Those suburban Senators widely hold the view that SUNY is an upstate institution and it is vastly overbuilt. If tuition takes an exceptional leap this year, part of the blame, says Johnstone, may belong to Mario Cuomo. By leading students to believe that higher education ought to be free, Mario Cuomo did the whole state a disservice. Despite managing previous cuts well, Johnstone doubts the ability of SUNY to absorb the magnitude of cuts the governor has proposed without doing substantial damage. But now, there's not a lot of fat there.
Higher education is a very labor-intensive enterprise.
SUNY Central estimates that closing the budget gap will require the laying off of 1,900 faculty and staff system-wide. The prospect of closing campuses arises whenever large cuts are contemplated. However, Johnstone says, that is not really a viable short-term alternative. Campuses such as the Maritime School in Manhattan, Old Westbury on Long Island or Purchase in Westchester County are attractive candidates because their property is valuable. Nevertheless, Johnstone seemed to expect a budget much like the one Pataki presented Feb. 1.