, perhaps, in the wrong direction on this issue. I would encourage those interested to examine the effect, if any, that allocation of funds as between SUNY and CUNY had on all of this. Downstate killed this, and that's all I'm saying for now.

 

 

Unless I'm missing something the numbers I see are as follows:

CUNY: $1,722,346,317

231,000 degree-credit students and 230,000 adult, continuing and professional education students students in 23 campuses

 

SUNY: $11,560,339,025 and $4,166,026,329 in reappropriations.

426,891 students in 64 campuses

[scrabbleship]

I think the "fingers" are being pointed, perhaps, in the wrong direction on this issue. I would encourage those interested to examine the effect, if any, that allocation of funds as between SUNY and CUNY had on all of this. Downstate killed this, and that's all I'm saying for now.

 

I'll add my two cents to this. As much as we can point fingers to the TU for playing favorites with Siena and how we get shafted by them as well, consider this fact about Stony Brook: Newsday, though having to cover a much wider area than the TU, gives very little press to Stony Brook and they have to schlep for space behind all the pro sports and Hofstra. In fact, the news of the money probably was much more of an event hert than anywhere on Long Island outside of their campus.

 

For those still up in Albany, can you ask any Long Islanders you know "Why didn't you got to Stony Brook: they're the better school?"

[danefan]

I think the "fingers" are being pointed, perhaps, in the wrong direction on this issue. I would encourage those interested to examine the effect, if any, that allocation of funds as between SUNY and CUNY had on all of this. Downstate killed this, and that's all I'm saying for now.

 

I'll add my two cents to this. As much as we can point fingers to the TU for playing favorites with Siena and how we get shafted by them as well, consider this fact about Stony Brook: Newsday, though having to cover a much wider area than the TU, gives very little press to Stony Brook and they have to schlep for space behind all the pro sports and Hofstra. In fact, the news of the money probably was much more of an event hert than anywhere on Long Island outside of their campus.

 

For those still up in Albany, can you ask any Long Islanders you know "Why didn't you got to Stony Brook: they're the better school?"

 

But, IMO, comparing Newsday's coverage of SBU to the TU's coverage of Albany is comparing apples to oranges.

 

UAlbany most likely has a larger economic impact in the Cpaital Region then any other business (not counting the state government). - over $1 billion a year

 

Stony Brook isn't a blip on the economic impact of the New York Metropolitan area.

[scrabbleship]

I think the "fingers" are being pointed, perhaps, in the wrong direction on this issue. I would encourage those interested to examine the effect, if any, that allocation of funds as between SUNY and CUNY had on all of this. Downstate killed this, and that's all I'm saying for now.

 

I'll add my two cents to this. As much as we can point fingers to the TU for playing favorites with Siena and how we get shafted by them as well, consider this fact about Stony Brook: Newsday, though having to cover a much wider area than the TU, gives very little press to Stony Brook and they have to schlep for space behind all the pro sports and Hofstra. In fact, the news of the money probably was much more of an event hert than anywhere on Long Island outside of their campus.

 

For those still up in Albany, can you ask any Long Islanders you know "Why didn't you got to Stony Brook: they're the better school?"

 

But, IMO, comparing Newsday's coverage of SBU to the TU's coverage of Albany is comparing apples to oranges.

 

UAlbany most likely has a larger economic impact in the Cpaital Region then any other business (not counting the state government). - over $1 billion a year

 

Stony Brook isn't a blip on the economic impact of the New York Metropolitan area.

 

You're right, however lower your scope a bit and you'll discover that SBU's economic impact is felt more on a local level. Consider all of its employees and the businesses that the student body supports, for example. Outside of Brookhaven Lab, I can't think of any other employer in that area with that much clout. LaValle knows this and doesn't take it for granted unlike people in Albany.

 

If SBU were to vanish, the "Mid-Island" area wouldn't be in as much of a world of hurt as the Capital Region would be if UA were to vanish, however they would be hurting for quite a while even with a good amount of people being commuters to NYC. Look at what happened to Kings Park and Brentwood after Pilgrim Hospital closed, they still haven't fully recovered.

