Dive Brief:
- New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggested eliminating $485 million in state funding for the City University of New York in his 2017 budget proposal, and while the House rejected his budget plan, CUNY supporters are on guard.
- Inside Higher Ed reports students and politicians have come to CUNY’s defense, arguing the system is an important path to opportunity for the city’s low-income and minority residents, who would be disproportionately impacted if the state cut impacts services, though Cuomo says that won’t happen.
- Cuomo’s proposal would shift 30% of the cost of CUNY away from the state, reflecting the city’s control of 30% of all appointments to the CUNY Board of Trustees and the pre-1970s funding levels, in which the city fully funded the university system.
Dive Insight:
Cuomo’s budget proposal also included retroactive raises for CUNY faculty to the tune of $240 million but it looks like that money will be conditional, tied to the funding shift Cuomo has advocated. Inside Higher Ed reports the shift is not supposed to cost the city any additional money, according to a Cuomo promise that Mayor Bill de Blasio has repeated.
Many state university systems have had to compromise with governors about funding. In a notable budget battle, University of California System President Janet Napolitano agreed to a two-year tuition freeze in exchange for additional state funding. Other states, like Wisconsin and Louisiana, have fought, like CUNY, to stave off massive cuts. This struggle could be helped along by new regulations that make federal money conditional on state investment, but until the Higher Education Act gets its rewrite, that is unlikely.