Open Letter from CUNY Foundation Board Chairs to State Government

Foundation Board Chairs from all of the CUNY colleges and professional schools penned an open letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the members of the State Assembly and Senate concerning the present budget situation at CUNY. This letter ran in the New York Times today and is copied in part below.

We write to you as the volunteer leaders of the boards of foundations supporting every college of The City University of New York (CUNY). Along with the hundreds of New Yorkers who serve on our boards, and the thousands of generous donors who last year contributed over $250 million to the University, we are deeply concerned — more concerned than we have ever been — about the health, future and continued independence of CUNY. We are calling on you now to support this vitally important institution.

The City University of New York appears to face an uncertain future. The 2016-17 Executive Budget pro- poses shifting almost $500 million in state support of CUNY to the city, a move the city opposes and an amount the city has not included in its budget. The Governor has recently promised that CUNY’s budget will not be cut, but the source of funding remains unclear. Funding to settle CUNY labor contracts now 6 and 7 years out of date appears to be at risk, even though the budgets of the Executive, Senate and Assembly all recognize that a major investment is needed. The fiscal instability and the lack of certainty about supporting CUNY’s faculty and staff reflected in this year’s budget deliberations are deeply troublesome. Also of great concern are threats to CUNY’s independence, which is required by legislation establishing CUNY and has been vital to fulfilling its unique mission.

CUNY has never been more important to the future of our city and state. This year, CUNY welcomed a record number of degree seeking students — 275,000 — and the largest number of continuing education students in its history — another 275,000. As has been true since its founding, CUNY is providing opportunities for upward mobility for thousands of low income, underrepresented and immigrant students. As CUNY alumnus and former Intel CEO Andy Grove said, CUNY is the “American Dream Machine.” In our view, this American Dream Machine deserves enthusiastic support and additional investment, not a precarious future.

Read the letter in full here.

Photo by Zack Seward via flickr (CC-BY-ND).