BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM — SUNY Potsdam’s strategies for reducing its multi-million deficit seem to be working.

This is according to a recent update of the SUNY Report on Long-Term Enrollment and Financial Sustainability report issued from the State University system offices in Albany.

Potsdam was one of five campuses highlighted in the report for its progress on its fiscal deficit situation which was estimated at over $10 million at one point in 2023.

The local SUNY college experienced a 38% loss of enrollment from Fall 2013 through Fall 2023, SUNY officials said. The drop and subsequent deficit led college officials to develop a comprehensive plan and various strategies to right the ship. The plan included dissolution of several low enrollment programs and some layoffs for staff, both of which were protested by the United University Professions organization, a college employees union.

However, the strategies seem to be working. The SUNY Potsdam deficit has been reduced by 62% and Fall 2024 enrollment increased by 2%, the report said.

"SUNY Potsdam is proud of the difficult work we've done and will continue to do towards fiscal stability, and appreciate the partnership with SUNY System Administration in this process,” SUNY Potsdam President Dr. Suzanne Smith said in a statement to North Country This Week.

“The strides we have made toward enhanced recruitment and retention will bolster our efforts to grow our revenue streams in the weeks and months to come. The campus has been working to match the incredible growth in our graduate programs with improved undergraduate recruitment and retention as well, thanks to the addition of new program offerings and expanded support services to help every student graduate and succeed," said Smith.

According to the report, SUNY Potsdam is aligning academic programming with student demand, charting a path for investment in growth areas, and leaning on the college’s strengths to establish a future-focused fiscal health framework.

“The campus has invested in bolstering online offerings and expanding its graduate programs, while reviewing 14 under-subscribed academic program areas for discontinuance, offering a voluntary separation program, and assessing the campus footprint,” said the report.

The results so far show that SUNY Potsdam’s five-year operational stability plan has led to the college ending the 2023-24 academic year with only a $3.9 million deficit, the SUNY system said in the report. This amount is down from the $10.4 million the college started with in 2023, according to information supplied by the state.

That is a roughly 62 percent reduction in the deficit.

Potsdam was not the only SUNY school who saw a jump in enrollment in 2023-24 [albeit SUNY Potsdam’s increase in student population was admittedly small at 2 percent].

Enrollment increases were seen across the SUNY system statewide, the report said.

“SUNY achieved back-to-back years of enrollment growth across all SUNY sectors for the first time in 15 years while maintaining affordability for New York families – with more than half of New York State resident undergraduate students attending SUNY tuition-free. The university implemented and expanded ASAP and ACE programs, the nation’s leading student retention and completion initiatives; launched Governor Hochul’s Empire AI research center for the public good; and adopted SUNY’s first-ever Climate and Sustainability Action Plan to achieve net-zero SUNY-wide greenhouse gas emissions and zero waste,” said the report.

While SUNY Canton was not highlighted in the SUNY report, the college’s president commented on the changes the college system is implementing statewide and what they mean for the local college. 

“The initiatives highlighted by SUNY, including expanded access for students of all ages, student success programs, sustainability planning, and increased opportunities for out-of-classroom experiences, are all essential strategies that we continue to implement and grow at SUNY Canton,” SUNY  Canton President Zvi Szafran said in a statement to North Country This Week. 

“We are very proud to be a part of the SUNY System and feel confident in our ability to offer the programs that students are looking for in preparation for their future careers,” Szafran said.