SUNY chief backs tuition aid for incarcerated felons | Education

“We’re very much in favor of this,” said Deborah Stanley, who was appointed interim chancellor in December.

State aid for higher education in the prisons was terminated in 1995 by then-Gov. George Pataki, a Republican.

Progressive Democrats have been leading the push for new approaches to criminal justice policy, by proposing the restoration of allowing inmates to be again eligible for the state Tuition Assistance Program, calling for an “Elder Parole” program and advancing a bill that would let released felons have criminal records expunged.

Stanley had been employed by SUNY for the past 45 years. Before tuition aid for prisoners was cut off, she said, “it was successful to a degree.” If funding for the program is resumed, she added, “I expect it to be successful again.”

Stanley discussed the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and other higher education issues at a state budget hearing  held Monday. With a national search on for a new chancellor, Stanley said she won’t apply for the position.

Over the past decade, the SUNY system has lost nearly 20% of its total enrollment, Stanley said SUNY launched a task force two weeks ago with the goal of addressing the enrollment challenges.

She said strategies for countering the enrollment decline include an effort to lure more students from other states and more international students to SUNY campuses.

“As we look out of state, we’re going to be comparing what do we charge students who come in as out-of-state students; Is this something that is a barrier to students coming in? Well, how does that compare to the in-state tuition in the states they reside in?”

Sen. John Liu, D-Queens, voiced concern that SUNY tuition “has been supporting more and more of SUNY’s ever-expanding operating costs.”

“Please have your team look at price sensitivity,” Liu told Stanley, suggesting tuition increases have been a factor in the enrollment shrinkage at SUNY.

Stanley said there are multiple factors involved in the erosion of enrollment at the campuses, with the decline particularly pronounced at community colleges. She said administrators are pulling together a “full spectrum of data” and have been using artificial intelligence and software to “help us understand where we are.”

Sen. Sue Serino, R-Dutchess County, a member of the Senate Higher Education Committee, asked Stanley about SUNY’s decision to mandate that SUNY students receive booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccines, though that requirement is not applied to faculty members and vendors on the campuses.

Serino said the inconsistency amounts to a “slap in the face” for emergency medical technicians enrolled at a community college for continuing education courses because the instructors are exempt from the booster requirement.

Stanley said SUNY has been relying on guidance for its COVID policies from a panel of physicians and researchers.

Hochul’s proposed state budget would also expand tuition assistance to the tens of thousands of part-time students attending public and private colleges in New York. Stanley said she believes that proposal could bring more students to the SUNY system.

Tydie Abreu, policy analyst for the Hispanic Federation, an advocacy group, also predicted qualifying part-time students for TAP will boost enrollments.

“Part-time TAP will encourage college enrollment for the many students who usually decide to not pursue a higher education in order to work and support their families,” Abreu said.

Several lawmakers also registered their support for expanding TAP for part-time students.

According to Hochul’s budget presentation, funding for higher education in New York has increased by $2.1 billion since 2012. Hochul’s spending plan would increase funds for higher education by $619 million in the coming fiscal year, an increase of 8.3%.

The proposed budget would allow SUNY to hire 340 additional full-time faculty members, while the City University system would be able to hire an additional 540 faculty members.

Leaders of the faculty unions at both systems argued the public colleges need more money than Hochul is offering. The unions are urging lawmakers to provide SUNY with an additional $256 million and CUNY with an additional $253 million.

State and local government funding for public colleges in New York amounted to $12,252 per student in the 2020 fiscal year, according to the Hochul administration. That is more than what is offered by 44 other states and 42% more than the national average.