There are but a few select individuals and organizations that can lie claim as “Friends of SUNY,” and now two state lawmakers on

opposite sides of the political aisle can add their names to this distinguished list.

New York state Assemblyman Peter Manuel Rivera (D-Bronx) and state Sen. Catharine Young (R-Jamestown) are recipients of UUP’s 2008 Friend of SUNY Award in recognition of their tireless service to the state university and their unwavering dedication to the progressive development of public higher education throughout New York state. The two will receive their awards during the union’s 2008 Winter Delegate Assembly, slated for Feb. 8-9 in Albany.

“Assemblyman Rivera and Sen. Young have been tireless in their passionate defense of our University, and continue to put the best interests of SUNY ahead of political expediency,” said UUP President William Scheuerman. “It has been a pleasure working with both legislators to ensure that SUNY retains its rightful place as a preeminent state university.”

Assemblyman Peter Rivera

UUP knows that, without the collaborative efforts of Assemblyman Rivera and President Scheuerman, the new SUNY Office for Diversity and Educational Equity would never have opened its doors.

“Assemblyman Rivera has consistently worked with UUP to draw members of the Assembly, Senate and Governor’s Office into recognizing the need for SUNY to meet the needs of New York’s increasingly diverse population,” wrote his nominators from Morrisville, Albany and Stony Brook. “The unique partnership will enable SUNY to move forward and to meet this and additional challenges to ensure affordable access to public higher education for all New Yorkers.”

Rivera, who has been a state assemblyman since 1992, is the highest-ranking Latino

elected official in the Assembly. He chairs the

Assembly Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee, and is a member of the Agriculture; Judiciary; Rules; and Consumer Affairs and Protection committees. He also chairs the Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, which focuses attention on issues critical to the state’s growing Hispanic population.

Sen. Catharine Young

Elected to the Senate in 2005 following six years as a state assemblywoman, Young has become a recognized voice for farming communities, higher education, tax relief, economic growth, job creation and government reform. She has authored numerous laws to protect families, including Penny’s Law that provides justice to juvenile murderers.

As chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Young is working to strengthen New York’s chief industry. Her efforts on behalf of the farming community are not lost on her SUNY Alfred nominators, who credit Young with securing additional money for the college.

“In recent years, she has provided $4.9 million in start-up funds for the Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture, as well as an additional $100,000 for the college’s Center for Workforce Development,” according to her nomination. “She is truly an active friend of SUNY.”

As a member of the Senate Higher Education Committee, Young has stood in strong support of measures to properly fund SUNY and to ensure that it remains affordable to all New Yorkers. She is also a member of the Senate Health; Insurance; Housing; Construction and Community Development; and Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities committees.

The Friend of SUNY Award is nonpartisan and may be given to individuals, the media, corporations, agencies, organizations, labor groups or elected officials. Past recipients include former state comptroller H. Carl McCall, the Fiscal Policy Institute, and the SUNY Mayors Coalition.

— Karen L. Mattison