February 9, 1995: Vol26n16: Letter to the Editor

Editor:
The proposal to withdraw one-third of the state tax dollars from SUNY
in the state budget is an unprecedented attack on public higher
education in New York State. Faculty and staff who have been at UB for
many years have seen budget reductions in the past, but never of such
a magnitude as we face now. Such reduction signals that the state
views public higher education in the SUNY system as a low priority. A
reduced budget in conjunction with at least 12 previous reductions of
the SUNY budget in recent years cannot help but have a negative impact
on the quality of our educational programs and on access of students
to academic programs.
	The faculty and all constituents of the university community
must not be silent about how these changes will affect our university.
All members of the university must be strong advocates for the
university. We need to tell our elected officials what impact the
proposed reductions will have on UB. Although we are all shocked at
the magnitude of the proposed reductions, we must contact our elected
representatives directly or through regular letters. Addresses of our
elected officials are available through the Senate Office in 543 Capen
Hall, 645-2003.
	In addition to strong and regular advocacy for SUNY and UB,
all segments of the university need to come together as a community to
shape the future of UB. We cannot wait for the state budget to be
passed to plan our institutional response to the proposed budget
reductions. Now is the time to reaffirm the principle of collegiality,
the essential hallmark of the academy. Senior university
administrators at all levels of the university must use existing
governance organizations to seek institutional solutions to the
reductions. Faculty and staff governance organizations will be
severely tested, but must be given the opportunity to participate in
shaping the response. I believe that it is appropriate for governance
to help to develop and affirm general principles of what is important
at UB and how the process of budgetary response should be handled at
UB.
	Through collegiality, we have the opportunity to shape the
institutional response to the budgetary crisis so that we will weather
the storm, survive and regain our momentum for the future. We can only
do this if we come together as a university community.
Peter A. Nickerson, Chair
Faculty Senate