Budget Issues

[Clickclack]

Found this article

 

Does this mean that the stadium funding request could be in there....? I know we can ask all we won't but I think there is a very small chance we get anything.

[UAalum72]

"Delaying construction, freezing salaries and hiring also are typical first steps."

[uofalbany]

True.

 

But 30 four year colleges? Not one anywhere near the size of a UCLA, Michigan, UGA, Florida? 2 of the 4 SUNY Centers aren't even 20k. The non-SUNY centers (other 26) tend to be way under 10k. How much duplication is that? 30 college presidents? How many VPs, Admin, etc? Having a few small liberal arts colleges in the system is fine but how many Cortlands, Fredonias, Oswegos, Potsdams do we need? The problem is this SUNY system design is a jobs program for small Podunk towns across upstate New York and not about higher education. New York and SUNY would be much better off with fewer colleges that had more money than keeping what we have and everyone suffers.

 

On top of all of that duplication, can someone tell me the difference between a Potsdam and a Cortland? How about an Oswego versus Buffalo State? Every campus seems to offer criminal justice, as if that were necessary. Honestly, other than geography how is a prospective student suppose to decipher the difference in the educational goals between campuses?

 

I'm just saying that it would be better off for everyone to take the smaller pot of state money and apply it against fewer but larger SUNY campuses.

 

 

I agree with everything Atlanta dane has been saying.

You hit it squarely on the head.

 

I support having a good number of community colleges.

 

Cut out 2/3 of the small suny 4 year schools, evenly spreading the remaining schools throughout NY, funneling all of their previous funding to the University centers, and New York becomes a powerful, efficient state university system.

[ATL_DANE]

There is one bright spot in this whole financial melt down.

 

Commodity prices are way down. Oil is down $100 a barrel from where it was in July. This is also true of steel and all building supplies. Our funded but yet to be built structures such as the business school and campus center are likely to cost less than anticipated. Maybe a lot less. Keep in mind those budgets where funded when India and China were using every scrap piece of steel it could find. A stadium's cost would also have to be down. High unemployment also puts pressure on labor costs. Everything should be cheaper.

 

Lesson: The state should build the stadium now. It puts people to work and materials costs are at fire sale prices that aren't likely to last.