2023-2024 Federal & State Budgets

• Approximately $56.4 million in state tax support for the University at Albany, similar to last year's level.

• Support for the hiring of additional full-time faculty at State-operated campuses and community colleges.

• An increase in support for the "TAP Gap" costs related to State-operated campuses.

• Predictable resident undergraduate tuition for State-operated campuses.

• Competitive tuition rates for the University Centers.

• $800,000 for the NYSTAR Center of Excellence (COE) in Atmospheric and Environmental Prediction and Innovation at the University at Albany, a reduction of $200,000 from last year's Enacted Budget.

• Level funding of $1.74 million for the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University at Albany (CARD Albany), which brings research and practice together in community settings.

• Level funding of $235,000 for Just for the Kids (NYKids) within the School of Education, the only New York-focused, evidenced-based school improvement program in the state that compares the performance of equally resourced and similarly challenged schools.

• Level funding of $261,600 for the Public Health Management Leaders of Tomorrow program (PHLOT), established in 2006, which strengthens the public health infrastructure across New York State.

• Level funding of $32,000 for Public Health Live, a webcast series designed to provide continuing education opportunities on public health issues.

• Level funding of $487,000 for Physician Workforce Studies which the Center for Health Workforce Studies, under contract with the NYS Department of Health, monitors the state's health workforce and identifies areas around the state with shortages of primary care, oral health and behavioral health providers.

• Level funding of $100,000 for the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society for the Immigrant Integration Index.

• Level funding of $210,000 for the evaluation of the Dwyer Peer-to-Peer Veterans Program, which provides veterans at risk of social isolation with a chance to engage with other veterans in low demand settings that do not carry the stigma of receiving traditional mental health service.

• $18 million in continued support for the SUNY Investment Fund.

• Maintaining full support for State-operated campus employee benefits and bonded capital debt service costs.

• Maintaining Excelsior recipient tuition at ongoing levels.

Each year, the University at Albany requests additional operating and capital support from the New York State Legislature.

Below are the requests created in consultation with the President's Executive Council.

AI Building - $100 Million

With the AI cluster hiring and the upcoming proposed hiring plan for doubling our research portfolio, we are expecting 40-50 faculty and researchers will be working at the new AI Institute, which will support around 800-1,000 undergraduate students, 80-100 graduate students, and around 20 postdoc and application engineers/researchers per year.

We are proposing to have a 130,000 gross square foot AI Building, which will be the home for the new AI Institute at UAlbany. The building will become the epicenter for AI and data science and will also house research in the intersection of hardware and software and in collaboration with semiconductor companies such as IBM and GlobalFoundries.

The AI Building vision also includes space for an innovation center and space for an extended data center. Additionally, it will be an important resource for leveraging a National Semiconductor Technology Center, attracting federal funding in the coming years.

Co-locating UAlbany’s School of Public Health with the NYS Department of Health’s Wadsworth Laboratory on the Harriman State Office Campus Complex

The School of Public Health (SPH) was created nearly four decades ago as a transformational and unique partnership between the NYS Department of Health and the University at Albany and remains distinct as the only fully accredited school of public health in the U.S. that exists as a collaboration between a research university and a state department of health.

Co-locating SPH with the Wadsworth Center at the doorstep of the University’s main research campus represents the next critical step in creating a public health research super cluster that would leverage UAlbany’s expertise in public health, policy, communication, emergency preparedness, social welfare, and health disparities to advance Wadsworth’s renowned reputation as a leader in public health sciences. Moreover, this scientific hub will help attract innovative talent and spur economic growth both in the city and regionally.

NYSTAR Center of Excellence in Atmospheric and Environmental Predication and Innovation – restore $200,000 and increase by $250,000 to $1.25 Million

Hurricane Ida’s devastation of the New York City region provided yet another shocking reminder of our economy’s vulnerability to severe weather – some $142 billion worth of damage in New York State alone. UAlbany’s Center of Excellence (COE) has advanced the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-resolution forecasting models to improve risk management for extreme weather and climate change.

