Lehman asks NYS Legislature to restore cuts to higher ed

Jeffrey Lehman

By Jacquie Powers

President Jeffrey Lehman recently called on members of the New York State Legislature to work with the governor to restore cuts to higher education proposed in this year's Executive Budget and to restore some of the cuts enacted last year.

Speaking in Albany Feb. 5 before members of the State Senate Finance Committee and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, Lehman praised the quality of the state's higher education system. He noted that while he's a 1977 graduate of Cornell, he spent 25 years of studying and teaching in other states before returning last summer to Cornell.

"With the perspective that comes from having been elsewhere, I can tell you that higher education in New York state is truly remarkable for its breadth, its quality and its impact," he said. "I believe that we New Yorkers have much to be proud of when it comes to higher education."

But, Lehman stressed, it is critical to the future well-being of state residents that the state maintains that level of excellence by continuing to invest in higher education. He said continued strong investment is essential for three reasons:

• "The benefits of quality higher education ripple throughout our society. Educated people contribute to economic progress. They also enable the continuing evolution of civil society."
• "In a time of resource scarcity, it is essential that we remember that the benefits New York derives from its system of higher education are inextricably tied up with the fact that our system is great, rather than just good. In the dog-eat-dog world of higher education, being twice as good doesn't mean twice as many benefits, it means dozens if not hundreds of times as many benefits. Conversely, a small slip in quality may take a toll on our state that is not small at all."
• It is "important for us to make the investments that are essential to maintaining access and affordability for all our citizens."

Lehman said New York's higher education system "is a powerful magnet that draws human resources and investment capital into the state."

He pointed out that in 2001, $1.8 billion in federal funds flowed to New York colleges and universities for research, providing 42,000 jobs, benefiting New York's commercial, service and agricultural industries and promoting the well-being of state residents. In that same year, more than 200,000 students came from outside New York to study here, providing a significant source of consumer demand for state goods and services. Moreover, after they graduate many of them stay and become skilled workers.

Lehman said Cornell plays a leading role in New York's higher education economy. For example:

• In fiscal 2003, Cornell spent $504 million for research, more than any other campus, public or private, in New York. Of that amount, more than $326 million took the form of federal dollars brought here directly from Washington, D.C.
• More than 100 small businesses have emerged as a result of Cornell's academic resources -- its people, research and facilities. These businesses employ 3,200 people in the Central New York region and 7,000 worldwide.
• As New York's land grant university, Cornell receives federal and state support for organized research and extension-outreach programs that serve organizations and individuals throughout the state. "Cornell Cooperative Extension is often the system that enables us to bring Cornell expertise to the individuals or enterprises that can benefit from it." Lehman said. "As one example, the Eat Smart New York Program offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension provided structured nutrition education for 25,000 low-income adults and 30,000 youth during 2002."

He also spoke of Cornell's partnership with the State University of New York (SUNY). "Research alliances hold out the promise of helping to make New York state a center of business growth in biotechnology," Lehman said. "And Cornell's strong partnership with the SUNY system allows New York to provide a seamless web of educational opportunities for students everywhere who are seeking a top-quality education suited to their particular needs and aptitudes."

In closing, Lehman asked that legislators accept the recommendation SUNY Chancellor Robert King made earlier in the day to restore $50 million to the SUNY operating budget to repair damage done to the entire SUNY-Cornell system last year.

Lehman noted that Cornell last year received an annual base budget cut of $2 million for 2003-2004, and that "this cut plus unfunded increased costs significantly impede our contract colleges' efforts to provide the research and extension-outreach programs that serve our state. They are funded by state appropriations through SUNY rather than by student tuition."

He also asked for a restoration of the 5 percent reduction in student aid funds in the Executive Budget, as well as the one-third deferment of Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funds, noting that the various aid programs are essential to maintain access to quality higher education for students of all economic and ethnic backgrounds.

"With the improving economy, and stronger financial markets resulting in upward revision of revenue forecasts, I ask the Legislature and the governor to work cooperatively to restore the cuts proposed in this year's Executive Budget and to reverse some of the cuts enacted last year so that higher education, both public and private, within New York state can fulfill its promise of a better future for the people of our state," he concluded. "I look forward to working with you toward that end."