In these turbulent economic times when SUNY is being battered by budget cuts, UUP and the University need all the help they can get. That’s why the union is honoring a state lawmaker whose support has been unwavering.

New York state Assemblywoman Deborah Glick (D-Manhattan) is the recipient of UUP’s Friend of SUNY Award in recognition of her staunch support for SUNY’s financial needs.

But Glick’s work as chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee in regard to A./S.2020 is what makes her contribution truly special.

“Deborah Glick bravely stood up for the best interests of the University when she stopped the bill by refusing to allow it to reach the Assembly floor for a vote,” UUP President Phillip Smith said. A./S.2020 would allow the University at Buffalo to charge differential tuition, and sell or lease campus property in the absence of legislative oversight. “Assemblywoman Glick clearly recognizes the hazards such legislation presents, and we salute her.”

UUP members echoed their support of Glick’s efforts to fight the bill.

“The SUNY system provides a quality education at an affordable price. Assemblywoman Glick recognized how A./S.2020 would endanger this opportunity for New York state citizens and has led the fight to prevent passage of this particularly bad piece of legislation,” wrote her nominators from one UUP chapter.

Recently, Glick took exception to the governor’s $90 million midyear budget cut aimed at SUNY.

“At a time when the student enrollment at CUNY and SUNY has burgeoned to record levels and our society demands more educational experience than ever before, it is counterintuitive to heap more cuts on these critical assets,” she said.

Glick’s allegiance to SUNY is best exemplified in a quote cited by her nominators: “The state needs to invest more because public education is essential,” Glick told the Daily Star of Oneonta.

Glick herself is a product of public higher education, having earned her undergraduate degree from CUNY’s Queens College. A resident of Greenwich Village for more than 30 years, she’s serving her ninth term in the Assembly. In addition to leading the chamber’s higher education committee, Glick also serves on the Ways and Means, Rules, and Environmental Conservation committees.

Glick will receive her award during UUP’s 2010 Winter Delegate Assembly, scheduled for Feb. 5-6 in Albany.

The Friend of SUNY Award is nonpartisan and may be given to individuals, the media, corporations, agencies, organizations, labor groups or elected officials.

— Donald Feldstein