UUP Press Releases

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 1 , 2005

 

UUP applauds on-time budget, higher ed restorations

The president of United University Professions today applauded the state Legislature for passing an on-time budget that includes additional funding for the State University of New York and avoids the threatened layoffs of SUNY staff and cuts to programs and student services.

“SUNY students and faculty dodged a bullet with this budget,” said UUP President William Scheuerman.

“We were staring down the barrel of a gun aimed at as many as 1,700 academic and professional faculty who would in all likelihood have been laid off if the budget did not include additional funding, and that would have adversely affected some more then 34,000 students throughout the SUNY system.

“We’re relieved that this budget provides an additional $132, 875,000 for SUNY's state operated campuses, including the $84.3 million in additional operating aid that was needed to prevent those layoffs and program cuts,” Scheuerman said.

The union president also praised lawmakers for rejecting a plan to privatize the state’s three SUNY hospitals: Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse; Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn; and, Stony Brook Health Science Center on Long Island.

Scheuerman said funding for new full-time faculty lines is included in the $84.3 million in additional operating aid for the state-operated campuses, and he praised lawmakers for their commitment to hold hearings on a rational funding plan for SUNY, including dedicated funding for new faculty lines.

“Over the last ten years, SUNY has lost more than 1,000 faculty positions, while student enrollments have grown by more than 44,000,” Scheuerman said. “This budget takes a step in the right direction toward correcting the shortage.”

The budget also funds other higher education priorities including:

- full restoration of EOP funding ($7.8 million for 2005-06 and restoration of $820,000 vetoed last year);

- $2.7 million in increased funding for Educational Opportunities Center operations and capital funding for new EOC facilities;

- $663 million in increased capital funding for CUNY and SUNY;

- $36.8 million increased state subsidy to SUNY hospitals, to a total to $129.4 million;

- full restoration for graduate medical education funding; and,

- $455,000 in increased state funding for the New York State Theatre Institute in Troy.

Scheuerman added that the union—which represents 30,000 academic and professional faculty at the state’s 29 SUNY campuses—would continue to closely monitor the state Capitol until the governor signs the budget and to ensure that the important budget increases are not lost through the imposition of state expenditure ceilings.

 

UUP represents more then 34,000 academic and professional faculty on 29 New York State-operated campuses, and is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO and New York State United Teachers (NYSUT).    

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