The COE has forged partnerships throughout the emergency management, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence sectors to deliver smart weather solutions for companies who manage our severe weather risk. With full funding of $1.25 million, UAlbany’s COE will make greater inroads into highly vulnerable industries, including energy, AI, agriculture, logistics, retail, construction, insurance, and emergency management.

NYSTAR Center of Excellence in RNA Research and Therapeutics - $1 Million

New York State is home to two leaders in RNA research, UAlbany’s RNA Institute and the University of Rochester’s Center for RNA Biology: From Genome to Therapeutics. Creation of a NYSTAR Center of Excellence in RNA Research and Therapeutics (CERRT) will leverage this existing reservoir of knowledge, expertise, and resources to spur economic development and train the next generation of high-tech workers with RNA science expertise.

CERRT will be well-positioned to provide cutting-edge solutions to critical scientific problems that include developing therapeutics for devastating genetic diseases and emerging public health pathogens that threaten the well-being of NYS residents.

CERRT also will use RNA science as a workforce development platform to provide trained workers needed for the growth of healthcare, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical industries across the state, and provide career opportunities for underrepresented minorities that can help address systemic inequities and gender disparity in both academia and industry.

Creating Financial Flexibility to Invest in STEM Programs - $4 Million

ETEC is a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient facility that houses some of UAlbany’s fastest-growing programs and signature research strengths including weather, climate change and emergency management. The University is in a unique situation of borrowing an estimated $73 million for the remaining cost of its signature NYSUNY 2020 project. To manage this debt, UAlbany is now burdened with paying $4 million annually to support debt service which is typically financed by New York State on state buildings.

If NYS assumed this debt, as with other university buildings, UAlbany would invest this $4 million in programs to support more inclusive approaches to teaching STEM, in student retention initiatives including advising, and to support the professional development of women faculty and staff. As one of the most diverse public research universities in the nation (about 40 percent of UAlbany undergrads identify as Black or Latina/o), UAlbany takes pride in ensuring that all students are provided with opportunities to succeed, and this debt relief would greatly advance that cause.

The following items related to SUNY State-operated campuses were included in this year’s Executive budget:

Highlights (as provided by SUNY)

• $53 million in continued support for the hiring of additional full-time faculty at State-operated campuses and community colleges.

• A $1.5 billion research endowment fund to empower the University Centers to pursue groundbreaking and life-changing research (one state dollar for every $2 raised by the campus) and will be available to help them invest interest accrued for student scholarships, lab expansions, and start-up grants.

• Continued support for “TAP Gap” costs and maintaining Excelsior recipient tuition at ongoing levels.

• Predictable resident undergraduate tuition for State-operated campuses - the Governor’s proposed plan provides the SUNY Board of Trustees the ability to increase tuition up to three percent annually, which amounts to about a $200 increase per year.

• The Governor’s proposed plan also gives the Board of Trustees the authority to provide an additional six percentage point increase to the four University Centers, up to 1.3 times the base charged by other State-operated campuses, supporting the unique costs associated with operating a research institution.

• A continuation of $18 million for the SUNY Investment Fund.

• Creating a one-time $75 million Transformational Initiatives fund focused on supporting innovation, meeting workforce needs of the future, enhancing student support services, improving academic programs, increasing enrollment, and modernizing campus operations.

• A $200 million SUNY-wide Digital Transformation initiative for the acquisition and implementation of equipment, software, hardware, and other services.

• Full support for State-operated Campus employee benefits and debt service costs.

SUNY Capital

The Executive Budget recommends $650 million in critical maintenance funding, which is an increase of $100 million from last year’s Enacted Budget. Of the $650 million, $181.3 million is allocated for State-operated/statutory campuses (UAlbany’s share is $11.66 million, an increase of $1.81 million from last year’s Enacted budget) and $468.7 million in a lump sum for priority critical maintenance projects. While its allocation is yet to be determined, priority will be given to projects that address life and safety concerns, core infrastructure in need of replacement and upgrading buildings and infrastructure to meet current codes and regulations, such as ADA.

