This morning, on behalf of his 600,000
student colleagues from across the state, SUNY Student Assembly President and
SUNY Trustee Marc J. Cohen testified at the joint budget hearing before the
Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committees.
President Cohen testified alongside SUNY
Chancellor Nancy Zimpher to convey one clear message: SUNY students need state
support in order to succeed.
“We must strive for greater
accessibility, increased affordability, and increasingly enriching educational
experiences for our students, who are our greatest assets and the most
worthwhile investment that can be made by New York State. Any investment in our
students is a direct investment in New York’s workforce,” said Cohen.
Cohen continued on to say that the
Student Assembly supports measures which prevent the burden of higher education
from falling squarely on the shoulders of students and their families. “We are
encouraged by the Governor’s Excelsior Scholarship program, which brings the
critical issue of affordability into the spotlight and takes a much needed step
toward reducing student debt and alleviating the financial strain on
middle-income families of attaining a quality education.”
Cohen also emphasized that SUNY’s
community colleges should not and cannot be overlooked in the budget cycle, and
reaffirmed the Student Assembly’s support for expansion and increased funding
for programs like TAP (linked) and EOP (linked), which have benefitted SUNY
students for years.
Before answering questions from the
panel, Cohen concluded, “In the coming months, I ask all the members of the New
York State legislature and your committees in particular to be cognizant of and
sensitive to the importance of strong state investment in higher education for
the future of our state. Debt goes far beyond tuition, and it is vital that we
work to promote the mission of SUNY: accessible, affordable, high quality
education.”
Source: SUNY SA
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