Reform will give SUNY campuses flexibility

The north country has most certainly not escaped the impacts of the fiscal crisis. We are being hit hard. In the midst of job losses, it is easy to overlook the fact that public higher education has never been more important or more in peril.

Most people have never heard of the Public Higher Education and Empowerment Act. This proposed legislation would mean landmark reform for our state's higher education system by giving State University of New York campuses the flexibility they need to raise revenue, increase enrollments, and create badly needed jobs. It will allow campuses, like SUNY Potsdam, to focus on what they do best — giving students a quality, affordable education while preparing them to compete in the global economy. And it will not add to the current fiscal problems facing our state and nation.

Without this flexibility, SUNY campuses are facing a nearly impossible task. I am most familiar with SUNY Potsdam, where I was a student, and where I have spent almost three decades as a member and former chair of the College Council. At SUNY Potsdam, applications are up 13 percent, as an increasing number of students from all stages of life turn to SUNY for that affordable, quality education. At the same time, shrinking state budget support is leading to crippling cuts on our campus at a time when it really needs to grow. As a result, over 40 positions that have become vacant simply cannot be filled.

If we are to continue to serve New York state residents and contribute to the economic recovery, SUNY campuses need the flexibility to protect programs that foster employment opportunities and generate the revenue needed to maintain academic excellence that competes in a national and global arena.

I strongly urge everyone to become familiar with the issues surrounding the Public Higher Education and Empowerment Act. I think you will agree that it is essential to the future of both SUNY and New York's economy. Please contact your state legislators and let them know you want them to support passage of the act.

June F. O'Neill

Canton

The writer is a member SUNY Potsdam College Council.