Reporter Volume 25, No.10 November 4, 1993

By ANN WHITCHER
Reporter Editor

The University at Buffalo would receive an increase of 6.6 percent, or
$13.4 million over last year, if the SUNY budget request for 1994-95
is approved by Gov. Cuomo and the State Legislature.
	Gov. Cuomo's' executive budget will be released in January,
1994. 
	The SUNY Trustees on Oct. 19 approved a 1994-95 budget request
of $1.5 billion that would increase spending by eight percent over
last year; it contains no provision for a tuition hike.
	"The budget request also describes needs within SUNY that
amount to $33 million," said Voldemar Innus, senior associate vice
president for university services. UB would benefit from many of the
program additions included in SUNY's request for the $33 million for
specific items. These include $5 million in operating funds statewide
for research by graduate students, and another $10 million in capital
funds for the buildings and equipment these students use. 
	The SUNY budget request now before the executive seeks an
additional $81 million to cover salary and inflationary increases. It
also contains a provision for 800 new class sections in the SUNY
system to increase students' access to required course sequences. 
	According to the SUNY plan, UB would receive $3.87 million for
planning the second phase of the Natural Sciences Complex to house the
Computer Science and Mathematics Departments. UB's requested
appropriation for 1994-95 is $218,843,900 in state support.
	In a report forwarded to SUNY, UB officials describe the
effects over the last five years of $39 million in reductions to the
base budget. These have made for a cumulative reduction of nearly 20
percent and translate into a $10 million loss to academic units during
the past three fiscal years.
	Further, the university is at a "critical point" in its
development, the report states. The academic budget is "precariously
thin,"  with any small additional cuts likely to result in program
reduction, loss of comprehensiveness, lost potential for state and
national leadership, and reduced public confidence.
	On the other hand, a small increase in investment would have a
correspondingly dramatic impact to the positive. Such an increase, the
report states, would signal "rapid movement toward greatness critical
to New York's future."
	According to the report, the university's strategy is to:
	n Reduce/redistribute enrollment and instructional resources
consistent with UB's mission as New York State's largest, most
comprehensive public university
	n Promote tuition increase and differential tuition policy;
retain significant share of tuition to support UB program development.
	n Develop new resources to create a "margin of excellence"
through private philanthropy, technology transfer and sponsored
programs development.