State Budget Update

Help SUNY students get what they paid for! 

In my effort to keep all
constituencies informed as the New York State budget process evolves,
the following summarizes the impact that Governor Paterson's budget
proposal may have on Alfred State. You'll recall
from my earlier communication that there were three types of possible
budget cuts that would substantially affect the college. They were: the
non-funding of negotiated salary increases, the state's redirection of
90% of the revenue from tuition increases, and
a SUNY base budget cut.

I am pleased to share with
you that the first of the three, the salary increases, was funded in
the Governor¹s budget proposal. Our current calculations show that this
will result in approximately $900K that we will
not have to fund out of our current base budget.

Unfortunately, the tuition
proposal that emerged is not favorable to SUNY. The Governor is
proposing to give SUNY only 10% of the spring 2009 tuition increase and
20% of the 2009-10 tuition increase.  The local impact
on our campus is an approximate loss of revenue for the spring semester
of $883K, which we would have used to cover the last budget cut of
$807K.  The loss of tuition revenue for the 2009-10 academic year is
about $1.76M, based on the Governor¹s proposal.

The Governor's budget also
contains a $40M base budget cut for SUNY for 2009-10.  We do not yet
know how that would impact the local campus budget, and I will report
to you as soon as System Administration provides
some guidance on this matter.

I understand that many are
wondering how this news affects the workforce at ASC. In my last memo,
I said that the worst-case scenario was equivalent to a reduction of
workforce by 80 full-time positions. This budget
news revises that figure down to an equivalent of approximately 35
full-time positions. Reducing the workforce by layoffs is a last
resort, and will be considered only when we exhaust all viable
alternatives.  As always, I appreciate ideas you may have regarding
cost cutting measures, and the cabinet members will also be developing
strategies to reduce costs for 2009-10.

What do we do to advocate
for our campus? SUNY BOT Chairman Carl Hayden and SUNY BOT Finance
Committee Chair Carl McCall have sent a letter to the NYS legislative
leaders calling for support of SUNY, including the
need to have SUNY retain the tuition increases.  We will be hosting a
Legislative afternoon on our campus, Tuesday, January 20, following a
College Council meeting that will focus on the current financial
challenge facing Alfred State.  Meanwhile, I ask all
of you to contact your legislators and ask for their support in
returning our tuition increase revenue. Our argument for advocacy is a
clear one: Students should get what they paid for. Tuition that
students pay for education should actually be used to fund
those students' education, not used as a revenue source for other state
expenditures. As you advocate for SUNY and Alfred State, please
remember that employees who communicate to state, local, and federal
representatives should do so in their personal, and
not official, capacity, on their personal time, and without the use or
identification of official title/position.

I remind you that we also
must be unwavering in our dedication to our students, in our adherence
to our mission, and in our work toward the strategic goals as set forth
in our new strategic plan, "Honoring Tradition
and Embracing Innovation."  I view the current economic situation as
temporary, although its duration is uncertain. In the meantime, we must
prepare for the future and keep sight of our goals. If we succeed in
that, we will emerge on the other side of these
challenges stronger, more focused, and with a shared sense of pride and
purpose.

I will always share new information with you as it becomes available. As always, I appreciate your support.

Respectfully,

Dr. John M. Anderson
President of Alfred State College

Related items:

• SUNY Advocates Web site 
• Sample letter to Governor Paterson
• Letter from Student Senate President
• Student Rally