Senate Bill S5881A

                                BILL NUMBER:S5881

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the state
university of New York
trustees to appoint a president for each state-operated
institution in the state university
and authorizing the council of each state-operated institution to approve
or reject the appointment of a president for such state-operated
institution

PURPOSE:
To provide that every SUNY institution has its own president and
ensure local community involvement in selecting a leader for college
campuses.

SUMMARY:
Section 1 amends section 355 of the Education Law to clarify that one
president shall be appointed for each state-operated institution in
the state university and will not serve another institution
concurrently.

Section 2 amends section 356 of the Education Law to give the college
council of a state university institution, the ability to accept or
reject the board of trustees' appointment for president of that
              

institution.

Section 3 provides for the immediate effectiveness of the act.

JUSTIFICATION:
New York's state university is unique among large public universities
in the level of autonomy granted to its 64 individual campuses. With
strong, independent leadership, and substantial support and
encouragement from local communities, the most successful of these
colleges have developed a level of specialization in character and
curriculum rarely seen in other public university systems, and which
has helped make SUNY a recognized leader in research and academics.

Recently, the chancellor announced a plan to encourage sharing among
selected campuses, and directed the elimination of the president's
positions at three colleges located in Canton, Morrisville and
Cobleskill, each of which will now utilize a shared presidency with
another college.

While it is critical that SUNY, like every other state agency and
level of government, should strive to maximize its use of taxpayer
and tuition dollars, and find efficiencies that enable it to achieve
its vital mission of helping students succeed, the elimination of the
president's position at each of these three colleges is short-sighted
and ill-advised. There are many other areas where campuses can
realize cost savings without undermining their character and mission,
which would result from this proposal.

The role of a college president is multi-faceted, and crucial to the
success of any institution of higher learning. The president is the


public face of a college campus, serving as chief marketer, advocate
and a key to private fundraising that can enhance a college's ability
to achieve its mission, and a leading figure in the local community.
A successful college-both public and private-is often marked by a
chief executive who is passionate about his or her school's mission
and curriculum, and devotes a significant amount of time and energy
to becoming personally familiar with the campus' student body, as
well as with leaders and individuals in the surrounding community.

Under its current leader, SUNY Canton, for example, has grown from a
two year school to now offer a number of four year degrees. In
January 2011, Canton moved into their new athletic center and through
the leadership of their president, fully funded the construction of
new on campus housing through private donations. This progress would
never have been possible without the president's intimate involvement
in fostering a strong relationship with Canton's community.

There are very few examples of major public colleges throughout the
nation that employ a shared presidents model-it is not the norm in
leading public university systems. In the few cases where shared
presidencies have been implemented, there is first hand evidence that
such a model can have a negative long term effect on issues like fund
raising, mission-creep, and the ability to maintain a campus' unique,
individual character.

It is alarming that the three colleges selected for this experimental
realignment are all unique in that they represent the only campuses
in the state university system that emphasize an agricultural
curriculum. As the state's leading industry, it is essential that the
state devote sufficient resources and support to ensuring the best
possible academic and practical preparation and training for the next
generation of farmers and agribusiness leaders through its public
university system. The elimination of presidents at these
institutions can be viewed as the public university system abandoning
its long-held role at a time when the industry faces unprecedented
challenges, with deep potential consequences to a vast geographic
area of the state.

The three colleges selected for shared presidency are hardly
proximate, geographically or in mission. While the Canton and Potsdam
campuses are some 12 miles apart, SUNY-IT and Morrisville college,
Delhi and Cobleskill are 40 and 50 miles apart, respectively. Each
college differs significantly in its historic mission from its
proposed partner.

Additionally, the legislation seeks to clarify the rote of individual
campus councils in approving or disapproving the selection of a
college president. While the authority to appoint a college president
would remain with the board of trustees, college councils would be
required to give their assent. This provision would help to promote
stronger bonds between neighbors of colleges that have a major impact
on surrounding communities, academically, culturally and as major
employers.

HISTORY:
New bill.


FISCAL IMPACT:
None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.