New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has announced the creation of a Commission on Higher Education charged with identifying ways to improve the state's public colleges and universities. The commission of 30 education luminaries includes two AFT vice presidents, William Scheuerman, president of the United University Professions/AFT of the State University of New York, and Adam Urbanski, president of the Rochester Teachers Association/AFT. It is being chaired by Hunter Rawlings, president emeritus of Cornell University and the University of Iowa, and includes public and private college presidents and chancellors, members of the state legislature, three faculty and two students.

Spitzer has indicated that he wants to make New York's "higher educational system a world-class institution." The commission, announced on May 29, will look at improving access to the state's public institutions, expanding degree programs with an eye to economic development, smoothing transfer for community college students, and expanding research capacity and "opportunities for high-value employment."

"Among the most critical concerns is the need to formulate a predictable, reliable funding stream for public higher education," says Scheuerman. "Addressing that issue will preserve the quality of our public colleges and universities as they struggle to cope with growing enrollment and the need to hire more full-time faculty." Over the last decade, SUNY enrollment increased by 40,000 students, but the number of full-time faculty positions has decreased by 1,000.

"The governor's first budget adds $143.2 million to SUNY right out of the box," Scheuerman adds. "That is a real, aggressive start. You can't build a world-class system without that kind of commitment."

The commission is to present a preliminary report by Dec. 1, 2007, with a final report due by June 1, 2008. [Barbara McKenna]

May 31, 2007