Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell has criticized raises for top State University of New York personnel in Albany in testimony today to the New York State Standing Committee on Higher Education’s public hearing on increased compensation for SUNY system administrators.

Her testimony follows:

“The opening line of the mission statement of the State University of New York reads as follows:

‘The mission of the state university system shall be to provide to the people of New York educational services of the highest quality, with the broadest possible access, fully representative of all segments of the population in a complete range of academic, professional and vocational postsecondary programs including such additional activities in pursuit of these objectives as are necessary or customary.’

“Recent revelations about SUNY’s decision to authorize a multimillion-dollar executive office renovation plan and $30,000 pay raises for three highly compensated administrators are extremely concerning. SUNY officials aggressively pushed for the SUNY-flex plan this year, stating that it was necessary to increase tuition and provide them other cost-cutting measures because their budgets were so tight. These revelations are wholly inconsistent with the message that they have been sending for the past year.

“We have campuses that are in dire need of critical maintenance and renovations, campuses that have inadequate classroom and laboratory spaces, and campuses lacking other facilities necessary for a quality education. We must put our mission ahead of remodeling and redecorating executive offices in Albany.

“The reports that three high level administrators will each receive $30,000 pay raises are equally as troubling. The justification that these administrators deserve a raise because they have taken on additional duties is a slap in the face to all of the staff and faculty at our SUNY campuses who are being asked to do more with less, teaching additional courses, forfeiting pay, and experiencing layoffs. We should not be asking more from our faculty, staff, and students while we are giving administrators preferential treatment.

“With the national unemployment rate at a staggering 9.6 percent and my district’s unemployment rates even higher, a college degree has become a requirement to be considered for the few good paying jobs available. Many positions that once merely required a high school diploma or previous work experience now overlook any applicant who does not possess an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. In order to give all New Yorkers and my North Country neighbors the best possible opportunity for success, we must ensure that they are able to access an affordable, high quality college education.

“For the vast majority of New Yorkers, SUNY’s network of research institutions, liberal arts colleges, technical schools, and community colleges has become the only affordable option for a college education. More and more middle class students are turning to public universities instead of borrowing hundreds of thousands of dollars to attend private colleges.

“SUNY must target its resources at its campuses that are experiencing record enrollments and where the investment will yield the most return. Hundreds of thousands of educated residents is far more valuable to our economic recovery than three administrators and new furniture in Albany. It is bad enough that we have raised tuition and cut funding to our SUNY campuses, but the actions taken by SUNY are demoralizing and placing the future of New York’s families in jeopardy. We are at the point where students will not be able to graduate in four years because we do not have faculty to teach all the courses they need to graduate on time, and we are neglecting the investments we have made in our campuses by deferring maintenance needs. This is a time for shared sacrifices. I have been a leading advocate for finding a compromise to advance portions of the SUNY-flex plan. However, I will not continue to be that advocate if high-level SUNY officials are unwilling to forego raises and perks like the hardworking families of New York are willing to do.”

Assemblywoman Russell, a Democrat from Theresa, is being challenged for the 118th Assembly District seat by Republican St. Lawrence County Legislator David Forsythe of Lisbon.