Governor Seeks $15 Million for Campus

By Vinny Reda

Governor George Pataki and administrators from the State University of New York have agreed to a five-year investment program for SUNY within the Governor�s Capital Budget that includes nearly $15 million in support for University at Albany initiatives.

"This comprehensive proposal, arrived at jointly with the State University and the Governor�s office, represents our continuing efforts to improve the quality of higher education in New York State," said the Governor in issuing his budget message on Jan. 20.

The $3 billion Five-Year Capital Investment Program," said the Governor, "will provide the infusion of resources necessary to effect a dramatic revitalization of our public campuses � both in appearance and capacity � that will position SUNY and CUNY to successfully meet the enrollment, technology and research demands of the 21st Century."

In addition, the Governor�s proposed Operating Budget calls for an addition of State support to SUNY over 1997-98 of $87.4 million, and no increase in tuition.

1998-99 projects listed for Albany in the Governor�s Capital Plan include $10 million to renovate the current Administration Building in order to convert it to academic use for the College of Arts & Sciences, to renovate Perimeter Road, plan the new Life Sciences complex, and to renovate heating and ventilation systems at the Downtown Campus; another $3.7 million to equip Lecture Halls and multimedia small classrooms for interactive computer access and other spaces for distance learning; and $1.2 million to replace foundation drains at the Downtown Campus.

"Governor Pataki�s five-year capital budget plan for the State University of New York clearly demonstrates his long-range vision," University President Hitchcock said in response to the budget proposal.

She added, "We are grateful that Governor Pataki recognizes the importance of investing in the physical infrastructure of the State University in general, and of the University at Albany in particular."

"The initiatives the Governor outlined in his Capital Budget closely match the top priorities in the Campus Master Plan that we developed over the past year, and, with the assistance of the State University Construction Fund, plan to carry out over the next several years," Hitchcock said.

Differences still exist between the list of new University projects recommended by the Master Plan � and supported by the SUNY Construction Fund � and the projects listed in the proposed Executive Budget, but, according to David Gilbert, the University�s director of Governmental Relations, the Governor�s initial proposal is "a great start. We�ve been promised a meeting with the Construction Fund and we�ll be working toward rectifying the figures from the budget and the Master Plan. After that, we�ll be meeting with Legislative leaders and representatives from the Governor�s office."

Funded in the current proposal is the first capital project to be implemented by the Master Plan: the re-alignment of Perimeter Road to ease traffic congestion and increase roadway safety. Preliminary design for the re-alignment and a new parking lot have already begun (see story, Page 5).

Kathryn K. Lowery, assistant vice president for Financial Management and Budget and chair of the Renovation and Alteration Committee � part of the University�s Space-Steering Committee � said the funding ear-marked for the conversion of the Administration Building to a College of Arts & Sciences structure is a "significant development.

"It certainly puts pressure on our committee to move ahead on the planning for the building�s renovation, but we welcome that. We can now assume that the planning and construction money for the project will be coming relatively soon."

"We in the College of Arts and Sciences are grateful to see the inclusion of significant resources for capital improvements in the Governor�s recently announced budget plan," said Cy Knoblauch, Interim Dean.

"We are also very pleased that the University administration and the master planning committee are cognizant of the many pressing needs in our departments for additional academic and research space. The proposal to renovate the current administration building for our use represents a particularly welcome step toward enhancing the College�s ability to deliver its instructional programs and accelerate its research productivity."

The new Capital Investment Program would fund more than $2 billion in facility projects at SUNY campuses and community colleges, and be financially supported through a combination of direct taxpayer support and non-State revenues: $1,575 million from State-supported bonding and $425 million from projects supported by hospital or dormitory revenues and community college sponsor funding.

For 1998-99, the first year of the five year plan, capital recommendations will support at least one project at each of SUNY�s state-operated campuses in the following categories: "campus core projects" ($195 million), reflecting critical improvements to meet new and changing academic requirements; "technology/campus development projects" ($40 million); "campus matching programs" ($20 million), to support individual campus efforts to raise $20 million in non-State funds for projects; "system-wide programs" ($15 million), to restore or modernize facilities; "campus improvements/ quality of life programs" ($10 million), to enhance the appearance campuses; SUNY teaching hospitals ($15 million); community colleges ($35 million); and dormitory projects ($35 million), using dormitory fee revenues.

Said Thomas F. Egan, chairman of SUNY�s Board of Trustees: "I am delighted to join with the State University community in saluting Governor George Pataki for his strong support and deep commitments on behalf of public higher education in our State."

Chancellor John W. Ryan called the prposed budget an "enormous support for advances in technology and building rehabilitation" for SUNY.

"This historic proposal, if enacted, will do more to ensure a better higher education for our children than any other single proposal I can imagine," said Ryan. SUNY officials termed the multi-year capital budget-funding "a major break-through" that would allow it to implement long-term planning in a more efficient manner.

Said President Hitchcock: "This investment in the future of public higher education will benefit all citizens of New York by helping to ensure that State University campuses provide our students a quality education that is second to none, and prepare them for success in the next century�s global economy."

CTG A Partner in Forming New U.S. Technology Infrastructure

By Meghan Kiernan

The University at Albany�s Center for Technology in Government (CTG) has been selected as a partner in a nationwide effort to build a National Technology Infrastructure for the 21st Century.

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the infrastructure will enable the U.S. to stay on the leading edge of science and technology by integrating computational, collaborative, visualization, and information resources into a powerful "National Technology Grid." The governing organization, the National Computational Science Alliance (the Alliance), will organize the efforts of more than 50 research centers across the U.S.

Peter Bloniarz, research director at CTG stated, "this opportunity to work with other research and supercomputing centers is tremendous. CTG will work with the finest research and development professionals in the world."

Headed by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Alliance includes top-notch research partners from educational institutions, national laboratories, industry, and supercomputing centers, across the country.

The Alliance partnership links the CTG with powerful technology research centers across the country. NCSA, with a long history of creating innovative technologies for scientific computing, spurred the development of today�s Internet through such technologies such as Mosaic, the precursor of Microsoft�s Internet Explorer and Netscape�s Navigator.

Together with recent initiatives to develop an advanced computer chip fabrication facility at the Center for Thin Film Technology, the University�s membership in the Alliance brings more high-tech research opportunities to the Capital Region.

Illustrating the need for a large scale collaboration, the Alliance is separated into three primary efforts: the Application Technologies team (AT), the Enabling Technologies team (ET), and the Education, Outreach and Training team (EOT). CTG, playing a dynamic role as the government EOT team leader, will unite with hundreds of educators, scientists, engineers, computing experts, and information specialists to focus on the use of these technologies within government, communities, schools, and businesses.

"As the leader of the government EOT team, we have the opportunity to extend our work beyond New York State to a national arena," said Sharon Dawes, CTG director. "Our goal is to link our existing expertise in fostering government innovation with public sector organizations and science technology partners around the nation."

Awarded $100,000 for the first year of the five year program, CTG will help identify, develop, and disseminate innovative applications of technologies to the practical problems of federal, state, and local government. Using its award-winning methodology that encourages and reduces the risk of technology supported innovation, CTG will promote, apply and evaluate new tools and technologies for government. Several first year activities include: