August 1, 2008
From the Vice President for Finance and Management
As you are aware, Governor Paterson has reported on New York State’s worsening fiscal situation and has called for a 7 percent state agency cut, on top of the 3.35 enacted this spring.
At this point, it is too early to know implications for SUNY and our campus. However, we do have clarification on the following:
• The reduction applies only to state appropriations, not revenue funds.
• SUNY does not fall within the Division of Budget’s strict definition of a state agency. Therefore, the hard hiring freeze and related processes do not apply to us. However, given the severity of the situation, we will continue to carefully review hiring and expenditures.
• As yet, there is no SUNY-wide approach developed as to allocation of the reduction to individual campuses.
As before, SUNY and UUP will be negotiating in coming weeks with the Office of the Governor. A variety of actions will be on the table, including reducing the absolute amount of the reduction, use of reserves, relief from “unfunded mandates,” regulatory reform, and tuition. We will continue to keep you informed through e-mail and updates on our Web site. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at kardons@buffalostate.edu or Becky Schenk at schenkrj@buffalostate.edu.
Your support and cooperation are greatly appreciated.