The capital budget also provides $100 million in new, flexible funding that can be used for new construction, programmatic, or critical maintenance projects, as well as $200 million in new capital funding to support the development of a SUNY-wide digital transformation initiative. Additionally, $200 million in new capital funding is included for alterations and improvements to research facilities at the University at Buffalo and Stony Brook University ($100 million each). These appropriations are provided in a lump sum subject to a plan to be developed by SUNY and approved by the director of the budget.

• The Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is level funded at $897 million.

• The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) is funded at $42.5 million, a decrease of approximately $1.3 million from last year’s Enacted Budget.

• The Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) is funded at $21 million, a decrease of approximately $500,000 from last year’s Enacted Budget.

• The Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (C-STEP) is funded at $15.8 million, a decrease of approximately $500,000 from last year’s Enacted Budget.

• The Liberty Partnership Program (LPP) is funded at $24.2 million, a decrease of approximately $800,000 from last year’s Enacted Budget.

Highlights (as provided by SUNY)

The Executive proposes the following legislative changes:

Provision of Abortion Services at Public College Campuses: All SUNY and CUNY Campuses, inclusive of Community Colleges, would be required to provide access to medication abortion prescription drugs for all students enrolled.

Expansion of Awards under the Liberty Partnership Program: Would remove the cap from awards made under this program, currently $300,000 per annum.

Indexing the Minimum Wage to Inflation: Would tie future minimum wage increases to the lower of three percent, or the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Expansion and Improvement of the New York State Child Care Assistance Program: Would increase the income eligibility from $83,250 for a family of four (300 percent of federal poverty) to $93,200 for a family of four (85 percent of the State median income).

Expansion of the Number of Authorized Charter Schools: Would eliminate the regional cap on charters issued in NYC and would allow the reissuance of any charter school closed after 7/1/2015 due to various instances.

Electronic Bidding: All SUNY and CUNY Campuses, inclusive of Community Colleges, would be required to provide access to medication abortion prescription drugs for all students enrolled.

Expansion of Continuous Recruitment Lists: Would allow the Civil Service Department to establish a continuing eligibility list for any class of positions that it finds appropriate.

Extension of the Retiree Income Cap for Public School Employees: Extends the sunset date to 2024 from the current 2023 year.

NYSHIP Premium Interest: Would allow for NYSHIP to charge appropriate interest rates on late payments.

Creation of the Extended Prosperity and Innovation Campuses (EPIC) Initiative: Would replace the existing START-UP NY program and provides an expansion while allowing downstate campuses to allocate off-campus land and space while removing certain requirements from the START-UP NY initiative.

Small Business Matching Fund: Would create a small business matching program for business that have received stage one or stage two federal awards.

Waste Production and Recycling Infrastructure Act: Would create an extended producer responsibility program for packaging and paper products.

Making NYS More Sustainable: Would require the State to prohibit the use of fossil fuel equipment and building systems in new construction, as well as related initiatives.

Authorize the New York State Power Authority (NYPA) to Build Renewable Energy Generating Projects / Expand Ability to Procure and Sell Power:  Would expand NYPA’s renewable portfolio and provide a plan for the proposed phase out their "peaker" plants, while supporting communities and helping the State meet the requirements of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). In addition, the budget would extend existing authority to procure and sell power.

Regional Economic Development Councils: The Executive Budget includes $225 million for investment in innovation plans for regional job creation and community development.

Downtown Revitalization and NY Forward: The Executive Budget provides $100 million for another round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, which has been transforming downtown neighborhoods into vibrant communities where the next generation of New Yorkers will want to live, work and raise families. Additionally, $100 million is allocated for the first round of the NY Forward program to invigorate downtowns of the State’s smaller and rural communities.

High Technology Programs: The Executive Budget maintains funding of $5 million for the Innovative Hot Spots. Additionally, total funding for the Centers of Excellence (COEs) and Centers for Advanced Technology (CATs) were reduced from $15 million each to approximately $12 million and $13.6 million, respectively.