University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

UB’s 2008-2009 Legislative Priorities

Fall 2007

What does UB want to accomplish through its legislative strategy?

Our goal is to achieve the public policies and levels of state support that will allow UB to control our own destiny and fully implement UB 2020.

What are UB’s legislative priorities?

UB has identified three key legislative priorities:

1. Tuition: achieving both a predictable and a differential tuition policy;
2. Financing Flexibility: gaining added flexibility for the improvement, expansion, and construction of capital facilities;
3. Capital Infusion: securing an infusion of resources for operational and capital expenses.

Why are these most important?

Tuition

Predictable (or “Rational”) Tuition will allow resident undergraduates and their families to plan for financing the cost of an education with less likelihood of large tuition increases.  Likewise, it will enable colleges and universities to engage in multi-year planning with confidence in the size of their tuition revenue streams.  Finally, predictable tuition will empower campuses to invest a significant portion of their additional revenue in student scholarships and new full-time faculty and other academic enhancements.

Because of the higher cost to run a public research university like UB, we seek the ability to set Differential Tuition that is reflective of these costs.  This will allow SUNY’s research centers to remain competitive and be an affordable alternative to private universities while adhering to their admission standards.  Over the past nine years the UB School of Law has demonstrated through a unique statewide pilot program that by implementing a differential tuition policy they are able to increase the number of full-time faculty to levels at competing institutions, improve the selectivity of the admissions process, maintain the school’s demonstrated commitment to access and diversity, build an effective annual development program and decrease the student/faculty ratio.

Financing Flexibility

In order to accommodate the ambitious plans and the substantial construction required to achieve our vision, it is necessary to move beyond traditional forms of financing available for SUNY capital development.  In surveying the ten largest state university systems in the country, UB has found that their processes allow individual universities, for instance, to bond expansion and provide the opportunity to lease land and contract with private businesses, especially in the areas of hospitality and conference space.  UB seeks the authority to finance campus capital projects and have the flexibility to develop campus land with the aid of third party developers in keeping with sound business practice.

Capital Infusion

UB needs additional financial resources both for operational needs (such as better stipends for graduate and teaching assistants) and capital needs (such as modern classroom space and faculty startup, i.e. equipment, costs).  These funds will allow UB to better compete for the most talented faculty and students, and provide the entire campus community with safe, modern, and attractive spaces and facilities in which to live and learn.

Where are we in the process of pushing for these changes?

We have completed two phases of this campaign so far: a “Prelude” phase during which we shared our proposal with the Governor and key administration officials; and an “Opinion Leaders” phase, where the vision for growth is communicated to key community leaders and elected officials.

We are now implementing the UB Believers part of the campaign which includes media outreach, an electronic advocacy tool, briefings for internal UB faculty, staff and students, as well as newsletters and other more personalized grassroots outreach efforts to our UB neighbors and community stakeholders.

Who else supports these priorities?

We have been very encouraged by evidence of strong support for these priorities, campus-wide and throughout our region and state. 

For example, the local media has increasingly taken note of our growth plans, and the community groups that President Simpson and other University officials have been meeting with over the past several months have been very quick to recognize the impact that UB’s growth and excellence will have on the communities we serve.

We’ve been receiving a great deal of positive reinforcement at the state level—not only from SUNY but also from the governor and his leadership team.

The Governor’s appointment of a Commission on Higher Education is clear evidence of the value his administration places on the role higher education will play in the future of New York State and the need for strong public research universities in New York State.

What will be the biggest challenge?

Perhaps our biggest challenge will be getting the policy changes through the Legislature.  There are many members of the Senate and Assembly on both sides of the aisle who have long supported SUNY, and members of our WNY delegation have been strong supporters of UB.  But traditionally, many members of the legislature have also been reluctant to give SUNY the kind of autonomy to set tuition rates and implement other policies that we see as key to our success.

Often legislators will argue that they simply want to ensure that SUNY remains affordable and accessible to New Yorkers from all backgrounds.  We couldn’t agree more with that goal. But without sufficient revenue and financing flexibility, UB will not be able to excel, nor will it be able to grow and enroll more students from New York.  In fact, a significant portion of any additional revenue that UB gains through predictable and differential tuition will be put right back into financial aid, recruitment, and retention programs that will directly benefit New Yorkers from low income backgrounds.  Starved for revenues as we are now, we are severely limited in how much we can do.

What is the connection between these priorities and UB 2020?  What will it take to achieve these policy changes?

The policies that govern the way higher education is financed in New York State must change if UB 2020’s promise is to be realized.  Achieving these benefits will require the operational structure, tuition policies, and financing environments that create the conditions for our university—and the entire State University of New York system—to flourish.

This is not simply about single-year budget requests.  This is about a dialogue between the University, our elected officials, and the SUNY system about how we bring about the long-term policy changes that will allow SUNY, UB, and Buffalo Niagara to achieve the ambitious goals we have set out.  This will take a number of years and it’s critical that we start now.

What happens if we do not achieve these changes?

The implementation of UB 2020 will continue with or without the changes we seek.  UB 2020 is conceived as a plan for the university to invest in its strengths, deploy its resources strategically, and plan for the future as a model public research university.  It is unlikely, however, that UB will be able to achieve its stated goal of 40% growth by 2020 without the support of SUNY and without legislative changes and funding commitments from Albany.