Letter to Editor

August 27, 2003

Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
229 West 43rd St.
New York, NY 10036-3913

To the Editor:

Your recent coverage of declining public universities around the country illustrates a similar situation found right here at home -- the chronically underfunded SUNY system.

New York state's public University is struggling, too, after years of dwindling state support, and its students and faculty are paying the price. Like the universities you mentioned, SUNY is also being cannibalized: campuses are overenrolled; class sizes are swelling; course offerings are shrinking, challenging students' ability to graduate in four years; enrollment is capped, limiting access; sports teams are disappearing; and faculty members are fleeing.

Steady declines in public funding of SUNY led to the loss of more than 1,000 full-time faculty members since the mid-1990s. Now, budget shortfalls are once again threatening faculty, leaving many of them and their students up in the air. Reports of the elimination of courses -- with students already enrolled in them -- exemplifies the state of exigency at SUNY.

SUNY is also experiencing a severe brain drain, as renowned and respected faculty members are being lured away to more stable university settings.

With the recent tuition hike, SUNY students and their families are paying more and getting less. New York state must learn the lesson you admonish ("Universities in Decline," Aug. 26), and rebuild the foundation of its public University system before it's too late.

Sincerely,

William E. Scheuerman
President, United University Professions