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Budget fails to address tuition policy
The higher education proposals outlined in Gov. David Paterson’s 2009-10 budget plan released yesterday fail to address the critical needs of UB and other SUNY institutions for regulatory reform and a rational funding model, President John B. Simpson said.
While the proposal does include some reform—it would do away with the extensive state pre-auditing of purchases and licenses—it falls short on other reforms, including allowing institutions access to market capital and the ability to lease and purchase land or facilities without legislative approval.
But what’s missing in the governor’s budget—“and is most needed”—Simpson said, is “a clearly articulated tuition policy.”
“Rather than the ‘tuition roulette’ that continues today, we need a tuition policy that ensures that our students can predict their costs and that the universities themselves have the resources to ensure the quality of the education our students receive,” he said.
UB needs regulatory reform and a rational tuition policy to fully implement UB 2020, the university’s strategic plan, he stressed.
“By catalyzing the transformation of the region’s economy, UB 2020 remains the best hope for our region’s economic recovery,” he said. “Our plan has now become the community’s big idea.
“And together—as a community—we will continue to push Albany to make the reforms that will allow our hometown university and our region to flourish.”
The governor and state legislators must realize that higher education is the most promising way for New York to create a prosperous future for its citizens, Simpson added.
“It’s Western New York’s path. It’s the only path.”
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