SUNY New Paltz administration building

NEW PALTZ – Faced with massive budget cutbacks from the state and the raiding of student tuition funds by Albany, SUNY New Paltz Tuesday announced a deficit reduction plan of $6 million that includes ending the college’s nursing program.

College President Steven Poskanzer cited “the severe economic recession (that) has hit New York especially hard, and the recently-enacted state budget” as reasons for the cuts.

Aside from eliminating the nursing program, the college plans to suspend admission to several low-enrolled graduate programs including Master of Science in Education and Master of Arts in teaching programs in chemistry, earth science, French, math and Spanish.

College spokesman Eric Gullickson said beyond the state budget cuts is the tuition cut. “There’s this tuition sweep that really exacerbates and is essentially another cut,” he said. “This year we are receiving only 20 percent of the actual tuition increase that was approved by the legislature; the rest is going into the general state fund and therefore, students and parents are actually paying more and the college or the institutions that would get that money are getting less.”

In total, the majority of the recommended cuts at the college -- $3.7 million – will come from non-instructional areas, while $2.3 million will come from the instructional budget. Seventy-nine faculty and non-instructional staff are expected to be laid off once contractual obligations have been met.

The college has proposed a series of new revenue ideas that will generate about $250,000 annually and has developed a target of $640,000 for cost-saving measures in non-personnel expenses like supplies and contracts, and additional $325,000 reduction in energy use.

State Senator John Bonacic, whose district includes New Paltz, said he is “disappointed that SUNY New Paltz has been forced to reduce the educational services it offers.” The Republican lawmaker said it would be one thing if the state budget was actually being reduced and the cuts had to be made, but spending by state government in New York is higher than ever.

“The decision by the Democrats in the Legislature to raid SUNY tuition amounts to nothing more than a tax on SUNY students and their families hurts the economy of the Hudson Valley,” said Bonacic. “The reductions at SUNY New Paltz are the product of a flawed budget that taxes too much and has misplaced priorities.  New York now has a government completely controlled by New York City Democrats and the disastrous results speak for themselves.”