[danefan]

Are we expecting to get any comments from Dr. McElroy today?

 

I thought the TU article said that.

 

I really do want to hear what he has to say about this.

[ATL_DANE]

I wrote a letter to Joe Bruno expressing my dissatisfaction at UA getting shafted while other SUNY campuses received athletics funding *this year*, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. Of course it wont do anything to change the situation, but if he hears from more of us then maybe he'll be quicker to partner with the university on these initiatives. I mean, the guy is one of the most powerful persons in state government, lives in the Capital Region, and we cant even get his support on seemingly much of anything (flagship status, athletics, etc). Give me a break!

 

 

Good advice. I put pen to paper and wrote a letter to Canestrari and Bruno this morning. I think paper carries more weight than an email?

[alum73]

Are we expecting to get any comments from Dr. McElroy today?

 

I thought the TU article said that.

 

I really do want to hear what he has to say about this.

 

Chnnel 13 says he'll be commenting on this evening's news.

[olddog71]

As many of you, I am disappointed in the lack of good news on the stadium. As alum73 and some others, I have been around long enough to know that disappointments occur.

 

Having stated that, I am especially disappointed with the general outlay of money for SUNY and CUNY schools and the process by which funds are distributed. I was a teacher in the NYS for over 30 years, and the general admonition we have been hearing about state funding for education concerns the concept of accountability. Supposedly, the more positive you produce the more money you should be alloted. If that is the case, then I simply don't understand why other SUNY schools have received so much money directed toward capital improvements in athletic facilities. Specifically, what trophies have schools such as Binghamton, Stony Brook, or even SUNY Buffalo brought home to reward their athletic departments with such generous funds?

 

If the State is going to support capital improvements by the order in which individual institutions prioritize projects, then the stadium should be on the top of UA's wish list for the following year. I certainly hope this time it is true.

[ATL_DANE]

Putting a positive spin on an obvious set back... We will fight on.

 

 

Dr. McElroy's Thoughts

http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/...07/daily44.html

[danefan]

Putting a positive spin on an obvious set back... We will fight on.

 

 

Dr. McElroy's Thoughts

http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/...07/daily44.html

 

 

OK, so I basically read Dr. M as saying that with or without state funding we are moving forward on this. Basically, taking the gamble that when ground is ready to be broken we will have secured financing in next year's budget.

 

Anybody else read it that way?

[Dane96]

I agree. Who knows...maybe there is some "FIREPLACE" chat stuff going on.

[danefan]

One thing I don't understand is why it has taken almost 5 years to do this "environmental study"? Like someone else mentioned before, hasn't this been done 3 times already?

 

If we were going to move forward with or without state funding, why did we wait five years to do the study?

[uofalbany]

From what the article says, it seems we are putting all of our eggs in one basket.

 

We need 10 - 20% of the total costs, and the state needs to fund the rest.

 

Gambling on the 2009/2010 State budget, again. Ouch.

 

I was told 2 years ago that the University was in the process of an envirnomental study. Is an environmental study different than a site analysis?

 

We might as well upgrade University Field as we wait......... and if we do get a multi purpose stadium in the future in a new location, we have a track and field / soccer stadium on University Field.

 

 

From the way it sounds, we are moving forward without State Funding THIS year (only continuing fund raising), but are counting on State funding next year to have any chance with this plan... if no funding next year, then ?????????????

[reeder]

A sports business journal had Heery International being selected as the Principal Architect for the New Stadium master plan and feasibility back in early December 2007, so while the announcement was in April, the agreement is several months old (at least). That makes me think that Dr. McElroy waited to announce the hiring so that it tied in with the budget process or that he has an alternative plan - maybe moving forward anyway (and hoping for funding next year) is the plan.

 

A few years back, McElroy interviewed for another job (I forget where) but one of my thoughts was that he wasn't able to get any traction with football... Also, when he got his extension a couple of years ago, his message was that he now had time to get the football stadium vision realized. If the stadium doesn't happen, or he perceives it not happening does he have any other things he really needs to accomplish?