Gov. George Pataki's 1998-99 proposed state budget reflects an increased commitment to higher education that could translate to reduced budget pressure on Cornell's statutory colleges, university officials said last week.
Pataki's $71.9 billion proposed Executive Budget, released Jan. 20, increases spending for higher education in the state for the first time since the governor took office in 1995. It also maintains current State University of New York (SUNY) tuition rates at SUNY's state-operated campuses. Students in Cornell's statutory colleges -- the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Human Ecology, the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the College of Veterinary Medicine -- are affected by SUNY tuition increases.
The proposal includes a total of $816.4 million in general fund support, or state tax dollar support, for SUNY operations, an increase of $87 million over the current year's allocation. Funding for the state Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and other scholarship programs would increase by $21 million to more than $663 million, but no change in award levels was recommended. Statewide direct institutional aid to independent colleges and universities, or Bundy Aid, was level-funded at $44.3 million.
In addition, the governor allocated $400 million for construction projects at SUNY campuses, including two projects totaling $18.5 million at Cornell: $13.3 million for the Mann Library renovation and $5.2 million to clean up a former radiation disposal site on Snyder Road in the Town of Lansing. The Executive Budget also includes $200 million for City University of New York (CUNY) projects.
Under the governor's proposal, Cornell's share of the SUNY allocation is $129.5 million. Last year, Pataki's proposal included $117 million for Cornell, but the legislature increased that to $122.7 million. The budget this year will support compensation increases for statutory college faculty and staff, who have gone without pay adjustments for several years.
"The increase proposed by Governor Pataki comes after eight years of reductions totaling $24.3 million, causing a loss of more than 300 positions," said John A. Lambert, director of statutory finance and business services. "In that context, the governor's proposal is particularly good news for statutory programs."
Henrik N. Dullea, vice president for university relations, said the proposed budget, with its flat tuition rate for SUNY campuses, also is good news for Cornell's statutory college students.
"The flat SUNY tuition in the governor's proposal will help us keep the tuition increase in the statutory colleges as low as possible while still maintaining quality programs," Dullea said. Last week the Cornell Board of Trustees approved a 4.3 percent hike in 1998-99 tuition for undergraduate students in the endowed colleges.
Last year, Pataki's Executive Budget proposal left a gap of $64.1 million in operating support for SUNY, called for an increase in tuition of up to $400 a year for SUNY students that amounted to $60 million in revenue and proposed cuts in TAP, Bundy Aid and operating support for both the CUNY system and the community colleges. The budget finally approved by the Legislature Aug. 4 restored virtually all of the Executive Budget higher education recommended cuts and eliminated the proposed SUNY tuition increase. Overall state operating support for SUNY increased by about $118 million over the governor's proposal.
The 1998-99 Executive Budget proposal also funded some priority initiatives in the statutory colleges. In the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences some of those were:
Initiatives in the College of Human Ecology included:
Initiatives in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations included:
Initiatives in the College of Veterinary Medicine included:
Universitywide initiatives funded included:
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