Hundreds of students and dozens of employees gathered at New York's State Capitol Tuesday as the Legislature held a hearing on the state's investment in higher education.
The President of MCC was among those testifying at the hearing. Anne Kress says students are increasingly seeking career pathways -- among SUNY's most expensive and popular programs.
She called on the state to increase its investment because community colleges provide an opportunity for people and families looking for a better and brighter future.
“We connect our programs in the classroom to post-graduation earnings. We know that for every dollar that a student invests in tuition at MCC, that student will see eight dollars return in future earnings.”
Kress says MCC returns over $600 million a year to the region because of the accumulated credits earned at MCC.
SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher also testified, advocating for what she calls a rational funding plan for community colleges. And she called for additional support overall for the SUNY system.
“For every 100 ninth graders in New York, an average of 23 go to college and complete their degree on time, and in our upstate urban centers, the average drops to an abysmal 16 – it’s a completely unacceptable rate of student success,” said Chancellor Zimpher. ... Increased investment in SUNY can and will lead to a higher degree of success for all of New York’s students,” Zimpher told the lawmakers.
In his $142 billion state budget proposal, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called for nearly $60 million in additional higher education spending and changes intended to make funding more dependent on performance than enrollment.
The state's system of public universities, colleges and community colleges serve more than 1.3 million people a year.
