For years, UUP has vigorously advocated for state funds for more full-time faculty at SUNY’s state-operated campuses. The SUNY Board of Trustees apparently has heard that message loud and clear.

On Nov. 27, the board approved its 2008-2009 budget request that calls for the hiring of an additional 1,000 full-time faculty during the next three years.

“SUNY must aspire to be the very best system of public higher education in the nation, if not the world,” said SUNY Board Chair Carl Hayden. “Sustained investment in the SUNY system will dramatically strengthen the state economy, and greatly enrich the cultural and social fabric of our state.”

“The SUNY budget request represents a good start, and clearly acknowledges the need for more full-time faculty,” said UUP Acting President Frederick Floss. “I urge Gov. Spitzer to take the next step and propose to fully fund these additional faculty with state-supported increases in his Executive Budget proposal. That would help SUNY reach the national pinnacle of public higher education.”

Under terms of its budget request, SUNY seeks an 8.5 percent increase in state support for the state-operated campuses, plus full support for the University’s mandatory costs. SUNY recognizes that it lags behind the national average in full-to-part-time faculty ratios and in student-to-faculty ratios.

SUNY’s three public hospitals in Brooklyn, Stony Brook and Syracuse would also benefit from the trustees’ proposed budget. The budget request

asks for nearly $40 million more in state support for the teaching hospitals to help pay the costs of maintaining unique but expensive programs, such as burn units and trauma centers.

Floss reminds UUP members that there’s still a long way to go before SUNY secures the funds it’s asked for. The budget request is being studied by the state’s Division of the Budget and Gov. Spitzer’s office. The governor is expected to introduce his proposed Executive Budget Jan. 25 for the fiscal year that begins April 1, 2008. The Legislature will then conduct hearings and study the governor’s budget prior to voting on it.

“We hope the governor does the right thing by accepting SUNY’s budget request,” Floss said. “An additional 1,000 full-time faculty would enable SUNY to grow and serve the increasing numbers of students who enroll each year.”

—Donald Feldstein