Gov. George Pataki's 1997-98 proposed state budget leaves a gap of $64.1 million in operating support for the State University of New York (SUNY), calls for an increase in tuition of up to $400 a year for SUNY students and proposes cuts in the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), Bundy Aid and in funding for Centers for Advanced Technology (CATs).
For Cornell, the governor's budget proposal translates into a $5.2 million gap in statutory college operating requirements for 1997-98, even after the application of the proposed SUNY-wide tuition increase, said Nathan W. Fawcett, Cornell's director of statutory affairs. Students in Cornell's state-supported statutory colleges -- the College of Human Ecology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the College of Veterinary Medicine -- are affected by SUNY tuition increases.
"The governor's proposals present many challenges for Cornell, particularly following eight years of such cuts," said Henrik N. Dullea, vice president for university relations. "But it is still early in the budget process and we hope that the legislature sees fit to restore some of these proposed reductions."
Cornell's 1996-97 state appropriation was $2.4 million below the amount required, and came on the heels of $21.6 million in reductions over the previous seven years that meant the loss of more than 300 positions, Fawcett said.
He explained that the proposed budget allocates $117 million to Cornell, $3.4 million less than the current appropriation of $120.4 million. At the same time, Cornell estimates that $122.2 million is needed to support current operations in 1997-98, bringing the governor's proposed appropriation to $5.2 million below requirements.
The proposed budget also calls for reducing TAP by 28.8 percent, from $608 million to $433 million statewide, reducing financial aid to Cornell students and putting pressure on Cornell grant dollars, Fawcett said. Bundy Aid, which is direct institutional aid to independent institutions, would decrease by 4.9 percent, from $41 million to $39 million. Cornell currently receives about $2 million.
Pataki's budget also would eliminate funding for the state's Centers for Advanced Technology. The Center for Advanced Technology in Biology at Cornell receives about $1 million.
"Funding for the Centers for Advanced Technology is extremely important to the state," Dullea said. "They provide a much-needed role in economic development through creative research partnerships with business and industry. Their loss would be a serious step backward."
The legislature now begins deliberations over the budget, and agreement must be reached between the governor and the legislature over the spending plan, which by law is scheduled to take effect April 1. This year's budget was approved in July, almost three months late.