SUNY Central Scores NYPIRG Report
SUNY officials, reacting to a report by the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), which claimed that SUNY was the 12th most expensive public university system in the country, countered on March 2 that "Based on a recently conducted analysis that compares tuition and state assistance, the University ranks well in the northeast and across the country."
"Our annual $3,400 in-state tuition rate for full-time undergraduates at a State-operated campus remains well below the average of public institutions in the northeast," said Vice Chancellor Scott W. Steffey. He said that the total of tuition and fees places SUNY campuses below the average cost of a higher education at public institutions in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
"More importantly, when you factor in New York�s generous Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), the average undergraduate at a State-operated institution pays a tuition bill of under $2,900," Steffey said. "This is a remarkable value that makes the cost of attending a State University campus easily comparable to that of the nation�s other prestigious public colleges and universities, which in many cases provide very little aid. The real cost to a needy student is extremely competitive."
SUNY Day - SUNY Week
The 50th anniversary of SUNY turned the annual SUNY Day this year into SUNY Week, March 2-6. The University's information booth, shown here, joined many others from the system's 64 campuses on the Concourse level of the Rockefeller State Plaza in Albany. Information on the University's breadth of excellence, its past and current growth, as well as new educational initiatives such as Project Renaissance, served both as educational and recruitment tools.
New Potsdam President
John A. Fallon, III, who has 25 years experience as a professor and college administrator in the Midwest, was been appointed president of the College at Potsdam by SUNY�s Board of Trustees at it Feb. 24 meeting. Fallon will succeed William C. Merwin as Potsdam�s President on July 15.
"Dr. Fallon�s success in strengthening William Penn College during his three years as president has greatly impressed us," said Chancellor John W. Ryan. Fallon was president of William Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa, since 1995, where he established a nationally acclaimed general education program. During his tenure, enrollment increased 54 per cent.
"Enhanced Flexibility Proposal" issued for State Hospitals
On March 2, SUNY released a broad proposal to strengthen the operating flexibility and financial structure of it�s hospitals. The overall goal of the Enhanced Flexibility Proposal is to meet the health care needs of the residents of New York State while furthering the medical research and medical education mission.
The Enhanced Flexibility Proposal calls for operating flexibility in the contracting and conducting of business so that the hospitals can compete with other hospitals "in today�s complex managed care environment," according to a SUNY release. It also calls for strengthening direct oversight of hospital operations so as to allow the hospitals rapid decision-making over complex health-care management issues.
It also seeks to remove risks to educational funding because of increased hospital costs and declining revenues. SUNY Executive Vice Chancellor Donald G. Dunn commented, "We are making a strong effort to build a consensus to do the right thing. The lack of operating flexibility for the hospitals and other critical issues must be addressed this legislative session if the hospitals are to flourish, and we are to avoid a crisis in health care."