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SUNY Potsdam seeking state budget support for ‘high-impact learning’ program

Posted 3/13/15

SUNY Potsdam President Kristin Esterberg outlined the college’s program of “high-impact learning experiences” at a meeting in Plattsburgh Monday of SUNY officials promoting support in the next …

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SUNY Potsdam seeking state budget support for ‘high-impact learning’ program

Posted

SUNY Potsdam President Kristin Esterberg outlined the college’s program of “high-impact learning experiences” at a meeting in Plattsburgh Monday of SUNY officials promoting support in the next state budget.

Presidents from SUNY Potsdam and other North Country area State University of New York campuses and local community leaders urged state elected officials to create a new investment fund for the colleges, and asked for an extension of NYSUNY 2020 -- including the “rational tuition” policy -- in the 2015-2016 New York State Budget.

SUNY’s budget request this year includes plans for a dedicated investment fund that will enable SUNY to graduate 150,000 students annually by 2020 through increasing programs known to support student success, including Finish in Four completion promises, applied learning, Educational Opportunity Programs, and expanded advisement services. SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher outlined this objective in her recent State of the University Address.

Esterberg noted the need for “high-impact learning experiences.”

“SUNY Potsdam is proud to offer the Potsdam Promise, our guarantee that students can ‘finish in four.’ But we can’t stop there,” she said.

“We are embarking on a new program that will ensure that every single SUNY Potsdam graduate has the opportunity to complete one or more high-impact learning experiences, like internships, research, service learning or study abroad. We have to make sure students from all backgrounds can benefit from an affordable SUNY education, through EOP and student support services. An investment in SUNY can ensure that both our programs and our facilities are state of the art, and that our campuses remain economic drivers for the North Country and beyond.”

Since NYSUNY 2020 was first enacted, SUNY campuses have used additional revenue generated by “rational tuition” – which allowed SUNY campuses to set their own tuition with gradual increases -- to grow and expand student services, including the hiring of 520 net new instructional staff, 270 of who are full-time faculty, and the implementation of 100 new degree programs reflecting high-demand areas in New York’s workforce. SUNY is a huge economic driver for the state, serving 3 million New Yorkers every year including students, faculty, staff, and more-and an economic powerhouse that generates $21 billion annually for New York, according to a press release from SUNY Potsdam.

Under the rational tuition plan, resident tuition rate increases of up to $300 annually allow for stable, predictable increases. A provision ensures stable year-to-year state funding. Other provisions include a supplement to the state’s Tuition Assistance Program where SUNY covers the difference between tuition and the maximum program award so high-need students gain full benefits.

“The power of SUNY to help develop and transform the upstate economy is already immense, but it can be even greater if we unite behind the right investments and strategies going forward,” said Garry Douglas, co-chair of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council. “Imagine more than doubling the number of SUNY graduates, with heightened connections to our employers and their needs and to our economic development opportunities. That’s a vision the North Country business community can fully embrace."