The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo

Governor of New York State

NYS State Capitol Building

Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo:

Thank you for focusing national attention on the need for tuition-free college education, and for funding the first generation of Excelsior Scholarships. Increasingly, as you have said, “A college education is not a luxury – it is an absolute necessity for any chance at economic mobility.” Now you have an opportunity to take the crucial next step toward making New York State the national leader in higher education policy.

The CUNY/SUNY maintenance of effort (M.O.E.) bill (A.934A / S.1596A) will soon come to your desk. As New Yorkers and leaders of community [and faith] organizations, we call on you to sign the bill into law. Doing so would fulfill the promise of Excelsior and ensure academic quality for the two million students who depend on New York’s public university systems each year.

SUNY and CUNY are New York’s most powerful engines of economic mobility. They literally change lives. The landmark study of the effect of a college degree published last year shows that SUNY and CUNY colleges are among the most effective colleges nationally in enabling graduates to move out of poverty. And the impact of a college education goes beyond the economic, opening doors for students to become engaged in civic and cultural life.

Enrollment in both systems has ballooned over the last decade as more students—especially low-income, minority, rural and first-generation students—have set their sights on a better life and applied for college. Now the Excelsior Scholarship, which is projected to cover unmet tuition for 23,000 students this year, is driving applications and enrollment even higher.

New York’s public university systems need increased investment to meet the growing demand. Their funding has still not recovered from the Great Recession of 2008. CUNY and SUNY need investment to cover basic inflationary costs of personnel, rent, energy, and materials. These mandatory operating costs continue to rise, even as the new leadership of SUNY and CUNY enact efficiency measures. Without adequate state funding, both systems have relied on raising tuition and cutting academic resources to pay for unfunded costs. As a result, SUNY and CUNY students have had to pay more—and borrow more—to attend college. Many have been unable to register for the courses they need in order to stay on track for graduation because budget shortfalls have forced reductions in class offerings.

Current law authorizes tuition increases of up to $200 per year until 2020-2021, but requires only that the state allocation for the public universities for each of those years be no less than it was in the prior year. The MOE bill, passed with unanimous bi-partisan support in both the Senate and the Assembly, would instead cover the true operating cost increases for SUNY and CUNY.

By signing the MOE you can ensure that our public colleges and universities—and our public teaching hospitals—will have the funding they need. Reliable state investment will allow SUNY and CUNY to manage the growing number of students. It will mean smaller classes, better advisement, and robust student services—all proven to increase rates of on-time graduation. It will boost our economy, strengthen our state and local tax base, modernize our workforce, and make life better for all New Yorkers.

The strongest way for New York State to demonstrate the commitment to higher education you have championed is to invest in the public university systems. Without stable investment in CUNY and SUNY, the vision of higher education you have offered will be undermined. Even in an era of fiscal restraint, no investment is surer than investment in higher education.

On behalf of the [millions/hundreds of thousands] of New Yorkers whom we represent and serve, and who count on SUNY and CUNY, we urge you to sign the maintenance of effort bill.